Facebook Series, Pt. 1 – Is Your Company on Facebook? If Not, You’re Among a Dwindling Number

When it comes to social media, a large part of my job as a PR professional is to educate my clients on its role in their companies’ public images – whether they follow or participate in social media or not. The consumer’s power to alter marketing campaigns and influence large groups of people through social media can no longer be dismissed with ignorance. Social media is changing the way companies of all sizes conduct business because their customer base is changing the way it receives information.

As more individuals and organizations worldwide create online profiles, social media newbies often encounter the challenge of growing their social networks and balancing their personal and professional lives in social networks. Future posts in the Aker Imprints will address these issues, but I first want to state the case for getting your business involved in Facebook.

Facebook is among the most popular socal network sites for individuals and businesses. Do I think it will be beneficial for every company to have a presence on Facebook? Not necessarily, but business owners and marketers should consider a Facebook presence if their target audience falls into the 41-million-plus active users in the United States alone as of Dec. 29, 2008. (You can research detailed worldwide demographics of Facebook users at the Allfacebook blog.)

Social networks like Facebook that enable consumers to promote and discuss products, services and ideas can positively or negatively affect a company’s reputation, brand(s) and ultimately the bottom line. I encourage you to read Chris Brogan’s free ebook, Fish Where the Fish Are, which discusses how Facebook ties to the more traditional buying cycle.

Helpful stats on social media use and U.S. businesses:

• 60% of Americans use social media. Of those, 93% believe a company should have a social media presence, and 59% interact with companies on social media websites. (Source: September 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study)

• 59% of the top 100 retailers have a Facebook presence (this is up 30% from just five months prior). (Source: September 2008 Study by Rosetta)

• More retailers have fan pages on Facebook than any other social media site, followed by MySpace and YouTube respectively. (Source: August 2008 study from Internet Retailer and Vovici (via eMarketer)

Anyone interested in learning more about social media from a business standpoint should follow Chris Brogan’s blog. He’s among the top experts in the industry and regularly posts useful tips and insights.