Here's what we're talking about.

I am addicted to Facebook. Twitter, not so much, in that the opportunities for feedback are limited and a tweet is just that-a short little burst that gets lost in the cacophony of other tweets. I like having followers, no doubt about that, but I think that in the social sphere, my money is on Facebook. Here are some reasons:

Hang Time

I have had responses to Facebook posts, both professional and personal, weeks after the original post. That works doubly so when it comes to pictures. So I put out a message and others will respond when they get around to it, which is just fine by me. I want people to respond and for most messages, I don’t care about the time frame. And when you’re cruising a page that you haven’t been to in a while, a month old post is not quite as stale as a month old email. Think about that the next time you have something to say that isn’t time related.

Other addicts

Facebook addicts are celebrated. They are called thought leaders. I have a friend that will comment on my posts regardless of the time of day. She is always on. The good thing about that is that those people that are addicted to Facebook are also addicted to others that are addicted to Facebook…you see where I am going with this. If you develop a message that your addicts will respond to, you can guarantee that they will share this with others. Having a post get “picked up” is what every Facebooker lives for. Find those people and get them on board with what you’re doing and you’ll reach people you never thought you could.

It’s still cheap

Free, for the most part. And Facebook is still the cheapest way to build an online brand that I have found. I ran an ad for the holidays to get people to start design projects before the end of the year. The ad did not perform very well. I had few click-throughs, but well over 100,000 impressions. Was the creative bad? Probably not. The timing? Probably. The demo? Certainly not. The point being is that you don’t need to have a click-through stampede to build brand recognition. This isn’t quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but I don’t buy a lot of fast food, but I remember their ads, and by extension, their brands. By opting to pay for clicks instead of impressions, I get some brand recognition for free.

It’s better than a phone call

Don’t get me wrong: calling people is still a great way to connecting, but when you need an answer or a volunteer, sending a blast through Facebook is a great way to get the word out without activating a phone tree. M19 MEDIA hosts an Art Loop stop here in Wilmington, and I use Facebook to find new artists. How long would it have taken me to call people that I know that may or may not be connected in the art world…well, you get the idea. Another plus is that, like texting, a Facebook post is short, sweet and to the point. No chance of getting conversation drift like you would on a phone conversation.

(Unscientific) Focus Group, anyone?

One of my favorite activities on my fan page is to come up with some logo comps and share it with my fans. My fans (God, how I love them) come from all walks of life: some are friends from high school doing me a solid, others are professional links, others still are current and future clients. Showing my work on my fan page to get feedback is good business. Go ahead. Take an idea for a spin with your fans and see how it plays. Maybe they will provide a new twist that will make it a best-seller. Future clients will be impressed with the work that you’re doing and it may nudge them closer to doing business. Current clients may find new needs for your services. And your high school friends can remind you have far you’ve come as a professional.

Just fall backwards…

I tell my students every session that unless your audience trusts your brand, you’re fried. Pack it in. The great thing about Facebook is that there is a certain amount of trust that people give to the medium. Not to say that you shouldn’t be careful about what you post and the information that you make public, but the messages that you get from a friend on Facebook convey weight similar to the sought-after referral. “I know a guy who does that…” can mean big bucks for a small business. Use your friends/fans as referral sources. They can help you get your foot in an otherwise locked door.

It’s still the future

There’s still nothing that rivals Facebook in its reach, and they are constantly providing more. Even though it’s not even a decade old, it has transformed the way we work, live and do business. It’s still hip. It’s still effective. It’s still the future. Now that people have the opportunity to converse with each other and their brands, that genie is not going back in the bottle. Embrace it. Own it. Make simple steps to get your brand out there in the mix.

Or just drop us a line and we can do it for you.