As companies continue to “test and learn” and do research on what makes a successful corporate brand page on Facebook, I’m here to tell you that I think I have the “secret sauce”. However, before I reveal the secret, let’s first go back to when we began to use this tool which has grown to 500 million users. Why did you jump on the Facebook bandwagon? What was its appeal? The most common answer I’ve heard from people was the ability to connect with friends and family. Facebook provided us with a platform to instantly find out what was going on in the lives of people in our lives and re-connect with people we hadn’t heard from in a long time.
So what is the best strategy for a brand or company to use when managing an online community? Go back to why we all joined Facebook in the first place. It was to connect with people. Now take this same strategy for your personal Facebook page and apply it to your corporate page and see what happens. If you want to know what the people that “like” your brand want to see on a page, ask them and start a conversation. If you want to encourage your fans to upload pictures with your product, ask them and start a conversation. I think you get the idea.
What I am trying to provide is perspective. If you have participated in this space long enough, most people would say that Facebook, and all the social tools for that matter, provide the platform to have real time conversation with people. I just watched a DVD tonight that talked about peoples need to be in relationship or in community with one another. Being in a community allows for trust to grow. For companies, if you are trying to sell something, your customers need to trust you. Once a company has established trust, you now have an individual (a.k.a. customer) that believes in your brand and what it stands for.
There you have it…the secret sauce. If you really think about why you joined Facebook, it’s not really a secret. Is it?
Rey(es) of Light 
I really love this post Patrick. I cannot agree more.
Thanks Nick! I really think we try to make it more difficult than it needs to be.
Yes absolutely. I try to tell my clients that social media is basically a big cocktail party. Grab a cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage, go out, be yourself, and make friends.
I make my living with social media. Not as a consultant, but as a business owner. The reason I am successful is because I communicate. I “socialize.” Couldn’t be simpler.
It really is this simple – companies spend a lot of time researching/thinking/testing/over analyzing because, IMO, they are simply nervous. In that respect it’s no different than the cocktail party – just show up and start talking to someone and you will soon realize it’s not too painful.
Chris, I think the biggest thing we all need to remember is to be ourselves. If we’re wrong about something, admit it. Stay humble. In the context of human interaction, that goes a long way and people will want to talk to you.
Great post, Patrick. Back to business basics and common sense- we seem to have gotten away from that. Well done.
Thanks Carol. I’m going to do my best to try and remember the saying…”K.I.S.S.” I truly believe that if you keep the focus on people and how your product benefits them, success can happen.