It’s About Engagement, Stupid

Lost amidst the hysteria of Facebook’s IPO was a statistic seemingly only picked up by The Economist quoting a study from Socialbakers—95% of posts to brand’s pages go unanswered.  Now it’s hard for me to tell whether those are fan comments or brand pronouncements being ignored, but either way, it doesn’t matter. Making a play on the old political adage—it’s about the Economy, stupid—I say the same thing to companies in any of the social media platforms—it’s about the Engagement, stupid.

Whether you are a small business just starting out or a global brand ready for action, Facebook’s value really is the ability to listen and engage with customers.  Often I tell our clients that managing a Facebook community is like being the host of a successful dinner party, you can talk about yourself a little bit, but at some point you need to engage with the rest of the room.

No doubt, it can seem daunting getting started.  But don’t fret.  Last year, The Advocate magazine and Wells Fargo asked me to record video tips about how gay and lesbian-owned small businesses can effectively use social media tools like Facebook to help them grow.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrDw2HRzw3o&w=420&h=315]

And while you don’t have to be gay to find these tips useful, hopefully the results will make you happy (and engaged).