“They want to be advertised to on Facebook.” Wrong.
I have watched Facebook take-off over the past few years. What once started as a tool that required a college email address, then expanded to include high school students, is now open to anyone, anywhere. This change has significantly increased the way companies are using this popular social networking tool and I am not sure all the experts have it quite figured out.
I get tired of marketers assuming they know what I want. I think it’s time to start asking. The talk right now is that teens and college students are looking for business ads in the midst of a wall post to their best friend—really?
I don’t buy it and I don’t buy it.
For me, there is an indirect relationship between the amount of time I spend on Facebook and the number of ads I have to bypass every time I log-in. As a college student, I use Facebook for one primary function: staying connected to friends. I can view my freshman roommate’s spring break pictures from Costa Rica or see that my sister’s new favorite movie is The Green Mile. I’m staying up-to-date with people I don’t see all the time.
So, where does business advertising fit into that?
I’m not entirely sure.
I do not go to Facebook looking for ads or coupons and the ones on there aren’t urging me to click on them. For me, the companies with the cheesy banner ads on the sides of a Facebook page lose credibility points in my book.
Where I do see potential is if companies can help transcend their corporate culture onto these social networks. Companies have the ability to set up a company page where they can describe them self, post links, make comments, and join in this community of friends. I am a fan of Papa John’s Pizza Facebook page and see comments from their 297,827 other fans that really love their pizza—and aren’t afraid to say it. After viewing their Facebook page, I see that I can opt-in to their email program and receive coupons each week. So in this simple way, Papa John’s caught my attention and added a new subscriber, all without a banner advertisement.
I see potential here. There has to be a careful strategy on how this is approached, but if an effort matches the target market, I think there would be significant advantages. I don’t think it would just be in customer sales but I think it would be in building loyalty.
This has opened a lot of different topics that I think college students have thought about. We do have an opinion about. It looks like I have a few more things to share.
Kyle Schroeder
Slingshot Summer Intern
I have watched Facebook take-off over the past few years. What once started as a tool that required a college email address, then expanded to include high school students, is now open to anyone, anywhere. This change has significantly increased the way companies are using this popular social networking tool and I am not sure all the experts have it quite figured out.
I get tired of marketers assuming they know what I want. I think it’s time to start asking. The talk right now is that teens and college students are looking for business ads in the midst of a wall post to their best friend—really?
I don’t buy it and I don’t buy it.
For me, there is an indirect relationship between the amount of time I spend on Facebook and the number of ads I have to bypass every time I log-in. As a college student, I use Facebook for one primary function: staying connected to friends. I can view my freshman roommate’s spring break pictures from Costa Rica or see that my sister’s new favorite movie is The Green Mile. I’m staying up-to-date with people I don’t see all the time.
So, where does business advertising fit into that?
I’m not entirely sure.
I do not go to Facebook looking for ads or coupons and the ones on there aren’t urging me to click on them. For me, the companies with the cheesy banner ads on the sides of a Facebook page lose credibility points in my book.
Where I do see potential is if companies can help transcend their corporate culture onto these social networks. Companies have the ability to set up a company page where they can describe them self, post links, make comments, and join in this community of friends. I am a fan of Papa John’s Pizza Facebook page and see comments from their 297,827 other fans that really love their pizza—and aren’t afraid to say it. After viewing their Facebook page, I see that I can opt-in to their email program and receive coupons each week. So in this simple way, Papa John’s caught my attention and added a new subscriber, all without a banner advertisement.
I see potential here. There has to be a careful strategy on how this is approached, but if an effort matches the target market, I think there would be significant advantages. I don’t think it would just be in customer sales but I think it would be in building loyalty.
This has opened a lot of different topics that I think college students have thought about. We do have an opinion about. It looks like I have a few more things to share.
Kyle Schroeder
Slingshot Summer Intern
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