Facebook
The value in Facebook is through on going conversation with a small audience. Use this audience to sample, drive traffic and share messages. By increasing the weight and affinity of posts brands can reach more people and depend less on advertising to drive traffic to their page. Apps can provide added functionality if needed. Look to media agencies to provide a strategy of driving likes and ensure investment is made on community management to inject the right personality on the platform.
The ROI on this is difficult to measure so use initiatives that make use of the
audience like sampling, feedback on products, NPD launch support and retail
links. Most people are on Facebook but only 20% go on to interact with brands
so partnership with Facebook and using the platform to improve service can be
more effective than relying on consumers to come to you to engage or using the
platform for awareness.
Twitter
Whereas Facebook is for connecting with people you know Twitter is for connecting with people you don't. It is a more mobile platform with 10m active mobile users in the UK and dominated by the media, celebrity and marketing types. It is used best by brands when they leverage times of heightened media attention e.g. London riots, Olympics, phone hacking scandal, elections etc. Brands do not get the same sort of traction as people but promoted tweets, easily implementable campaigns and the leveraging of influencers can be effective.
Pinterest
A site where users endorse and recommend images or products they have found, and also where they go to look for inspiration. There are about 200k users in UK / largely a female audience. The audience is shrinking currently but the site can still be effective in documenting events or showing off your new catalogue.
What about the rest?
The opportunity for social is platforms that allow sharing amongst like minded people. So the most social platforms with the greatest reach can be effective but then we must look at where the strongest influencers are for your brand and how your conversations can stand out and have an effect on consumer purchase behaviour.
