Comments on: An Open Letter to Companies on Facebook

By: Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:53:08 +0000

Andy,

I sent you an email to discuss. It doesn’t matter whether or not I think a company is doing it “right”, but rather on their specific goals and objectives and whether they’re meeting those. There are no easy answers here and no magic forumulas. Anyone who says these things exist should be treated with suspicion.

By: andyhetzel

andyhetzel — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:26:52 +0000

Shannon,

I am interested in any evidence you have come across of social media-generated ROI. What are the best studies out there of brands and corporations that have engaged in ways you would consider “right” for their businesses? Please help me find this information.

By: Social media commitment «

Social media commitment « — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:55:57 +0000

[...] users want to have a corporate presence on their social graph for another day, though do go read Shannon Paul’s open letter to brands on FaceBook if you have time. There is no doubt that the numbers are impressive but they are spread very thin, [...]

By: Nick Taylor

Nick Taylor — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:55:13 +0000

Great observation Shannon.

With the updates recently made to the “News Feed” and “Live Feed” algorithms, companies are challenged with staying in front of Fans on their Home tab. Using the medium simply for promotional purposes is a more effective measure to add conversation that’s valuable to the Fan and generates potential activity to the Fan Page.

It almost appears companies know they need to have a presence on FB, but aren’t sure how to capitalize in the space yet. In turn, their presence is diluted as the value of their activity diminishes due to poor Fan engagement.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:11:02 +0000

I agree, Cory, the social media connection has become more personal (or should be). I’m the admin for my workplace’s (local florist) Facebook and Twitter. We like to use it consistently and in moderation as a helpful way to stay in touch, keep our customers updated on what’s going on or what’s available that’s new/relevant/on sale, and provide things of interest to talk about. Especially as a local business, it’s great for us to have this give-and-take with people that scheduled monthly sales e-mails don’t have. It’s not all about pushing products or getting our brand in circulation; most of our fans/followers are already customers. I’m excited when the fan #’s grow, but not as much for $$ as the opportunity to provide better customer service, and sometimes make a positive difference in our community. I think it’s nice that the local businesses I follow (like the library) can reach out personally via social media.

By: Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Dec 16, 2009 | Sazbean

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:31:50 +0000

[...] An Open Letter to Companies on Facebook (Shannon Paul) [...]

By: Where Are The Fans? Cont. « Grasping Social Media

Where Are The Fans? Cont. « Grasping Social Media — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:31:26 +0000

[...] Are The Fans? Cont. By lcj826 I found this great blog post called An Open Letter to Companies on Facebook! I no longer feel irritated about Fan Page numbers. In fact, I feel sheepish that I cared in [...]

By: Julia Pflaum

Julia Pflaum — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:28:02 +0000

Great post! I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve written a few articles about the functionality of FB Pages on my site a href=”http://www.juliaepflaum.com” title=”(keywords)”>(keywords).

I’d like to echo the idea about Pages as a way for brands and companies to exist in the same space. Existing in the sense of having a Page available for people to browse and look through, possibly want to receive information enough to become a fan. Constantly posting status updates with stale, irrelevant content does not fall under my definition of “exist.”

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:38:05 +0000

Exactly Beverly, it’s all about the content. If you can engage with fans with content that interests them then you’ve got an opportunity to build on the relationship and perhaps elevate them into brand advocates (it depends on what your goals are).

As a final point I think we should steer clear of simple criticising Fan Pages – that like’s criticising the telephone – too broad to give any meaningful insights.

Joel

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:33:31 +0000

Hi Veronica,
really, REALLY well said!

“For most brands, a Facebook fan page should only be a small part of the big picture, but most won’t understand that until they actually see the big picture. ”

I totally agree

Joel

p.s. great, thought provoking post Shannon :)