With over 250 million users, has the time come to migrate the corporate web site (and by extension, the brand and promotion microsites) to Facebook?
At the moment, it makes perfect sense:
- Companies / brands can now get vanity Facebook URL’s
- Available publishing tools, many of which are free, limits spend and the need to utilize in-house technical or agency resources.
- Conversations can be continuous
- Acquired Fans can be rewarded (or remarketed to) with special and/or targeted offers, rewards and promotions (see my earlier post on Starbucks). Fans can also easily “share” information with their friends and family, etc. This sharing extends the reach further and perhaps includes a “qualifying” message from the sender.
- Content is dynamic (versus static web copy) with the business user (a resource in Marketing, PR, etc.) responsible for its delivery.
While seeming to be beneficial, there are risks to this direction. What is popular today may not be tomorrow. Just look at Netscape and AOL (plus tons of other leading firms) whose popularity was eclipsed by new entrants. Marketing focused technology solutions designed and delivered smartly are truly a destabilizing and enabling force in the marketplace.
So what is an organization to do?
My advice is to simply do both — maintain the corporate or brand presence, but extend the reach and frequency of the conversation. Use the social media platforms to provide value with “real-time” content and perhaps conversations. However, keep in mind that it is important to ensure those who do not Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn can still engage and be engaged with the brand.
Today, brands need more than a “push/pull” strategy to engage and retain their most loyal customers. They must bring the message to the place(s) where the customer resides online and in the near future, to their device of choice.
Yesterday (or it seems like yesterday) it was all about MySpace, today it is Facebook.
Thoughts on tomorrow?