Actually, Facebook Marketing Does Work (If Done Right)

Where We Agree With The Author

Extended Permission: We’ve all had the experience. You click on a cool app or link on Facebook and are brought to a page that asks if it’s ok for the app to pull some of your specific profile data. You have to really want the app or experience in order to move forward, right? The drop off data here can vary greatly, but it’s definitely higher than if you build an experience that doesn’t require this permission page to pop up.

Unbranded Apps: The argument from the author is that brands can’t use widely available unbranded turnkey apps that don’t allow them to customize the experience, because people will “judge your brand in comparison to the best they’ve seen,” according to author.

We completely agree that people expect a lot more from brands on Facebook today, as compared to a year ago. Brands on Facebook have moved from a one-off app strategy to an always-on Page strategy. (Remember before it was possible to “like” ReadWriteWeb?)

Lots of apps on one tab: In many cases brands have seen success by pairing down the amount of content they have on a customer Facebook Page or tab to ensure that people know exactly what they can do (and how they can easily share with their friends) when they visit your Page. Facebook users don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to branded experiences. They want to get back to their News Feed to see what their friends are doing. Make sure the action you want someone to take is obvious, requires little time investment, and motivates him or her to share.

If you make your fans look smart, cool, or in the know, it’s a great way to motivate sharing. Remember, Facebook users don’t just share what they want to share, they share what they think their friends will think makes them look smart, funny, or cool.

Now lets get back to the original story’s headline, “Why Most Facebook Marketing Doesn’t Work.” It’s almost impossible to make blanket statements about the success of social media marketing campaigns without considering business objectives, audience, execution and other factors. Hopefully you feel the same way.

Discuss