If You’re Marketing On Facebook, You Should Know This…

I confess, I was a little reluctant to write this post…

…because I’ve been somewhat sceptical of social media as a marketing channel.

And to be blunt, that scepticism has not been completely justified.

Social media can be a very effective marketing medium…

…when used correctly in the right business context.

But, it’s not necessarily the right thing for every business…

…and it’s certainly no panacea that’s magically going to make all your business problems go away.

There’s no doubt that Facebook has proved to be highly successful and is a dominant force in the social media arena.

To the extent that some marketers have suggested that you could run your business entirely from a Facebook fan page.

Big mistake in my view.

The most dangerous number in marketing is…

…”One”. You never want to be reliant on one single factor or element.

And then there’s this…

…with some additional points here…

So does this mean you should ignore Facebook in your marketing?

Depends.

I don’t think Facebook is going to go away anytime soon.

(Although I could be wrong…MySpace provides a cautionary example.)

So, it might well prove to be a fantastic marketing channel and source of business for you.

Depends on your market…

…and the best way to reach your prospective customers.

But don’t put all your eggs in one basket…

…and make sure you have the business fundamentals in place before getting carried away with one particular marketing channel.

UPDATE (17 June 2011):