To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

Daniel P Henry's picture
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Daniel P Henry
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Daniel P Henry wrote:

Do facebook, twitter, and other social networking tools actually produce valuable leads or am I just giving the social networks free advertising? I admit I was entertained when I saw Taco Bell and Old Spice get into a witty debate about ingredients but it did not result in my purchse of either Taco Bell or Old Spice. Seems to me it's a waist of time and money.

 

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Lauren Sytsma's picture
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Lauren Sytsma
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Lauren Sytsma wrote:

Hi Daniel,

That's a great point - I've never really thought of it that way. I did some digging on the infamous twitter war, and found an interesting POV on the topic by Business Insider. They applauded both companies for building big social fanbases by being funny and real. They call out boring brands and point out that it's not always about marketing, but being authentic. Here's the article reference if you want to check it out: http://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-smacks-down-old-spice-on-twitte...(link is external)

Jeremy Kleier's picture
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Jeremy Kleier
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Jeremy Kleier wrote:

Hey Daniel, I don't know a lot about the whole Taco bell vs. Old spice debate, but Oliver Reichenstein wrote a pretty informative blog about twitter/facebook buttons a normal website. You should check it out when you get a chance. http://ia.net/blog/sweep-the-sleaze/(link is external)

Jerry Rackley's picture
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Jerry Rackley
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Jerry Rackley wrote:

Hi Daniel! I think to answer this question well, you have to do some research about your customers. Do they use or even prefer Facebook (or some other social media channel) as a trusted source of information? There's all kinds of statistics about how well Facebook works. Does it work for your customers?

We have a tool that can help make some of these choices. Check out our Social Media Channel Selection Tool - you might find it helpful as you pursue the answer to your question:
http://www.demandmetric.com/content/social-media-channel-selection-tool

Justin Chung's picture
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Justin Chung
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Justin Chung wrote:

Looks like the hashtag has become a fully integrated part of online culture. Facebook is now bringing # into their service to help indicate shared interests and major discussions. I think this move is a good indicator that while currently used among social circles, that businesses and lead gen initiatives will have to follow suit to be on top of current trends. Source: http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/06/12/facebook-copies-twitter-yet-ag...(link is external)?

Justin Chung's picture
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Justin Chung
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Justin Chung wrote:

As Jerry said, does your target market use social media as their primary source of information? In addition to the Channel Selection Tool, creating a customer profile can help increase ROI on your marketing initiatives.

Ian Pickering's picture
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Ian Pickering
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Ian Pickering wrote:

I agree, it really only has an effect if your customer base uses the service. That being said, brand awareness is a big thing. If your name is in front of a potential customer, they are way more likely to give you the time to get to know you. Awareness builds trust. Trust is essential.

Lauren Sytsma's picture
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Lauren Sytsma
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Lauren Sytsma wrote:

Well said Ian!

Jenny Wilmshurst's picture
Advisor
Jenny Wilmshurst
Advisor
Jenny Wilmshurst wrote:

Does Social Media generate leads? Oh yes! Back in 2010, when the world of Social Media world doubted it could generate leads, we generated (for our tiny sister company) what must still be one of the largest. It was a $4.2 million B2B lead from a Top 10 global IT company among the Fortune 500's. ...and in case you were wondering it was not generated via FB or Twitter! It was content driven, perfect in timing and was potentially influenced bya specific Linkedin interaction.  

The role for Social Media is not necessarily limited to lead generation. You can use the Social Media as data mining sources and research sharing.

The typical B2C sites can be useful for very specific roles and goals. For instance one of my B2B clients is a large manufacturer for the infrastructure sector. They chose to use FB as an engagement tool for their staff from factory workers to field staff. It is a good channel for specific internal comms needs and a way for suppliers to see what the personality inside the company is like.

Daniel P Henry's picture
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Daniel P Henry
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Daniel P Henry wrote:

Great point