Kate Miller Heidke, Facebook

• Thursday, 18 June 2009
• By Zoe Bruce
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A bit of a rude warning about the harm that can be done by pushing the boundaries of Facebook and Twitter too far. As Kate sings of her personal facebook barriers, we examine the limits brands should also abide by in the online arena. When creating a business pressence on Facebook, companies must ensure that their interaction will be well received by the online community.

Some of the more common Social Networking mistakes, made by businesses include:

Talking the Talk

It is important to make sure you speak to suit your environment. Remember you are not speaking to colleagues, suppliers or executives... You are speaking to real people who are 'hanging out' online. If they have accepted your companies friend request, it is important to respect your consumers within THEIR environment and to employ a more casual and light tone.

A Blank Canvas Craves Attention

Think of your Facebook page as a blank canvas. It's an opportunity to show consumers the personal side to your business. The one with real people at the helm who have real ideas and passion. Your Facebook page provides you with many tools to convey a company culture, this should be embraced by your Facebook administrator.

Nobody Likes a Show Off

Sure, as a business page you should use Facebook to showcase your brand ethos and personality, but blatant boasting won't get you anywhere. I still cringe when I see friends who post photo's of themselves taken by them...arm up, camera angled down and pout....!! Unfortunately their 'blue steel' doesn't quite hit the mark. Use your page to build trust, rapport and relationships with both active and prospective consumers.

Keep it Interesting

Mix it up. Engage with your Facebook friends. Offer them something of interest via varied forms of media. Share videos, post links, send updates, create events, upload photo's, import blog notes.... the list goes on and on. Remember, users like things to be fresh and regular.

Setting off a viral reaction takes time, effort and good ideas. Persevere - the nature of the online is hit and miss however the rewards are well worth it.

 

Influencing purchase...

• Thursday, 18 June 2009
• By Catheryn York
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I came across some very research regarding which media influences greater purchases. Although its US based statistics I thought it would be interesting particularly to some of our clients that are pushing to increase social marketing in place of other activities. The obvious reason being that it is cheaper in most cases, however consideration must be given to whether its effective in actually producing sales...the ultimate goal!

An outline of the research by Harris Interactive that surveyed 2.355 American adults:

Consumer purchase decisions are informed by a mix of "old" and "new" media, but more traditional forms of communication appear to exert a greater influence than social networking websites.

The most common way shoppers mentioned that they collected information prior to buying a particular product was:

• 36% via a company website.
• 22% via "Face-to-face" interaction with a "salesperson or other company representative".
• 21% spoke to someone "not associated with the company".
• 19% found out about a brand from print advertising.
• 15% via broadcast ads,
• 14% made judgments "based only on my past experience."

In terms of online behaviour:

• 19% used independent websites featuring product reviews – like Amazon.
• 11% accessed internet message boards.
• 4% turned to social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, with a similar number visiting "private social networking sites" and “customer communities".

Results varied slightly by age group:

• 16% of 18–24 year olds employed social media to conduct product research. Although this result was higher the figure was still 5% lower than for ads on TV and radio, and 6% below that for print media among this demographic, and some 24% smaller than the number visiting company websites.
• Ads on broadcast media were most widely-used among 25–29 year olds, at 22%.
• Print ads were most popular among 50–64 year old shoppers, on 27%.

Over all demographics:

• 57% communicated about their positive product/service experience to others after making a purchase.
• 41% "recommended" what they had bought to others.
• 11% of this group did so with regard to a negative experience, and only 6% "recommended against" purchasing an item.
• 63% expressed their positive or negative experience when talking to "a family member, business colleague or a friend.", 30% used email, 12% used a company website, 9% employed social networks, 8% opted for online message boards, and 7% added their comments to independent review websites.