Monthly Archives: August 2010
Yesterday, I was sitting watching television when a commercial for a North American fast food restaurant flashed across the screen. This commercial wasn’t overly different from any other burger joint ad, until the very end, when instead of flashing the customary company URL across the screen, a Facebook Fan Page address appeared. There’s no denying Facebook’s popularity; everyone and their grandmother is signed up and socializing on the the networking platform, and now it appears that business are finally taking note. More and more businesses are jumping on the Facebook bandwagon, begging the question – has Facebook replaced the company website?
The Experts Weigh In
Various social media experts have been discussing Facebook’s affect on traditional digital marketing; Pete Blackshaw posted an informative article in AdAge, and Jay Baer covered the basics on his blog. While Blackshaw focused on the importance of a traditional website, Baer made some important points about why Facebook’s business platform is starting to take flight. Baer concludes that Facebook is launching a three prong war on traditional websites. Facebook wants to change the way people use and distribute information online, increase online functionality, and, most importantly, provide your business with an immediate audience. I encourage you to read Baer’s article in its entirety – he makes some great points.
While Baer focuses on Facebook’s strengths, he doesn’t think that websites are going the way of the dinosaurs. As he says, “you’re essentially building your marketing program on rented land.” Having a Facebook presence is important, (heck, it’s vital), but it’s not the be-all and end-all of your online engagement strategies.
Company Websites Aren’t Extinct Yet
Blackshaw’s makes a great point in his AdAge article when he states small business owners need to rethink the way their company website is functioning. He says it’s time to “think wholesale, less retail. Think distribution, less destination. Think serving, less selling.” Your company website needs to be smart in order to stay relevant and continue engaging potential customers. The key is all about flexibility. Blackshaw makes a good point when he notes that most brand websites are “ill-equipped and ill-prepared for an adaptive, sense-and-response, digital “social” age.” If you want your site to perform, it needs to function with Facebook’s mindset. Change the way people interact with the information on your website, make things interactive, and encourage users to share, share, share. The Web is changing, your website needs to change too.
Rethink Your Website
If you’ve been thinking about overhauling your company website for a few years, now’s the time to take the plunge and make some big changes. A static, three page website with company information and a contact form isn’t going to cut it on today’s hyper-connected Web. These types of sites are lost in search engines, ignored by social networkers, and eventually forgotten by loyal customers. A quality company website needs to be constantly evolving and encouraging client interaction. Whether it’s through comments, contests, or creative content, your site needs to be a living, breathing entity in order to be successful.
Would you scrap your company website in order to focus entirely on Facebook marketing? Leave your thoughts below.
If you’ve been following the CIK Marketing Blog you may remember a personal post that I wrote a few months back concerning the Detroit Red Wings National Hockey Team and a certain former captain. Well, today I would like to formally recognize the Detroit Red Wings for their outstanding customer service and highlight their use of social media for brand management and fan outreach.
The Back Story
A few months ago, I wrote an open letter to Steve Yzerman (my fiancée’s all-time favorite hockey player and role model) inviting him to attend our wedding in late June. Instead of mailing the letter to some obscure post office box or general mailing address, I simply posted the letter to my blog and various other social media outlets in the hopes that my letter would somehow make it into the right hands (or inbox). Low and behold, some eight hours after posting the initial message, I received an email from the Community Relations Coordinator for the Detroit Red Wings. Sadly, Stevie couldn’t attend our wedding due to prior commitments. That being said, the Red Wings organization insisted on sending something to my fiancée and I to commemorate our special day. So, on June 26th, after numerous glasses of wine, I presented my new husband with a signed and personalized photograph from Steve Yzerman’s jersey retirement night at the Joe Louis Arena. Of course, if you follow hockey, you’ll know that Steve Yzerman recently signed on as the General Manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending an illustrious 27 year career with the team… making the memento all the more impressive.
What You Can Learn From This Story
I sent this letter out for two reasons:
- Because my husband really loves Steve Yzerman and wanted to invite him to our wedding
- Because I wanted to test social media’s abilities at connecting people.
Sure enough, social media proved itself worthy of the challenge, but only because the Red Wings organization was actively participating in their online community. It’s worth noting that the Social Networking Coordinator with the Red Wings was the first person to stumble cross my posting – yes, you heard right, the team has a position dedicated entirely to monitoring and interacting with fans on social networks…. does your business do the same thing? The Red Wings organization is leveraging social media perfectly, reaching out and connecting to real people on a personal level. Because of this, my husband is more in love with Hockeytown than ever before, and you can bet he’s told all of his friends, colleagues, and perfect strangers, about his unique gift.
Had the Red Wings ignored social media, they would have missed the opportunity to reach out to a lifelong fan, potentially tarnishing their reputation in my husband’s eyes forever. Did the team have to send us the photo? Of course not. But the fact that they took the time and effort to make a personal connection with just one fan speaks volumes about the company and their values. Your company can (and should!) be doing the exact same thing. Now, I’m not saying you need to send every single contact a personalized gift; all I want you to do is start interacting. I was blown away when I received the email from the team’s Community Relations department – everything after that was icing on the cake.
Kudos to the Red Wings for their outstanding customer service and community involvement, and thanks again to Mr. Yzerman for taking the time to send us a personal gift. Even though you weren’t able to physically make it to the wedding, we saved a special seat for you at the reception.
The following are a few pictures from our hockey themed wedding reception and the unveiling of the autographed Yzerman photo. They were shot by our photographers, Julie and Megan Nowicki – check them out, they do amazing work!
Yzerman Photo Presentation: Ian's Contribution to the Decor - NHL Table Numbers / Me Presenting the Photo / Stevie's Place Setting at the Head Table
