Using Facebook as Marketing Platform
I have been using Facebook for quite sometime now. Though as a social networking site, it's not that much prevalent in India till now (::come next year though:: It will be a different scene altogether). As a matter of fact, if you type "India" in Facebook search, this is the figure that will show up (People=500+; Groups=130; Events=141; Applications=18). This figure is quite less compared to other active social networking countries. Reason may be partly due to its emergence in the West and less promotion in the east.
Still Facebook as a Marketing Platform can never be denied in terms of its Web Apps/Widgets. Though it can't be ruled as a viable option too. But Facebook with it's rapidly growing user base can be a marketer's bread & butter in terms of exposure for your brand, product or website.
Ways in which Facebook can be used as a marketing platform for companies are:
#1. Targeted Brand Exposure: Facebook with its clearly demarcated demographics can be easily used to to spread the brand communication message.
#2. Viral Marketing: Facebook can be used to spread the word as both content (brand message) & services are fused together in a single platform. E.g. Amazon's Visual Bookshelf apps. The bigger picture is that companies won't have to spend much since the word will be carried forward by the users as engagement between users & apps increases when value will be added to each interaction between apps and users.
#3. Easy hunting ground for Market Research: Facebook's biggest success formula has been it varied demographics ranging from teens to baby boomers. So companies can easily use this wide demographics for different Market Research to understand its target market in a better way.
Not everything is rosy about Facebook. Along with so much promise, there still lurks the usual fad attached to social networking sites like these. So some of the problems marketers may face are:
#1. Fad attached to social networking sites: If something new and cool comes in the way and as we all are aware of B.S.O.S (Bright & Shiny Object Syndrome), so Facebook may just dissipate in the horizon.
#2. Flyers to Fliers: Furthermore, while some users praise Facebook flyers because they blend in with the rest of the Facebook interface and are not intrusive, others argue that this is precisely the reason why the click-through rates are so low. At the same time, these people welcome using pay-per-click marketing because that way, you only pay when someone notices and clicks on your advertisement. (Thanks Pronetadvertising)
So at the end of it all, Creativity is "THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP" in approaching social communities and hence opportunities can be created if, and only if, you play by the rules and also as marketers we have to consider "Adding value to each interaction" i.e. c0-create the naturally viral nature of the community instead of forcing it.
Using Facebook as Marketing Platform
I have been using Facebook for quite sometime now. Though as a social networking site, it's not that much prevalent in India till now (::come next year though:: It will be a different scene altogether). As a matter of fact, if you type "India" in Facebook search, this is the figure that will show up (People=500+; Groups=130; Events=141; Applications=18). This figure is quite less compared to other active social networking countries. Reason may be partly due to its emergence in the West and less promotion in the east.
Still Facebook as a Marketing Platform can never be denied in terms of its Web Apps/Widgets. Though it can't be ruled as a viable option too. But Facebook with it's rapidly growing user base can be a marketer's bread & butter in terms of exposure for your brand, product or website.
Ways in which Facebook can be used as a marketing platform for companies are:
#1. Targeted Brand Exposure: Facebook with its clearly demarcated demographics can be easily used to to spread the brand communication message.
#2. Viral Marketing: Facebook can be used to spread the word as both content (brand message) & services are fused together in a single platform. E.g. Amazon's Visual Bookshelf apps. The bigger picture is that companies won't have to spend much since the word will be carried forward by the users as engagement between users & apps increases when value will be added to each interaction between apps and users.
#3. Easy hunting ground for Market Research: Facebook's biggest success formula has been it varied demographics ranging from teens to baby boomers. So companies can easily use this wide demographics for different Market Research to understand its target market in a better way.
Not everything is rosy about Facebook. Along with so much promise, there still lurks the usual fad attached to social networking sites like these. So some of the problems marketers may face are:
#1. Fad attached to social networking sites: If something new and cool comes in the way and as we all are aware of B.S.O.S (Bright & Shiny Object Syndrome), so Facebook may just dissipate in the horizon.
#2. Flyers to Fliers: Furthermore, while some users praise Facebook flyers because they blend in with the rest of the Facebook interface and are not intrusive, others argue that this is precisely the reason why the click-through rates are so low. At the same time, these people welcome using pay-per-click marketing because that way, you only pay when someone notices and clicks on your advertisement. (Thanks Pronetadvertising)
So at the end of it all, Creativity is "THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP" in approaching social communities and hence opportunities can be created if, and only if, you play by the rules and also as marketers we have to consider "Adding value to each interaction" i.e. c0-create the naturally viral nature of the community instead of forcing it.
Using Facebook as Marketing Platform
I have been using Facebook for quite sometime now. Though as a social networking site, it's not that much prevalent in India till now (::come next year though:: It will be a different scene altogether). As a matter of fact, if you type "India" in Facebook search, this is the figure that will show up (People=500+; Groups=130; Events=141; Applications=18). This figure is quite less compared to other active social networking countries. Reason may be partly due to its emergence in the West and less promotion in the east.
Still Facebook as a Marketing Platform can never be denied in terms of its Web Apps/Widgets. Though it can't be ruled as a viable option too. But Facebook with it's rapidly growing user base can be a marketer's bread & butter in terms of exposure for your brand, product or website.
Ways in which Facebook can be used as a marketing platform for companies are:
#1. Targeted Brand Exposure: Facebook with its clearly demarcated demographics can be easily used to to spread the brand communication message.
#2. Viral Marketing: Facebook can be used to spread the word as both content (brand message) & services are fused together in a single platform. E.g. Amazon's Visual Bookshelf apps. The bigger picture is that companies won't have to spend much since the word will be carried forward by the users as engagement between users & apps increases when value will be added to each interaction between apps and users.
#3. Easy hunting ground for Market Research: Facebook's biggest success formula has been it varied demographics ranging from teens to baby boomers. So companies can easily use this wide demographics for different Market Research to understand its target market in a better way.
Not everything is rosy about Facebook. Along with so much promise, there still lurks the usual fad attached to social networking sites like these. So some of the problems marketers may face are:
#1. Fad attached to social networking sites: If something new and cool comes in the way and as we all are aware of B.S.O.S (Bright & Shiny Object Syndrome), so Facebook may just dissipate in the horizon.
#2. Flyers to Fliers: Furthermore, while some users praise Facebook flyers because they blend in with the rest of the Facebook interface and are not intrusive, others argue that this is precisely the reason why the click-through rates are so low. At the same time, these people welcome using pay-per-click marketing because that way, you only pay when someone notices and clicks on your advertisement. (Thanks Pronetadvertising)
So at the end of it all, Creativity is "THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP" in approaching social communities and hence opportunities can be created if, and only if, you play by the rules and also as marketers we have to consider "Adding value to each interaction" i.e. c0-create the naturally viral nature of the community instead of forcing it.
I have been using Facebook for quite sometime now. Though as a social networking site, it's not that much prevalent in India till now (::come next year though:: It will be a different scene altogether). As a matter of fact, if you type "India" in Facebook search, this is the figure that will show up (People=500+; Groups=130; Events=141; Applications=18). This figure is quite less compared to other active social networking countries. Reason may be partly due to its emergence in the West and less promotion in the east.
2 comments:
Last time i saw facebook India has over 3 lakh memebers..mostly NRI s and guys who flew out of India for education..Chceckout Facebook groups created by fastrack..
Absolutely, I checked with FB and the latest says about 4Lakh+..Good that you pointed about the NRI's thing..It's true..But if we go by number,this is the fact...
India (World's one of the largest populated country) having 4 lakh+ members whereas Total Facebook's user base is about 50.5+ million users..So the percentage is too low..
But surely in 2008 it's going to increase due to its transparency and interactive apps!!
Check out that space for sure..
Anyway thanks for your comments though!!
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