Facebook has recently surpassed Google as the most visited website in the US according to Hitwise. It’s a trend that the rest of the world will soon follow and yet, many businesses and marketers are still obsessed about their search ranking when they should seriously start to consider a Facebook strategy.
Social networking is changing the web, so businesses and marketers have to change their online marketing tactics along with it. This change isn’t only confined to the US – the stats appear to say the same thing for Malaysia (Alexa’s Top Sites for Malaysia).
At this rate, having a presence on Facebook is as important as having an email address. If you have never considered Facebook as part of your marketing strategy, here are some steps to take:
1. Stop thinking that Facebook is “just for personal use”. Recognise Facebook for what it really is – a marketplace that connects consumers and businesses on a personal, one-to-one level. Start using Facebook for your online marketing and you’ll begin to realize its potential.
2. Create a Facebook Fan Page for your Business. Once you’ve launched the Page, you must engage your Fans regularly, preferably daily. Share useful information that’s aimed at selling, but aimed at growing trust and social capital. See the Buzzmedia Facebook Page and be a fan to get online marketing tips.
3. Ask your employees for advice. Chances are, many of your employees are already on Facebook. These employees will be your company’s brand ambassadors on Facebook. Ask them for ideas and examples of other brands who are doing well on Facebook.
In conclusion, I urge you to take a more holistic view to your online marketing. SEO today isn’t enough anymore, and you must supplement it with a social strategy. Because of it’s size and reach, Facebook needs to play an important role in your social strategy and overall online marketing.
I am currently developing a free Facebook Pages guide that will show you how to use Fan Pages to market your product and services on Facebook. Click here to sign up to be notified when the guide is ready.
P.S. Lim Yung-Hui did some excellent research to compile statistics of Asian Facebook users. He found that 30% of all internet users in Malaysia use Facebook. You should follow Lim on Twitter – twitter.com/zhiQ
