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Tactics or Talking? Expanding Opportunity On Facebook
September 27, 2011
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“The heart of [people’s] Facebook experience is their profile. People feel ownership of their profile; they are telling the story of their life.” - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg spoke last week during the unveiling of Facebook’s new profile page, “Timeline,” which is rolling out to all users this week. Zuckerberg’s mission is to “make the world more open and connected” and the new layout of Facebook is expected to do just that, enhancing the emotional connection that site users have with one another.
Facebook: From “User Growth” To “User Engagement”
With 800 million users, Zuckerberg is clearly paying less attention to user growth these days and looking ahead to keeping the relationship fresh between Facebook users and the site. With the new “Timeline,” you will find a more of a visual expression of who you are on Facebook.
I placed a preview of “Timeline” on Tumblr. Scroll down to get a peek if you haven’t already seen it.As Zuckerberg spoke last week, he reinforced the primary purpose people sign up for Facebook -- to connect, express who they are and receive recognition.
As a radio station on Facebook, if you’re not enhancing those motivations that got your audience to sign up in the first place (such as acknowledgement), you can spoil your social reputation and diminish opportunity.
All over these social platforms, whether it’s a Facebook “share,” a Twitter “re-tweet” or a Google “+1,” radio stations are offered indicators that connections are forming.
But do we stunt the growth of these connections because we’re not really sure what to do with the portion of our audience sharing our content?Consider placing less effort into racking up “likes” and more time investing in these “special forces” type social media troops - seriously engaged fans who “get” this space and have a desire to act as your brand ambassadors. To do this, it takes finesse, know-how, trustworthiness and a solid social reputation.
Start by asking the right questions.
* Why is your audience on Facebook? Why is your radio station on Facebook?
* What kind of relationship does your audience want from you on Facebook? How can you strengthen that relationship?
* What actions do you want out of each specific status update? Are your status updates enhancing or interfering with the primary purpose your audience is on Facebook?To understand the value of social media, it’s time to care more about the reputation your station has on these sites. Are you encouraging personal experiences? Or are you using impersonal tactics?
Social media is about listening and translating what people are saying about your brand.
We’re either broadcasting on these platforms or we’re converting conversations into opportunities. It’s time to stop confusing the two.
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