B2B Application Of Facebook
- 1. Facebook: Viable for the B2B Marketer? January 2009
- 2. Table of contents Ads Sponsored Story Beacons Groups and Pages Events Summary
- 3. Facebook Adtype 1 Ads “ Facebook Ad” Does not display social actions in the copy. Can link to a an external website, application or Facebook Page.
- 4. Facebook Adtype 2 Ads “ Social Ad” A “Facebook Ad” that displays a user’s friends’ interactions in the headline. It appears in Facebook’s normal ad space, in the News Feed or both. The label “sponsored” appears in the ad. The ad can be tied to social actions as well. In other words, the ad could combine the “news” headline showing information that someone just became a fan, plus mention that they just took an action on your page or site.
- 5. Ad Facts Ads Targeting on basic demographics only Cost Per Click (CPC) or Cost Per Impression (CPM) ad model with bidding and a daily budget max. Min $5/day. Facebook Insights gives access to data on activity, fan demographics, ad performance, and trends. User cannot block ads from showing on his/her page. Click through rates poor at .04% (2007)
- 6. In Summary Ads Ad usage seems to be heavily geared towards B2C. A lead generation scenario might be one where you’re targeting 10 companies, and you can put in a specific Company name to target. Since Facebook only allows users one employment entry for current employer (not past), you may be able to successfully target this way by combining with a title. This assumes people keep their employment information up-to-date. LinkedIn may be a better option. Ads might have use in HR hiring scenarios simply because you can reach so many. But even so, in addition to basic demographics you can only target on current employer/title and education which isn’t much. LinkedIn might be a better option. B2B Usefulness: Doesn’t appear to have much value for B2B due to the limited targeting capabilities and the very low click-through rates. Ease of Implementation : Easy to Moderate. Very easy to administer the ad on Facebook, but there would be some creative execution. Placement cost could vary, but you control with a budget.
- 7. Sponsored Story A sponsored story sandwiched in the News Feed is 10-20 times more likely to get clicked through than a regular banner. Click-through rate is .4-.8%. They are costly, starting at $50K. You’re alloted more text and image space.
- 8. Beacons When a user takes an action on an external website of a company who pays to participate in the Beacon program, those actions are distributed to the users friends on Facebook via a news feed or story -- if the user chooses. Ebay allows its sellers to post a feed on items they list on Ebay Fandango allows movie ticket purchasers to display the movie and times they’re attending in the feed Travelocity allows users to display their travel plans in the feed The thinking: Word of Mouth is the best advertising. In total, 44 companies are participating but all are B2C. B2B Usefulness: Little to none – lack of targeting (a Cintas’ prospects friend may have no need for Cintas products), and off-site trigger events are less likely to be news worthy in a B2B setting (events on Cintas are request more information). Ease of Implementation : Difficult. Negotiations with Facebook, and back-end development. Information on cost was unavailable.
- 9. Groups vs. Pages Two ways for a company to create an ongoing presence: Groups & Pages Very similar interaction tools Become a Member (group) or Fan (page) Users write on your wall Users upload photos/videos Users join discussion groups User actions appear in News Feed and Mini Feed Both are free Groups precluded Pages on Facebook – many converting Pages designed specifically for an entity – individuals cannot participate. Pages can only be created to represent a real public figure, artist, brand or organization, and may only be created by an official representative of that entity.
- 10. Groups B2B companies that have Groups include big names such as Caterpillar, Intel, Pfizer, Cisco, Sun Microsystems, etc. Since groups can be started by individuals, they can be negative.
- 11. Groups Companies that have groups include big names such as Cisco, Multiple niche groups are common. Could not find a Cintas group.
- 12. Pages Fans upload photos and videos, post to your wall and participate in discussion topics (below the fold). You can move around modules to customize placement. Multiple pages are common.
- 13. Pages Cintas BUs are creating their own pages. Cintas Corporation has one in the works. Teradata does not have a Page.
- 14. PROS: Message lands right to users inbox. All Group activities go out into users’ feeds: wall posts, posted items, discussion threads, photos uploaded, and videos uploaded. Groups tend to be more informal and based around interests, so you can create better “stickiness” (members keep coming back). Content should be short, concise and max 2-3 times per week. Can create open, closed or secret groups. CONS: Once you reach the 5000 emailing threshold, you will no longer be able to message everyone in your group. There’s minimal visual customization in groups. Can’t add apps. (compare to the widgets in Ning… RSS feeds, calendars, etc). If you no longer want your group to be live, it can be tricky to delete. However, you can migrate to a Page. Anyone can start a Facebook group around any topic, so this creates potential for negative groups on your company. This will happen whether you’re involved or not. Not visible to non-Facebook users Cannot use demographic information for ads driving traffic to your page. Pros and Cons Groups
- 15. PROS: Your page is indexed by Google. You can have multiple pages – further SEO benefits. You can have unlimited fans and can message all. You can add rich media and most all applications for further interaction. Some customization of page – adding images and moving modules Built in metrics so you can monitor who visits page, fan growth, etc. Visibility outside of Facebook and to those without a Facebook account (must be a member to interact, though). Can use demographic information for ads driving traffic to your page. Logo and description appear on users profile, not just text. CONS: Less activity goes into the profile news feeds. The most visibility is when: New people become a fan Fans upload a photo or video to your fan page When you send messages to all fans, it goes out as an “Update” on the side of the home page, not the main email Inbox. Fewer people may see the message. No automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc. from users. ma Pros and Cons Pages
- 16. Photos, Video, RSS Feeds, Events, Drinks, Superpoke, Cupcakes, Poker, Chess, etc. are all common applications on Facebook. Pages support applications. Companies have started to build their own applications: Burger King’s controversial Dump-friends-for-Whoppers: Whopper for every 10 friends dumped 233,906 friends were dumped Facebook demanded changes; Burger King halted program Instead did an angry-gram on their own site B2B Usefulness: If you have an established page and a corresponding audience of high importance to your business, there could be use in a B2B setting for custom applications. Number using the app would likely be small, but it provides significant interaction with the brand. Ease of Implementation : Moderate to Difficult due to creative and programming. Time commitment for both could be significant. However Facebook Platform provides step-by-step instruction for developers to create custom apps. BRC developers could probably learn this easily. Facebook does not charge for the application upload. Custom Applications Pages
- 17. Created multiple pages as needed (product, company, verticals, etc.) and add each to the other as a Favorite. For example, if you have a product page, “favorite” it to your company page and vice versa. This is a good way to help your fans become familiar with you on a whole. Pull in your blog or website’s RSS feed for current content. You need a personal account or a business account to setup a page. A business account has limited functionality. If we use our account to create a client Page, we cannot transfer that to them later so we should use their account. Choose the category carefully because you can’t change it. In company description, limit copy to one or two paragraphs and write for people who don’t know anything about you, your company or your product. Use video if relevant. An added verification layer slows video down on Pages. So use a shorter video in the “Video” box if necessary, and offer a link to the full video on your company site. You may choose to drive traffic there anyway. Rearrange content categories, especially if lacking content (move to bottom). The page becomes searchable with at least 1 fan, so add yourself as the 1 st fan when the page is complete. Best Practices in Creating B2B Pages Pages
- 18. While not everyone agrees, the general consensus in what I read is that Pages are better for a long-term relationship. Many analysts suggest both. B2B Usefulness: A site like Ning with deeper interaction (each user having a blog feed and groups within groups) may create a stronger community. But the sheer numbers on Facebook are staggering at 150 million users (70% outside the US). People are using Facebook in mass numbers, and they could be searching for your brand there. A lack of presence could run your company the risk of being perceived as behind the times, or unavailable to your audience. Since they are free, Groups and Pages could also be used for internal groups within a company. These would seem to require less time investment from the company. Ease of Implementation : Moderate to Difficult. Very easy to setup technically and Facebook cost is free, but requires upkeep to keep users engaged. That might involve several departments in a company (i.e., discussion topics, events) which has its own challenges. Driving traffic to the venue adds time and cost. Still, updating a community such as this requires less time than other social media such as a blog. Groups or Pages?
- 19. Events Events created in Pages are pushed through Updates. If a Member or Fan plans to attend, it shows up in the feed. Groups can create events as well. B2B Usefulness: Very, if you have an already-established audience with a Group or Page. Ease of Implementation : Very easy. Cost – none. Time investment minimal if Page setup.
- 20. Facebook for B2B Summary Companies should strive for a presence on Facebook with a Page. If you can’t invest the time, perhaps run an ad when someone types the company’s name in for a search. The ad appears and sends them to another social network for which your company is active. This might help combat the perception that your company is behind the times, or not interested in engaging with them at a social level. If you have a Facebook Page, promote it on your company website and through other online/offline promotions you’re already running. Monitor negative Groups on your company. Ads have very little targeting ability and the click-through rate is poor, so they really don’t make sense for driving leads. But an ad could be in order if someone is looking for you, or maybe a competitor. If you type Cisco into the Groups or Page search box, an ad driving you to their company website appears, even though their Group and Page appear. Beacons appear to have little relevance in the B2B universe. Custom applications could provide value if you have a Page with an important customer/prospect base for which you desire greater interaction, and for which the value of that interaction justifies the cost.