Facebook Fan Pages: Company A's Story, part 5b

The Story

I received a phone call from one of the Public Affairs Specialists (PAS) at Company A. He let me know they were going to launch a new Facebook page and asked that I post nothing else to the old one. He also asked for a list of questions he could use to spark discussions on the page.

That afternoon I started crafting a list of a dozen or so questions or leads that could help spark conversation on the company Facebook page. The next morning I looked at the list again, did some fine-tuning, added some discussion sparks, and then e-mailed it to the PAS.

When the Facebook fan page went live there was one discussion topic posted--the first one from my list:

Tell us about an experience you've enjoyed (because of/ with/ through Company A). What made it special?

The Discussion

It's great that Company A was thinking ahead. In the social media plan I'd put together for them I had stressed that conversation with their audience was important. It's one of the major reasons to implement a social media campaign. Company A wanted a list of questions to spark conversations and discussions, and they wanted that list before they ever launched the company Facebook page. That's a great example of the company being proactive and planning their strategy.

Probably because so many people use it every day, many business people think they should be able to handle their own social media marketing. But using social media to keep in touch with your friends is a lot different than using it to promote your brand. Reaching out for help from someone with more expertise and experience, as Company A did, is smart.

Unfortunately, after the launch of the Company A official Facebook fan page, things fell apart on this front. Although the page was launched a month ago, that first discussion spark is still the only one posted by the company. And, although there have been a few posts in response to the discussion spark, no one from Company A has chimed in. Without some official feedback, there is no conversation.

Company A gave its audience control of any discussion to be had on its Facebook fan page. While asking for feedback and listening to what customers have to say is important, if you don't use that information, it's worthless. One way to use it is to let it help you lead and shape the conversation you have with your public. If you don't respond, you can't do that.

Social media marketing is unique because it allows such easy interaction between the company and its customers. If you don't take advantage of that, you're wasting social media's power.