Becoming a "Fan" of Facebook

By Jane Eckert

A quick review from last month’s column.  Social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIN, YouTube, and Twitter, to name the most popular networks, have changed the way people communicate, share information, and promote their business.  For example, Facebook was once designed as a way for high school graduates to keep in touch with their friends, or peers, during college.  It was a network of friends among friends.

 But I am here to tell you, friends, that these networks are no longer just for friends, all of them have become the new frontier for marketing our businesses, and as such, we’ve got to get on board. 

In June, I put together a short questionnaire about social networking, and collected responses from agritourism operators.  I wanted to know what they were doing to promote their business through social networking, what programs they used, and what success they’ve enjoyed, if any.  I spoke with a pretty good cross-section of farms, most of whom do use traditional websites and e-newsletters, and so I was surprised to find that most of the businesses I spoke to aren’t utilizing the social networks very much, and some haven’t tried them at all.

Currently, Facebook has over 200 million active users. More than two-thirds of their users are outside of college, making their fastest growing demographic those 35 years and older.   And unlike a traditional website, Facebook is constantly changing and evolving, with more than 20 million users updating their statuses, 4 million users becoming “fans” of Pages, 850 million photos uploaded, 8 million videos uploaded and more than 1 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each week. 

Is anybody looking at all this?  You bet.  Internet users spent more than 13.9 billion minutes “on Facebook” in just the month of April, 2009. 

With approximately 72.4% of all Americans and Canadians using the Internet, business cannot ignore its marketing potential.  And, to use the Internet most effectivly, we need to keep up with the current trends, and the word is, thousands of businesses are setting up Facebook accounts every single day.

Setting up an account with Facebook is as easy as having a valid email address and choosing a password.  There are, however, three different options for setting up a Facebook presence, and each has a different intended purpose.

1.  Profiles – Profiles are usually personal accounts.  Your profile is what your friends, family and customers will see about you. They reflect what people already know and anything else you want to tell them.  From your interests and hobbies, work place and school, to favorite books and movies, a profile can tell it all.  You can add photos, videos or post links to your profile, however, in order for anyone to see it, they must be your “friend.”

What’s a “friend”?   In the evolution of Facebook, the creators recognized that most of us would prefer to control who sees the information we post online about ourselves.  They created a “friending” process, where a person has to ask to see your profile, and you have to grant them permission.  If you are not a “friend”, you can only see their name and profile picture.

2. Groups – Facebook will allow you to set up a “Group”.  I may have a personal profile, as well as, a group, which is somewhat like a club.  Members are allowed to post photos, videos, and links and many are geared to special interests and hobbies.  Not everyone can join a group and some even require an invitation.

3. Pages – A “Fan Page” is typically the new tool of choice for businesses.  The page uses the same format as a “profile” and the creator must be authorized to set up the account.  The primary difference is that anyone may become a fan of the page (you don’t have to ask permission) and the creator has full control over what is added, as opposed to a group, where any member can add material. 

Pages are being created everyday by businesses, large and small.  Companies can add all of their contact information, keep others posted about what’s going on, send out messages to users about events or specials and add photo and video content, because everyone knows a picture is worth 1,000 words.  Facebook members join pages by becoming a “fan” of that page and are sent notifications when any content is changed or updated. 

Most folks just becoming acquainted with Facebook have seen the profiles, and wonder what on earth that has to do with business.  So you must understand the differences on these three options:  A profile can only be viewed by “friends”, a group relies on hobbies and interests rather than business (thus, a business may not be as easily found), and anyone can find and join a page, which is catered towards businesses. 

When I say “You should consider having your farm on Facebook,”  I’m not talking about groups or profiles; creating a page would be the best option for an agritourism business to get involved! 

Using Facebook as a marketing strategy is difficult for many to grasp, but it’s not an option when you weigh the benefits:

1. Increase awareness of business – A fan of your page could suggest others to become fans and the cycle could lead to more “word of mouth” marketing. 
2. Increase communication with existing or potential customers – Once your page is created, your followers can keep track of your events and specials as you post them.
3. Increase customer interest – By uploading new photos or videos, your customers will feel more involved and will want to return if those media reflect any type of change.  For example, uploading a photo album of a new attraction will get followers to view the photos and then entice them to see it for themselves.
4. Increase visibility on the Web – Its simple: the more Web sites that link to your business’ site, the more hits you will receive when someone searches your destination (i.e. hyperlinking your business site with your Facebook page).
5. Increase customer retention –special offers or events keep your fans up-to-date and give your customers another reason to return.   

Facebook is FREE! Facebook is EASY!. With over 200 million users on Facebook, you can reach millions of people you would have never found!

A Facebook “Fan Page” can certainly offer great ways to market your business to its full capacity.  Next month, I will be continuing my thoughts on social networks and will be highlighting agritourism destinations who have implemented social networks through Facebook.  Until then, think of all of the possibilities you could open up if you just used the Internet!

Jane Eckert, a national speaker, author and agritourism expert, is principal of Eckert AgriMarketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a firm that helps farmers sell products directly to consumers and develop their operations into tourist destinations. Jane can be reached by phone 314-862-6288 or at jane@eckertagrimarketing.com