Top tips for Facebook brand marketing

As Facebook barrels past 500 million users, the push by brands into Facebook is only going to intensify.

But brand managers recognizing Facebook as a viable marketing channel is one thing; knowing how to create and implement a Facebook Page that will meet the needs of the brand and engage users is quite another.

So with an eye toward starting an intelligent discussion around Facebook marketing best practices, I reached out to some of the best digital marketers I know and asked for their insights.

Here’s the question I posed: “What is your No. 1 piece of marketing advice for brands looking to establish and maintain an effective Facebook presence?”

In a three-part series (part 2 | part 3) that launches with this post, you can read their responses.

And this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but some of our respondents have turned a single tip into two or three! I love their enthusiasm and smarts in the recommendations that fellow.

John Cass

Head of digital marketing at Pace Communications
Blog: PR Communications
Twitter: @JohnCass

“Have both an editorial content and engagement strategy for your Facebook page. Make sure you have enough resources to support the strategy. Editorial means that you develop content that engages the community. Ask them questions, get their opinions, and make more content out of their feedback.

“One of the best companies I know that runs a great Facebook strategy also happens to be a client is USAA. Pace publishes their member magazine, and as part of our editorial development process, we ask for feedback on stories on Facebook, and those answers are featured in the magazine. A great example of cross integration.”

C.C. Chapman

Founder of Digital Dads and author of Content Rules
Blog: C.C. Chapman
Twitter: @CC_Chapman

“The best piece of advice I can give is that you can’t think about it as a website. People will see your fan page the first time they come to it, and most likely will never return after that unless you give them a reason.

“Because of this, it is crucial that you have a strong call to action to hit the Like button when they first arrive. Smart companies will make a custom tab that only shows up when someone visits and is not already a fan of the page.

After you have them, most of the interactions will be done via a status update or piece of content you share and someone will comment on, share, or like. You need to have a solid messaging and content schedule in place, always be engaging with your fan base, and keep in mind that you are competing for their attention with every one of their friends’ updates as well. In most situations, any brand is going to lose out to their friends, so how are you going to stand out?”

Todd Defren

Principal at SHIFT Communications
Blog: PR-Squared
Twitter: @TDefren

“1) Get to the heart of what it is that fans love about your brand, and build the majority of your ‘content’ — wall posts, giveaways, customized tabs and tools –around that. This is how you can ensure authentic engagement.

“2) Realistically speaking, beefing up a fan base is important and strategic. The higher number of fans, the more exposure you get from all your Facebook activity on an exponential level. Facebook flyer campaigns are a targeted way to do that. Contests and product giveaways are also very effective.

“3) Quantity of fans is great, but don’t lose site of the quality of your content, too, or you will alienate your true fans. Push out your contests, but make sure to balance that out with product/service discussions and questions out to fans to keep them engaged and from feeling like a marketing ‘target.’”

Jason Falls

Principal at Social Media Explorer LLC
Blog: Social Media Explorer
Twitter: @JasonFalls

“Develop a content strategy focused on short, brief, abbreviated — did I say short? — content that makes customers say, ‘Cool! I’ll share that!’”

Dave Fleet

Vice president of digital at Thornley Fallis Communications
Blog: DaveFleet.com
Twitter: @DaveFleet

“My No. 1 tip would be to think outside the campaign. Building a fan base on a Facebook Page and then shutting it down after a campaign ends is like building an e-mail list and then deleting it as soon as you’ve collected it. It’s a wasted investment, and furthermore makes it less likely that those people will re-engage with you next time around.

“For example, Rogers (a TFC client) is going about it the right way with its Facebook presences for its Rogers On Demand Online service and its general Rogers Canada Page. They build campaigns on those Pages, rather than via stand-alone Pages that die afterwards. By doing so, they’re able to build incremental audiences and engagement with each program.

Janet Fouts

Principal and trainer at Tatu Digital Media
Blog: Janet Fouts: the social media coach
Twitter: @JFouts

“The key for any brand (large or small) establishing a presence on Facebook is to really engage the users in a conversation. That means responding to user input in an active way, asking what they want to see on the Page, and then actually doing it! This is even more true for a big brand. If the Page is just broadcasting, even if it’s ‘special offers,’ it’s not engagement.

“A good example of this is the Gap’s Facebook Page. You’ll see lots of comments from their over 500,000 fans that go unanswered. That’s not engagement; it’s advertising.

“Now if Gap were to find ways to encourage users to share the offers with their networks actively, that would be step in the right direction. But
it’s still important to respond to user queries in a personal way, too.”

Up next …

In part 2 of this three-part series tomorrow, I’ll share recommendations from Ben Grossman, Chuck Hemann, Mitch Joel, Jennifer Leggio, and Kat Mandelstein.

* * * * *
On Wednesday, July 28, 2010, LiveWorld will host a free webinar on Facebook marketing best practices, featuring new research from the Altimeter Group’s Jeremiah Owyang.