Why Facebook FAN Pages really suck
This is not my first time talking about facebook… and let me write a nice disclaimer: I will be talking about facebook as a “way to generate” leads for your business…
It seems that each day I see more companies selling SEO fan pages.
Their pitch is this:
“in our everyday life… customers want to become FANS of your business… and that’s why you need to have a FAN page in facebook… for just $500 we will create a highly professional facebook fan page… etc… etc.. etc… boring … boring … boring….”
So every time I read this I wonder about the definition of “fan”
So let’ me check my beloved wikepedia to help me a bit with this article:
A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom. They may show their enthusiasm by being a member of a fan club, holding fan conventions, creating fanzines, writing fan mail, or by promoting the object of their interest and attention.
So the idea is simple…. you build these type of pages because there are people out there that are real aficionado(s) from your business. Ok.. that’s the theory.
Now let’s wake up a bit.. shall we?
this may work for Dell… Cocacola… Starbucks … Logitech… Angelina Jolie and Paris Hilton… but what about Johnny the Local Plumber.
Don’t get me wrong… I may be best friend of “Johnny” but I really can’t care less about his business. I just want to contact “Johnny” when my toilet is not working. Then once “Johnny” fixes my toilet… my relation with him is finish.
But wait…. following the advise of Social Media Experts and my fellow Marketers… Johnny should have a Facebook fanpage because after he fixes my toilet… I may want to become a Fan of his business.
So the next day… I will wake up and check if Johnny has any specials or updates about his toilet fixing service… because remember….. I’m not a FAN!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
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What people don’t remember of the amazing power of facebook… is that you can always join “fan groups” and then hide them from your profile… or updates.
And I know you know what I’m talking about….
Because we all had that “annoying” friend that keeps posting updates every single 5 minutes.
So what do you do?
you hide his/her updates. And problem solved.
Well… the same is the deal with Fan pages…
What businesses need to realize is… PEOPLE DON’T REALLY CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
People don’t care about the new Dell, HP or IBM offer… in fact we have the memory of a gold fish… (5 seconds or something like that)
We live in a fast world… and we buy when we want to … not when Johnny updates his fan page with an amazing toilet fixing offer.
Are you a fan?
May be… but think about the things you are a “fan” of…
Chocolate? U2? The Rolling Stones? The Beach? Christmas? The Easter Bunny?
That are the type of things we become “fans” … not from my local butcher… or the hotel I stayed 18 months ago in Fiji.
So the question is… if people are not real fans.. why people join? why people bother?
Because we are humans… and we love to believe.
We love to believe WE CARE and we love to believe PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT US….
In the same way I love to believe that people REALLY read this blog and that people “follow” my posts.
So what the bottom line with Facebook pages?
Do it. But do it in the spirit of fun… as a nice game… not as your social marketing strategy.
Trust me: Friends don’t buy from you.
Customers do.
If a customer needs a service: they google it – they don’t check how many of his/her friends is offering THAT service in their Facebook profile/page.
Off course, I know many social marketers will post comments with data, numbers and the huge relevance of facebook in new media marketing. But the reality is that type of data can be found with big corporations and not with the local Johnny the plumber confused about investing $500 in a brand new facebook FAN Page.
If you think you are THAT Johnny save your money my dear facebook friend.
Dear Social Media Man….
These are real fans…
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Gabriel Machuret
I'm an SEO professional living in the South Coast of NSW - Australia. SEO is what I do... I'm not a web guy, or a webmaster, or a designer... I just do SEO ;) Love it. Enjoy it and I still have fun doing it.
1 / 4 / 2011 1:48 pm
Just to let you know, I visit your blog daily for new posts to read, might call me your fan. =)
Also, I have tried that marketing stratefy of getting fan pages etc but it never really worked that well. The page it worked best with was for a website that posted funny pictures daily, but almost never with anything that has to do with business.
Same goe for twitter, verry little success there because it’s as you said “friends don’t buy”. However, I suppose that if you’re really famous, like 50cent or something, they might buy things via twitter etc. But if you are that famous I bet you don’t need to market there anyways.
Put your power in SEO, because that’s one of the only places where the customer finds you when he/she wants to buy something and not the other way around.
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1 / 29 / 2011 3:15 am
Its not true exactly that facebook fan pages suck. Else why should all those businessman, go crazy fro it. But its true that fans cant be bought, but rather brought to you. And ofcourse they may not stay fans forever. One of the main problem with the paid fans.
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Gabriel Machuret Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 5:08 am
Zack, it seems you don’t really seem to understand the point behind my posts. “all those businessman”…. define a businessman. are you putting the owner of a bakery in the same group of the CEO of Dell?
When was the last time you joined the fan page of your local supermarket?
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1 / 30 / 2011 8:36 am
You have no idea of how FB works, such an ignorant posts. Have you ever heard of “brand awareness” or “brand power”?
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Gabriel Machuret Reply:
February 8th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Hi SEO Jack… I love when people attack me, but they don’t leave a proper signature.
mmmm… yep… I know about brand power… and brand awareness… but since when a Fanpage really boosts brand awareness….
I mean, SEO Jack… do you have any DATA to claim my post is ignorant?
Because as far as I know… social media seems to work only in the long term and finding the clear ROI of a fanpage, seems to be a b*tch…
Any comments…. ?
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1 / 30 / 2011 10:29 pm
mmmm Interesting.. What are your thoughts on twitter, do you believe that having a large following of loosely targeted potential customers is a powerful tool to have?
Providing them with useful information, helping them with there business by providing quality information, then once in a blue moon ask for something little from your following base. Do you think that is more powerful than Facebook?
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