Over the weekend, I was at a conference with the woman I intern for who owns her own jewelry business. She returned from chatting with another small business owner saying "They have 850 Facebook fans and they just put their page together a few months ago... How do I get more fans? What should I be doing more of to get more fans?" The question definitely brought back some middle school nostalgia... Either way, it got me thinking.
Do fans really matter?
Yes: if you're hot in the summer.
Maybe: I am having a hard time coming to a conclusion if Fans on Facebook are really that important to have for a small business... Yes, it is easier to reach the people that are interested in your product. I know I am fans of people that I like, Mark Bittman, The Dali Lama and couple restaurants. They post things on their walls and occasionally I read them. Sometimes, I don't. It does not directly effect me. But, are businesses and individuals really reaching their audience through pages that people can like?
Step back and see how many friends you have on Facebook. How many of them do you really know, personally? How many of them do you keep in contact with on a regular basis? Are there any strangers you are friends with? It is so easy to accept a friend request or like a page online... Its simplicity makes it mindless. I know I sent out a request to a selected group of my Facebook friends asking them to like my friends business... Sure, some liked it... But were they really interested in the business or just trying to be supportive of me?
I think small business owners should worry less about how many friends or followers they have on Facebook. Do good work and people will like you on and off line. Simple as that.
Such an interesting question! My friend owns a small business and she is constantly worried about her fans on her Facebook page. She barely even updates the thing and only looks at it to see if she has any new fans. I gave her some advice for her marketing strategies but she was more interested in trying to find friends to like her on Facebook. It was super annoying!
ReplyDeleteI work at a salon and we have a facebook page and it is my duty to update the status everyday. Mostly I post daily deals or sales we have going on. I have posted discussions about health and beauty topics. Even when I ask for feedback on posts I never really get it. The most useless feedback is when someone decides they "like" the post. What does that mean anyway? I don't think it is the quantity but the quality of the fans you accumulate.
ReplyDeleteLizz, I could not agree more!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting discussion, and we should discuss this in class. What good are having friends or fans? Are there better ways for businesses to use social media?
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