Now that Facebook’s Timeline profile has been announced as requisite for all starting March 31, 2012, several companies will view their past activities, or lack thereof, with regret. Given the amount of work-induced pressure companies face on a routine basis, especially when marketing departments are compelled to go viral on social media, it has become remarkably challenging to market a product, or service, whether you are a big company or a small start-up, through social media.
Previously, social marketing was considered easy that new employees or fresh interns were frequently handed over the responsibility of with relief for managing the company’s social marketing. It was considered a fashionable marketing technique and most companies’ presence was attributed mainly because of competitors had their presence on various social platforms. This resulted in major disappointments by users who would see the ‘Like us/Follow us on Facebook’ tagged at the bottom of the company’s advertisements only to view blank pages. Subsequently, the employees wasted ample company time and resources on promoting their personal image than the company’s. The wrong choice the company makes is to hire employees who do not know the business well or long enough to promote them with a strong drive which is essential when marketing through social media.
Timeline may seem restricting at first, but it is fair for a platform as big as Facebook has become, to take their share of profits. That is not to say that companies will make any less. It’s the same strategy, only different methods. Invest enough and returns will be as much, in terms of time, effort, manpower and finance.
Timeline, and other social marketing platforms for that matter, have proved so useful and strong that social marketing has become an essential marketing tool for all kinds of companies and individual entrepreneurs, who are no longer relying on television advertisements and billboards as they are on creating and maintaining a direct link with their customers.
That’s what the challenge is now: Facebook’s Timeline requires a deeper level of involvement if the company expects any non financial or financial benefits from or through it. Essentially, companies must build upon the following:
Get the right kind of marketing professionals. Experience would be beneficial but more importantly, they should be aware of social marketing tactics and tools. Studying the competition and gaining an insight into what works and what does not is part of market management.
Get the right kind of apps. And don’t underestimate its user engagement ability. Within just 6 months of the launch, and already Facebook’s Timeline has 3,000 apps on their platform. App developers will now be able to provide more leverage to users, which means, more consumer-friendly site.
Communicate well and frequently. Do not ever use slang terms with the users. Some companies get carried away by attempting to sound too casual or too stiff and business like. The former appears not only unprofessional, but consumers will regard the site with suspicion and the latter will make users withdraw.
Companies should have Facebook app developer use the social plug-in ‘Add to Timeline’ which will display the user’s level of engagement with the app. Options are available to display the app as a box or a button.
AvenueSocial focuses on strategic Facebook application development. At AvenueSocial, we have professional Facebook app developers who are well trained and well equipped with all the skills and technical requirements for a perfect Facebook Application.
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