Can Facebook really help your brand?

https://www.facebook.com/composuregraph

Well, yes it can.

Technology has drastically changed the ways consumers receive and use information. When using Facebook as a marketing strategy, you have two options: paid media or earned media. By using paid media, you can get your message out to the right people—your target audience. You have the ability to manage which information goes out and control the number of ads displayed. Analytics allows you to see the impact your Facebook ads are having on your page. Through tracking and analytics, advertisers specify either a single action or multiple actions to be measured for any ad group; you can track likes, page posts, comments, mentions, check-ins, photos, and shares. But, just because you are forcing people to look at what you have to say through paid advertisements, doesn’t mean they’ll take notice. You still want to generate worthwhile, interesting content for people to enjoy.

Earned media, on the other hand, is achieved by reaching beyond your initial fan base. Presuming the friends of your fans have similar interests, you can connect with them through sharing and recommendations. This interaction builds trust and engagement; it can also be more long-term. Serving customers after they’ve given you their business is a way to drive loyalty and appreciate repeat customers. These two methods, paid and earned media, can be used together to effectively reach your target demographic.

When advertising, you should look for high-quality fans that will help generate earned media. To monitor the quality of your fan base, look at the effective cost per fan rate (how much each new paid fan is costing your brand). Your efforts are considered “high quality” if paid fans bring in more than non-paid fans. Also look at “people talking about this” which means any type of interaction with your page. The number of adults and older people using social networks is increasing which helps broaden your audience. Facebook Connect is an extension that allows users to connect with third-party websites and Facebook friends when they’re not on Facebook.

When adopting Facebook as a marketing tool, it needs to be unified and more than just “likes;” getting people to like your page is only one piece of the puzzle. For increased relevancy, encourage your users to interact with your brand through commenting and sharing. This is your forum to interact with your customers and develop an ongoing dialogue—answer their questions, offer advice, communicate with them. Cultivate a community and engage in conversation in an open and honest way.

Integrated marketing is the key to success. Before jumping on the social media bandwagon, you should take time to reevaluate and make sure you have a clear understanding of who you are as a company, what you stand for and why you are in the business in the first place. Create a social media voice that matches the personality of your brand. When communicating via social media, consistency and authenticity are of utmost importance.