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I read last month that Facebook has now exceeded 500 million worldwide users and over 28 million in the UK. Looking across all BT Fresca clients, Facebook is in the top 10 traffic sources to all sites.
It’s now as important as email communications in a brand’s overall marketing strategy. But, it’s really interesting how different retailers approach it.
Retailers are fast learning that social is not just about marketing, but community, endorsement and customer service also. It’s about getting the balance right. And, there are some really great examples out there.
Interaction
The biggest mistake any brand can make is to not interact with their customers. Your customers expect you to respond and talk back and even better they want to get involved and feel part of your brand.
Encourage them to chat, this is your customers and they want to talk. The feedback on your business is invaluable and gives you insight into what is and what isn’t working.
There a plenty of great examples out there of brands doing just this. Two that are worth taking a look at are Liberty and Easyjet.
Add Email Sign Up
Don’t be afraid to cross channel market. You add social links to your email
campaigns, so why not go vice versa? Add an email sign up box to your profile and use it to grow your database.
Marks & Spencers actually have a box on the profile displaying their latest newsletter for people to view.
Facebook on your site
2010 was about incorporating Facebook functionality onto your own website. The ‘like’ button being the most popular tool.
The Levi store was one of the early adopters of this functionality. But some other nice examples are ASOS and BT Fresca client Dig Deep
I also love the Orange Glastonbury microsite, where you can tag your friends in the crowd pictures from Glastonbury.
Turn a negative into a positive
The delivery issues caused by snow at Christmas were certainly a test for some
retailer’s customer service abilities. Negative comments on your facebook don’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, it’s about how you manage them. But, the
worst thing you can possibly do is ignore comments.
Sometimes your fans will even do the work for you. I referred to Easyjet earlier, when they were experiencing flight issues with the snow, customers were pointing other customers to where on the Easyjet website.
Negative comments on your Facebook page give you a chance to turn around that customer’s perception of you, so embrace it.
Make the space yours
Ok, we’ve moved on from My Space, but your brand page is a representation of who you are and what you stand for.
What is your key message, how can you engage differently but still on brand via Facebook? With a little bit of creative help, it’s very simple to personalise the page.
Take a look at the Starbucks, Tiffany and Skittles pages for some inspiration.
Reward your fans
Customers that ‘like’ your brand should be treated like any loyalty database you own and manage. Give them something back in return for this loyalty.
At Christmas, John Lewis did a video for customers on how to set the perfect Christmas table. Pringle have a video from illustrator David Shirgley and to celebrate reaching 500,000 likes Next gave away 25 gift cards to customers.
Happy customers will spread the word and do your work for you.
Encouraging Sign Ups
On a penultimate note, I just wanted to share this fun page on Zappos encouraging likes.
2011?
And what does 2011 hold? I look forward to seeing more from Facebook places and shopping on Facebook…
Laura Summers heads up the BT Fresca Online Marketing team and manages online services for some of retail’s biggest and most successful UK websites. If you’re interested in discussing Facebook marketing, drop Laura a line via btexpedite@bt.com or call 0870 8506880.
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