Facebook

We have found Facebook to be an unprecedented marketing opportunity and, although one of the hardest forms of online media to master, it can provide great insights into your consumer that you would otherwise have to pay for.

Establish a strong profile

Your profile page is the first thing that people see when they arrive on your profile and advertises who you are and what product it is.
(Using Facebook For Small Business: The Ins And Outs, 2008)

It’s a balance between telling a story about who your company is and what your products are while ensuring the human element behind your company comes through. Allow your photos and profile information to reflect a narrative about your product, but still keep it spiced with little bits of fun information about the people behind the scenes. (Smith, 2007)

We found having a separate ‘home’ page which was set up like our website with static articles and our ‘wall’ which contained our interactive material, created a fairly strong profile for us. Our viewers were able to get the story about the company and the products we were providing whilst we were able to show our ‘human side’ with the posts we placed on our wall.

A Solid Foundation

As a self publishing indie developer we have found that understanding our expectations and applying those metrics to the following basic business marketing techniques means we have been able to create a solid working foundation for online marketing.

Customer service

Everybody wants to feel special in life and by making sure you respond to your consumers by asking their opinions and responding to them, you are letting them know you have recognised them and appreciate their input. (Krotz, 2011)

Become an online expert

You don’t need to become a ‘flaming’ blogger or critical ‘know it all’, but simply engage actively with your consumer in a manner that doesn’t focus solely on you wanting something in return.

By keeping in touch with blogs and online discussions and offering first hand advice about your experiences and knowledge, without charging for it, you are building relationships that can lead to more consumers of your products at a later date. Better yet, because you’re active in blogs and discussion you’re open to information and feedback that you wouldn’t come across through other channels.