Vocus Media Research Group social media expert Kyle Osborne offers an argument on the relevancy of Facebook. Will it stay or will it go? From his past and present experiences, he is able to offer social media insights and predict how the future may take shape in a world of tweets and “likes.” -KMM
Can you believe it’s been nine years since Facebook was invented? People graduating high school this year can barely remember a time without it. One billion people today are Facebook users — that’s roughly one out of every seven people on the planet. Is it a waste of time? A passing fad (Hello, MySpace)? Or is it now simply here, like Coca-Cola and Beef Jerky—something that will always be around, just part of a thousand other things you see every day without giving it much thought.
My theory is that Facebook will stay, but its users will change the way that it’s employed. I also think we still have some time before it’s no longer a good place to promote products and people. Companies will have to get smarter—you can’t just use a Facebook page as a giant telephone pole where you staple handbills, one on top of another. People tune out, their vision gets blurry — they must be engaged. The telephone pole is a decent form of one-way communication, but letting consumers interact is what takes it to the next level.
How does one do that? Simply, by asking questions. I run social media for a great music venue called The Birchmere in Alexandria, Va. I figured out that a lot of folks who “liked” the Facebook page were not only music lovers, but actual musicians themselves, ranging from professionals to weekend porch pickers. So, I started seeking their input on subjects that have nothing to do with who’s playing at The Birchmere, but everything to do with the kind of consumer we serve.
I asked easy-going questions, starting with “Fender or Gibson?” This got readers weighing in on their favorite guitar without having to think much. Later, as people got more comfortable writing posts, I started asking more personal questions like, “Which band changed your life? As soon as you heard them, you knew your ears would never be the same?” This inspired people to recount their fondest memories. They loved the interaction, which made them look at the page more, which allowed them to see the features on The Birchmere that we also wanted to promote. I think that’s what Mary Poppins meant by a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down. If the page is fun, interactive and not just a scrolling commercial, you will see results.
As for personal pages, you probably know someone who applied for a job and forgot that his profile picture is a glorious shot of him holding a fluorescent pink beer bong with one hand, while giving the “hang loose” sign with the other? Yes, some hard lessons have been learned and some now overused phrases have been invented (please don’t tell me you’ve said, “TMI” lately). But again, it illustrates the lightning fast speed with which social media users have evolved.
Next time, I’ll talk about how revealing some personal information can actually be helpful.
–Kyle Osborne
