A Marriage Made in Heaven or a Passing Fling? Your Corporation Facebook Profile

What started out in 2004 as a fun place for college students to post pictures and link up with friends, Facebook has morphed into a social media juggernaut.  Fortune 500 companies and the hole-in-the-wall restaurant down the street have a Facebook profile.  Facebook boasts more than 200 million active users as of April 2009.  More than 6 million users become fans of pages each day.  More than two-thirds of Facebook members are outside of college.  And the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older.  Also, there are more than 30 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

All this activity sounds great.  But how can corporations benefit from a site like Facebook?  And is it worth jumping into the Facebook fray?

How can corporations benefit from a site like Facebook?

Facebook can create brand loyalty, promote good and services, increase goodwill, and connect with individuals who love what you do.  In order to get the most out of Facebook corporations need to create stellar profiles to keep their fans coming back for more. 

Here are some ideas:

-    Engage your fans. These Facebookers are fans because they like you.  Allow them to shower you with praise and give them reasons to return to your profile and share your profile over and over again.

-    Create Facebook only events, promotions, and specials. Running a Facebook only promotion will not only promote your brand, but it will reward your loyal fans and will keep you top of mind.

-    Keep your content fresh. Publish new videos, content, and updates constantly.  Facebook estimates that more than 30 million users update their statuses at least once each day.  Active Facebook users demand updated content.

-    Utilize surveys and other voting applications in your profile. These not only give your fans a voice, but also keeps them engaged.  Try to make the surveys fun whenever possible.

-    Integrate Facebook content on your corporate web page and IN YOUR EMAIL!  This includes adding links to attract more fans and to remind a fan to return to your profile page.  Also, create a place in your Facebook page where visitors can sign-up for your email.

-    Get creative with Facebook features. Some of these features include photo albums, active discussion boards, two-way communication, engagement ads, and virtual gifts.

Is it worth jumping into the Facebook fray?

- YES if your corporation has the time, energy, and passion to not only create a Facebook profile but to support, monitor, and update it.  Also, having a company policy about posting on company sponsored social networking sites can help prevent problems.  Damaging, conflicting, and inaccurate content, and leaking corporate secrets should be avoided.

Click here to view a useful article with five Facebook case studies involving corporate profiles. This article provides real world examples on how corporations are benefiting from Facebook.