360DigitalInfluence

Last week Facebook passed the 500 million users mark. That’s half a billion users.  When you consider that there are just under seven billion people on the planet it is pretty impressive stuff. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third most populous nation after China and India.

Add to this each Facebook user has on average 130 friends and shares 70 pieces of information every month.  With 500 million users detailing their moods and passions online, Facebook is more than a social networking site. It’s a global phenomenon that’s shaping the way people communicate, across all aspects of their lives including the way they do business.

There are several well documented examples of B2B companies doing a great job on Facebook; Dell, Cisco and Salesforce to name but a few. They are building relationships with their community, engaging them in conversation and providing targeted mix of content, customer service, special offers and more. There is less questioning of why B2B brands should be on Facebook, more focus on how to do it for lead generation and customer retention.

Yet for every B2B brand doing a good job, it seems Facebook for business remains an area of confusion for others, who struggle with severe multiple personality disorders. A quick audit of several well known companies will quickly show scattered pages that have grown like wildflowers, scattered randomly as the wind takes them around the Facebook-y field (OK so a “corny” analogy but you get where I am going with this). How is it that some high profile companies have allowed their presence in this social setting to become so fragmented?

It could be the lack of an internal “face” on social media to oversee a cohesive Facebook strategy. Or a decentralized infrastructure with teams in different countries and territories creating their own public profile, or a  company that is simply not ready be open with its customers or listen to their feedback yet that others want to show an affinity for, official page or not.

So what if you find yourself in that group of B2B brands on Facebook? By the time you discover that you have six Facebook pages  around the world, focused on Widget X or user group in country Y,  is it too late to regain control?

The good news is all is not lost. The same quick audit can also give a rich snapshot of what is being said about a business and where. It can also highlight social media champions on the inside who could be tapped to continue to drive Facebook and community programs forward. Or a user group that could be further activated in company marketing or to drive others internally to participate. There is no harm in having multiple pages on Facebook; product development will likely have a very different focus to recruitment, or to sales. As long as there is an overarching strategy, why not empower different teams to speak authentically to the audiences that matter to them?

Done properly, appropriate Facebook use can be part of social media use to transform the way companies operate in all areas – from customer service, to corporate reputation, product development, and importantly, market research. It also does not have to happen overnight.  A gradual roll out of a Facebook strategy will result in a measured and authentic presence, and the antidote to scrambling to get in just because you think the other 500 million are ahead of you.

What are your best practices for B2B brands using Facebook?