The Facebook Fan Dilemma

Clients always ask us whether they should have a Facebook page for their meeting. There is no universal answer to this question. I always tell them that it really depends on what you have to offer and who you are trying to reach.

Organizations really struggle with their messaging on Facebook. I think the reason for this quandary is that, more than other mediums, Facebook is still a social – not business or professional – networking site.

To become a fan of a company or organization on Facebook is a very public choice, because it announces to your entire network that you feel a kinship with that particular company or cause. It also means that you get frequent – and sometimes too much so – updates from that page in your news feed. As a result, I know that I personally hesitate to become a fan of anything that doesn’t mean a lot to me.

All this is not to say that Facebook fan pages can’t be part of a coordinated event marketing strategy. Depending on your cause and the demographics of your audience, Facebook can be quite effective. (I think the Obama campaign would agree.) Research firm eMarketer recently published some interesting data on why Facebook users become brand fans.

With one quarter of respondents expecting coupons and promotions, this data demonstrates that organizations with a Facebook fan page must have a clear sense of purpose and offer their fans some benefits to keep them happy and engaged. Marketing agency Ignite Social Media recommends that you answer the following questions when getting started with Facebook.

• What do your fans value?
• What do your fans like talking about?
• What can you offer your fans that you can't offer them elsewhere?
• How will you consistently provide this value proposition?