FaceBook: The 800 lb. Gorilla

By Bud on July 9, 2009 TrackBacks (0) Comments (14)

FaceBook is by far the largest social network. Charlie Wollborg offers advice on how to effectively use FaceBook in a business context. A key component of his approach is taking a less formal more human approach to interacting with people you interact with on FaceBook.

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Filed under: Charlie Wollborg | Curve Detroit | Network Businesses | Pontiac, MI | Social Media

The worlds of work and social life are merging according to Charlie Wollborg, Curve Detroit's founder and chief troublemaker. Devices like the blackberry bring work home, and business meetings often begin with personal chit chat.

Facebook is positioning itself as the network that allows people to achieve a balance between professional and social communication. With over 200 Million active subscribers (those who log in at least weekly), Facebook is the 800 lb. guerilla in this rapidly growing area. To effectively present a social business presence on FaceBook, Charlie recommends:

Have a photo
Present the human side, not just the business side, of who you are. Draw the line where you are comfortable.
Make sure to promote your public corporate events there as FaceBook is very viral.

Some things, Charlie recommends you not do with FaceBook:

Don't create content solely for Facebook. It's invisible to search engines.
By the same token, don't store photos and other content there that you want to be publicly accessible. FaceBook prohibits access to outsiders.

Finally, Charlie recommends that you gear any FaceBook advertising to a soft sell wrapped in information. People come to FaceBook to socialize, not hear hard core pitches.

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14 Comments

Megan Flewelling on November 22, 2009 4:08 PM

I think that it is important to not only think of Facebook as a social networking site, but also for businesses something that you might want to consider. I know that basically all of my friends have a Facebook page and check it daily. I am pretty sure that this is the same for most college students, and no even family and friends are now creating Facebook pages. I agree that Facebook is a good way to blend in your work life and home life. It allows you to decide what type of things you want people to see, so choosing your picture and the content is totally up to you. Creating events and posting information for your company is pretty much guaranteeing that many people will see it, which is what companies want. The more friends you have the better, if they attend an event it will show up on their news feed and their friends will then see it and possibly attend. Putting information on Facebook is a great way to get any sort of information out to people. I agree with what Charlie says about advertising on Facebook. It is not a good idea to do hard core advertising, people are not on the site to see advertising, they are their to socialize. Megan Flewelling

Jessica on November 23, 2009 5:18 PM

Hello, my name is Jessica and I am a senior at Eastern Michigan University. I think that Facebook is good and bad for the business world. As a senior, I am looking for jobs and are constantly out there looking for a job and it is important that anything about me on the web is appropriate and tasteful. Someone I’m interviewing with isn’t going want to see pictures of me out and about on a Friday night. So in some cases Facebook isn’t really a good idea for connecting with people that could be apart of your professional life. On the other hand, my father is a realtor and he uses Facebook to connect with clients and colleagues. It is the same thing as what was discussed in this video. It gives people in your professional life an idea of who you are and what your life outside of work. It is a great tool for networking and in this technologically advanced day in age I wonder what will be next.

DeWayne Danyele-Geeter Burns on March 24, 2010 10:04 PM

Hello, My name is DeWayne Burns, and I am studying business at Eastern Michigan University. The impact that FaceBook has on society should not be underestimated. In fact, as far as advertising is concerned, FaceBook (and other forms of social networking) can eventually transcend the television platform of marketing. Why was the majority of advertising on the radio? Radio used to be the most popular form of entertainment media. Then history showed that television advertising surpassed radio advertising, because television became more popular than radio. While television is still relevant, the World Wide Web is just as, if not more, relevant in receiving information, reading or watching the news, checking the latest sports scores or running a business. Since the magnitude of online advertising is already on the rise, I don’t see why FaceBook advertising will not be either. Also I will not consider advertising on FaceBook, or FaceBook in general, as a passing fad, due to the merging of business and social networking on FaceBook. I like that Charlie mentions that the business realm and the social realm blend together. I agree, because in order to use online advertising efficiently, you have to focus more on promoting your product versus simply advertising your product. Promotion combines a more intimate, one-on-one setting of persuasion with communicating product benefits through a mass form of media. FaceBook advertising can fit the bill of promotion. My wife and I are having a fence installed in our backyard. The fence company parks their big truck out front with their company logo, phone number and slogan (advertising with a form of media). While the fence-company owner and I are having a “personal” conversation, a lady drives by my house and notices the truck, logo, phone number and slogan. Coincidentally, the lady is also looking to have a fence installed. Ending our conversation, the fence-company owner walks over to introduce himself to the lady, starts another “personal” conversation and kindly offers the lady his services (persuasive selling in a “personal”, one-on-one setting). In math terms, personal selling plus media communication equals promotion. What if my conversation with the fence-company owner was on FaceBook? All of my FaceBook friends (possible thousands) could be seen by the owner, and the owner can gain customers from my friends by adding a link to his company website on his chat posts. Now “friends” of my FaceBook friends see our chat, and coincidentally, they need fence work done too. While all of the chatting is transpiring, the owner adds a company advertisement on FaceBook. Social networking is no longer a waste of time. To be successful in business, you not only have to know who your customers are, but WHERE they are. Thanks to FaceBook, you’ll never have to look too far. They’re only one “Add-A-Friend” click away. Thank you for your time and please add me as your FaceBook friend, DeWayne Danyele-Geeter Burns P.S., when you add me as a FaceBook friend, please mention this blog in the “add a personal message” box.

Amandeep Saggu on March 24, 2010 11:05 PM

Hello, I am a serious at Eastern Michigan University. I found this article very interesting because I am very active user of Facebook and I wanted to see how they engage in marketing. I was surprised to know that one in three minutes is spent on social networking sites such as Facebook. Back in the days, marketer only used traditional forms of advertising but now technology and social networking sites have given marketers endless opportunities to reach potential customers. Who would have ever guessed that social sites will become an important mode of advertising? I am a business major with a concentration in marketing; therefore I like to stay on top of any new trends in marketing. Facebook has given users the potential to blend their social and professional lives effectively without constrains. Businesses can benefit from these social network sites as it allows friends to connect with one another and promote word-of-mouth advertising. Usually, if people are very happy or satisfied with a company’s product or services, they will surly comment on Facebook about it. Social commerce has recognized this trend and are making every effort to become a part of their customers’ online network. Wollborg made some great recommendation for small businesses who are trying to create presences on Facbook. I think having a photo which effectively demonstrates a business’s values and image will help promote the business better. Secondly, since Facebook is a social network site it is important to present the human side along with the business side. People might shy away if they aren’t able to socialize and present their thoughts. When all the ingredients blend in well, businesses can really use such sites to their advantage. Studies show that users of social sites are three to five times more likely to buy a product or service promoted in these sites.

Michael Moore on March 28, 2010 8:32 PM

This is a very interesting interview in that it touches on the powerful effects of using viral marketing and properly linking all of your resources together. Facebook's huge popularity worldwide certainly makes it the center of any proper viral marketing strategy. However, as Charlie mentioned in the interview it is a "walled garden" of sorts that prevents search engines from going into Facebook content. Using Twitter, RSS feeds, LinkedIn and other resources allows you to get your potential clients to click on a link that leads them to your Facebook page so that they can see the content you want them to. Another great advantage of using social network mediums such as Facebook is the easy access to it. A plethora of mobile devices such as Blackberrys, iPhones and other smart devices allow people to access Facebook and Twitter with ease, giving them the ability to see your content the moment they look for it. One of the downfalls here is that it will take multiple pages for your targets to get to where they will see your pitch if they start with a search engine. If competitors come up early in the google search with their own website, that may be a more attractive option simply due to its availability. Nonetheless, viral marketing is a terribly attractive option to any company due to its extremely low cost. Any business can sign on and create a Facebook or Twitter page at no cost. It is an especially effective medium for small businesses since users that make friends with a business Facebook page will be viewed by their friends that are normally in the same geographical area. This way the people that see the business pitch are in the geographical target area. Facebook is also a useful medium for normal internet advertising, in that Facebook will allow companies to purchase ads that you will see on the side of the window as you browse. Michael Moore

Katherine Quitmeye on March 29, 2010 11:37 PM

Oh Facebook! I am a Facebook junkie because it probably takes up about a third of my time. When I am bored, can’t sleep, procrastinating, need a laugh, want to look at pictures, or want to know what is going on with a friend, I instantly turn to Facebook. Facebook seems to have turned into the number one social networking site for people all over the world. Charlie Wollborg talks about the fact that Facebook is not longer used for personal reasons only. Wollborg argues that work and your personal like can no longer be kept as two separate entities, and I completely agree with him. If you think about we spend more time with our co-workers than we do with our own family. My co-workers are my friends and know everything that is happening in my life. Wollborg talks about networking on Facebook for personal reasons, but to also use Facebook to advertise yourself using Google and other social networking sites. I think that it is a great idea to mix your personal networking with business, because it makes your more personable and people like to see the real you.

Leslie Meissner on March 30, 2010 3:25 AM

Hello, my name is Leslie Meissner. I am a student at Eastern Michigan University as well as a few of the others who have posted. I must initially say that I never thought of Facebook as being a social networking site where business and personal lives could entwine. In fact, until now, I thought of Facebook as a way of being nosey to know what your friends are doing. When I started working at a bank in Ann Arbor this past summer, I found it rather humorous that my branch manager had a Facebook. What struck me as even more amusing was when I received a friend request from him. At first I hesitated accepting the offer. I wondered if my manager was using this as a way to see what I was doing outside of work. I worried if he would misinterpret my display picture of me with a group of friends as ‘unprofessional’. Aside from my uncertainties, I accepted the friend request. For quite awhile now, I have refrained from making my normal posts and comments because I feel as if my boss or co-workers may question my daily activities outside of work. I suppose I have never been the type to likes to mix work, school, and my personal life together. I’m really glad I watched this video. I can be at ease because it’s okay if my boss sees “the human side, not just the business side” of who I am. Now I have a more clear understanding that it’s perfectly all right to combine a little bit of work, school, and my life together. I think this will help strengthen my communication skills as well as my work relationships to help me further advance in my career. Building my network outside of the work place is also another way to help me get to where I would like to be in the future, so thank you for the tip Charlie.

Mark Meyer on March 30, 2010 11:03 AM

Wow, I am yet another Eastern Michigan University student that, like most today, has a personal Facebook page. I think these social networking sites are definitely a growing area of interest in many ways; the issue of content being somewhere online forever once it is posted; the issue of some companies using your Facebook account to do some form of a background check after you interview for a job; mentioned in the video, the lack of true separation between home and the workplace due to the portable nature of technology, and the ease of access to these social networking programs using phones etc. I do however, like bringing the idea of Facebook/Twitter/YouTube into a positive light, especially for the entrepreneur or small businessman. These are essentially free tools at our disposal that were not around 10 years ago. Our ability to reach a very large, broad demographic with our advertising and information is far beyond anything that could’ve been accomplished through a newspaper ad in the early 1990’s. It is interesting to me, the idea of joining the forces that lie in the different social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Why not take all of these free outlets and interconnect them? Very few web sites aren’t directly compatible with these social sites, and it seems to be a full circle way of utilizing the viral outlet. Let's face it, marketing can be quite pricey otherwise. This was a informative and entertaining video post, and I will keep these tips in mind should I start my own business in the future. Thanks, Mark Meyer

Jason Emero on June 9, 2010 11:39 PM

As a non user of FaceBook, I did agree that we work more than ever and that there is a need for mass communications to alert groups of friends with information. I'm not sure FaceBook provides more than an e-mail would as far as information sharing on a personal level but I operate on the premise that only my "friends" would get access to my page. Many business are on facebook which provides the business with an advertising avenue that allows them to have more personality and freedom than other means like radio and newspapers. I gathered from what Charlie stated the site allows a user to search content that is based on FaceBook but also filtered in from other systems. Used in comparison to Google, which only provides site based advertising. I was shocked to hear and quite skeptical that one in minutes is utilized in a social network. Seems excessive but I suppose if you count employer based e-mail, it would be more realistic. I also noticed that Charlie presented his information with a little flair which was nice to see someone talking about business and showing that they enjoy it.

Stephanie Schade on June 13, 2010 10:56 AM

I think that Charlie Wollborg brings up some great points about FaceBook and social networking as an advertising and informational tool. Looking at it from a business prospective, I can understand that if it is utilized correctly it can be an asset to any company. I think that it is challenging for some companies to establish the right way in which to use FaceBook or any social networking site, as it is a fairly new concept that has been changing over time. It can be challenging for companies because they do not understand how to effectively to use the social networking sites, or even Google for that matter and to establish contact with current and future consumers. I think that Wollborg's perspective on Google and the “walled garden” that is FaceBook, shows a greater insight to how the networking sites work. The other avenues that he suggests are ones that enable a company to get their message out there easier because they are in a more public forum where you don’t necessarily need to be a member or friend to get the message from a company. I am a bit curious as to how this could work for all markets of consumers. In today’s society most people have access to the internet, however, many do not know or understand about social networking sites like FaceBook and even other sites like Wollborg mentioned of Twitter and YouTube. Not everyone uses these sites and for some companies, such as AARP, their target markets are not necessarily using these sites. What would the company then do, should they consider the secondary target market? As the second target market has contact with the first target market and relays the message? When I think of an example, I think of my grandparent’s generation, as my grandparents are in their 70’s and have never been online. They do not really understand the concept and do not want to change. What can a company do for a target market in that demographic? Another downfall that I see with social networking sites is the amount of information given at one time by different companies. It can be overwhelming to receive twenty different status updates from the companies that you follow as well as extremely annoying. But I believe that this trend of utilizing sites like FaceBook, Google, and Twitter is the way of future marketing tools. I would also suggest, as some of my other business friends have done, would be to create two separate FaceBook accounts. They do this because they still try and keep work separate from their personal life. I think that a business professional should consider doing this because in the business world, your personal life and business life should be separate. Stephanie Schade

Kevin Sikora on June 14, 2010 12:27 AM

After seeing the Facebook in the headlines, I couldn’t resist from reading this. Even though I am very active on Facebook, I am unfamiliar with Facebook advertising. That may sound a little strange. Many people view Facebook as just a social networking site. However, Facebook can be very critical in the success of many businesses. The advice Charlie Wollborg offered on how to effectively use Facebook in a business context is very accurate and individuals need to take his advice very seriously. Facebook is an excellent way of advertising your work life and your home life. It allows you to update your photos and key events that can relate to both lives. Even though advertising on Facebook isn’t the best way, since it is more of a socialization site. However, it allows friends to potentially receive important information, such as dates and times of key events. In terms of advertising yourself in the for the business world, it is important to show who you truly are. Posting pictures that you will not be embarrassed if other’s see is most appropriate. Businesses are constantly searching employees names in on Facebook, and having inappropriate pictures can result in a job loss or a missed opportunity. It is important to be careful of what you advertise. Facebook can also benefit businesses depending on how effective and efficient their marketing strategies are. Businesses need to implement marketing strategies that will allow it to succeed and gain a competitive advantage.

Kevin Sikora on June 14, 2010 12:31 AM

Kaitlyn Harder on June 16, 2010 1:56 PM

As someone who was reluctant to get facebook at first, to now has it linked to her blackberry, I find that facebook is taking over the world. Those of us who have social networking sites, know that if you respond to an event, "friend someone" or write on someone's wall, 100's of people are able to view it. I was very intrigued with the whole aspect of Facebook advertising and how Charlie was talking about having the advertising linked with google. I do know that this is not far off, because if you Google someone, and they have a facebook page, (or myspace, or Linked In) those are the first pages that pop up. I am very interested to see what will happen in the future with Facebook and all social networking sites.

Kaitlyn Harder on June 16, 2010 2:14 PM

A final thought, with people working more and more then what they used to, I would wonder where social networking sites will draw the line. It will be interesting to see what types of site will be engineered and the responses that they have.- Thank you, Kaitlyn Harder EMU

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