“There are going to be a whole new set of rules and a desperate need for marketing creativity to take advantage of Facebook changes for businesses.” (Black Box Social Media)
Facebook has been rolling out change and after change to the platform in the last 3 weeks. The News Feed has changed, the analytics for business pages has changed and the Personal Profile Timeline rolling out this week will soon change in how we interact socially as well as with businesses and brands. Changes to Business Pages are likely not far behind.
Where Facebook was once a free platform where any size business could put up a Page and start posting and running a marketing campaign here and there and be somewhat successful, these businesses will soon find out they need to step up their game to continue a successful marketing campaign.
The new Timeline rolling out is going to be significant for social searches and business interaction, but those that will benefit will be the companies using marketing services to assist in running a campaign and taking advantage of the services and applications Facebook offers. It is even more important to run a quality campaign to keep Friends engaged and monitor results.
What does all this mean to the Business Owner attempting a marketing campaign on Facebook? It presents a new set of challenges for the Businesses marketing on their own on Facebook.
Facebook is becoming more marketing friendly, however they are also requiring that marketing strategists step up their efforts and take advantage of the Facebook sponsored applications.
In early 2012 Facebook will be providing all Business Pages on the site $50.00 in credits toward trying out Facebook Ads, obviously in the hope that these ad campaigns will be successful and businesses will continue to pay for ads as a part of their campaigns.
The take-away here is that marketing on Facebook will be encouraged, but it will no longer be free and Businesses will need help.
Businesses that hire a dedicated marketer to manage the campaign, stay ahead of the changes and adapt the business’ marketing strategy where necessary will come out ahead. Getting content to the News Feeds with the changes will require a bit more thought. And, unfortunately, Businesses will have to pay for some services on Facebook in order to stay really competitive and viewable on the site.
The bottom line has not changed, Facebook is still where businesses need to market, it still has the most Users-over 6 million people over the age of 18 in the Chicagoland area alone, and is a valuable tool in your overall marketing plan. However, hiring your nephew or having your receptionist manage the Business Page will no longer work. Business Owners need to rethink their marketing strategies on Facebook and consider hiring someone to assist them in order to be successful.
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