Chris Webb

I was having a discussion with a colleague today about Facebook when he mentioned another department was considering Facebook advertising. No doubt Facebook is the social network with all the juice today, and companies are absolutely right in considering a shift from traditional PR and marketing activities – in fact it is critical.

However, companies must change the way they think about social sites like Facebook and how they can get their message to those members. Social networks are not just big websites, and most current strategies wont work on these sites. The key is to engage!

I can point to several reports that seem to show traditional advertising models don’t seem to be working on Facebook – at least not in its current form. Facebook is working on a more focused system for advertisers, and those results remain to be seen. Perhaps more focused efforts will have better results.

Now, I am not a marketing or advertising expert. But I suggest the way to reach Facebook users is to engage and participate with the community using the tools that Facebook provides. Get in there! Some thoughts:

• Find your customers
• Participate in Groups
• Create your own Group
• Don’t sell – participate in the conversation
• Add value to the conversation – don’t just shout your message
• Build an application

What are your thoughts on Facebook as a marketing platform?