The Song Remains the Same
So
– I took Facebook up on their offer to attend a session on growing a business
and "becoming a savvy Facebook marketer." I arrived on a
beautiful, blue-sky morning to Fess Parker’s Doubletree Hotel, across the
street from the beach here in Santa Barbara. The line of attendees for
this exclusive, invitation-only event was long, but moved along quickly – a
palpable buzz in the air (both from the interested folks eager to grow their
businesses and the bumblebees pollinating the blooms along the walk.
With
laptops, notebooks, and tablets in hand we found our seats in the ballroom and
began networking – face to face at a social media event! I was privileged
to sit with folks from San Luis Obispo, Camarillo, and all points in between.
We represented the central coast.
The
Facebook team, clad in matching t-shirts and having provided fresh deli
sandwiches, were enthusiastic and professional. Our local U.S.
Congressional representative, Lois Capps, personally welcomed the crowd (and
more tax dollars for our district!), in a way that felt sincere.
The
formal presentation kicked off at noon on the big screen – covering three main
points:
◦
Finding New Customers
◦
Driving more in-store traffic
◦
Building customer loyalty
As
I sat there listening to the presentation, I realized that this was simply a
new twist on an old, tried and true model. Not so long ago, I sold
television advertising time. I flashed back to a presentation put on by
my colleagues and I to roughly the same demographic – business owners, bank
managers, shopkeepers – except that we were selling 30 second television spots
rather than pay-per-clicks.
One
woman at my table groused that there had been very little solid “advice” about
growing a business or building customer loyalty. It struck me that she
didn’t understand what had just happened. Facebook was selling Facebook
to those of us in the room.
I’m
not saying it was a waste of time – it was a beautiful day in a beautiful
place, we met new people, we got a “free” lunch, and we learned something about
Facebook’s advertising strategies. But ultimately, we deceive ourselves
if we really believe that Facebook has provided these lovely sandwiches so we
can have more fulfilling lives or more profitable businesses. Facebook
was selling itself to us.
What’s
the take-away here? A few things are worth noting.
•
Just because social media is the new big thing (and can be very
powerful), it’s still one more channel to reach your future and existing
customers and clients – media may change, but the song remains the same
•
Remember that Facebook wants to make money, as do you.
•
Facebook apparently didn’t trust the hotel catering, as the sandwiches
were brought in from an outside deli!
All
in all – it was nice to think about Facebook and advertising, to meet locals
trying their best to make it in this economy, and to have a great sandwich at
the beach.
Until
next time – go well, be well, stay well!
Keith
– Proven Strategies
Keywords: Marketing Concepts, Brand Marketing, Target Marketing,
Communications, Social Media, Facebook, Santa Barbara, Advertising
