Why you won’t find us on Facebook.
Don’t get me wrong, Web 2.0 is cool, very cool. From blogs to wikis to cell phone apps, you can remain connected to your posse, your causes, and the brands you love 24-7.
As such, companies are drooling for the chance to engage you with their latest project, create a conversation, or make you their brand champion.
Our firm recently grappled with the question, “Should we be on Facebook?” We work for a lot of higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, and we often provide consultation for how to set up and use social networks. And so the question comes up: “Are you on Facebook? Why not?”
I’m happy to report that we took a dose of our own advice and really thought strategically about what we could gain by starting a presence there. And while there is some merit to the argument that if we’re not on Facebook, how can we advise others how to use it, the pure and simple answer is that it doesn’t make sense for us to be on Facebook. We do not have the following of thousands. We are not Coke or Apple or a major University. Facebook is used on a predominantly social basis, and our contact with clients happens on a professional basis.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t engage social media, we do. We have a blog (which you are reading), participate in discussions on LinkedIn and other networks, post our broadcast work on YouTube, and many of our executives Tweet on behalf of the firm. These tactics work for us because they are venues where we can start a conversation with our clientele. And that’s really what social media is all about: the beginnings of a conversation and, hopefully, a relationship.
- Elizabeth Barry, Client Development Manager
Comments
Leave a Comment
Lipman Hearne will never share or publish your email. Required fields are marked *.
How refreshing to hear a firm articulate the need for “strategic gain” when considering the use of new media tools like Facebook.
Too often, consultants and firms march clients down a path of “everyone is doing it”–ahem, Twitter–without taking into account their goals and core audiences. You won’t find a more passionate believer in digital pr than I, but that doesn’t mean every firm/client/non-profit has to engage in every social media channel out there. The effort becomes insincere and/or stale, which is sure to spoil any social engagement.
I applaud you guys for resisting the Facebook Fan Page bandwagon. You’ve got a great blog here; as a reader, I’d much rather see you pour man-hours into keeping this content relevant than uploading pics to Facebook
I have been torn about social marketing there just seems to be too many of these sites and everyone is doing it. My husband can start on Facebook on saturday’s morning and in mid afternoon he is still networking and reading. It just seems to never ends and it all just seems like much to much to read, after a while.