Who really wants to be known by their endorsement of socks?
Facebook users see ‘liking’ something as their personal stamp of approval. There is no other benefit to liking something other than an emotional payoff be it belonging or crafting your personal identity.
So the idea of ‘liking’ socks for the sake of socks does not appeal with many Facebook users on an emotional level. However if we had to communicate the concept of socks in a different way, then we will have a better chance of success. For example it would be better if a sock brand attempted to connect people around the notion of ‘warm feet’ or ‘happy healthy feet’.
Takeout: Whatever your Facebook page is about the concept needs to resonate on an emotional level with the target audience. It also needs to be in line with the brand identity of the company.
Earning the hard yards
Facebook communities rarely succeed without massive amounts of effort. Building momentum is key to establishing a great community. Keep in mind that you need to focus on the idea that unites your fans, always maintain that connection and don’t try to sell too hard.
Practically, this translates to writing stories that add value to your online bond, interacting with users, incentives and responding to questions.
Takeout: You reap what you sow – cultivating a flourishing community takes effort. All content needs to be modeled around the user and not the product.
Everybody in the house say yeah!
Part of running a community involves getting participation from your users. Allow members to get involved on some level. Keep the involvement aligned with the purpose and goals of the community. If at all possible you could run a physical event for people to take part in.
Relating this to a sock brand could be organizing a sock race. If the event is done well you will have strengthened the bond with your community and will reap the benefits online. If you are restricted to just online interaction try as much as possible to keep the interaction on your online property. Examples of this may be polls, surveys and viral content. Another good community tactic is using incentives. This normally works to energize a community and members also feel rewarded for their effort.
Takeout: Energize and reward your community.
Why Larry why?
Coca-Cola has 11 million fans, so what? It starts to matter when your branded Facebook page beats your website for unique visitors. According to compete.com, Coke’s brand website visits have fallen by more than 40% to 242,000 in July compared to a year ago.
Migration from brand sites to Facebook is happening and brands need to come to terms with this. Thus, brands need to adapt to engaging successfully with users on Facebook. Running successful communities is key to brand success on Facebook.
Read more posts by Ettienne Mostert
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It’s interesting that Facebook has become like a massive microcosm of cyberworld. And it’s always about the user. In essence, ‘all roads lead to the user’.
Sounds like I need to give an IPad away