Social Network Marketing (a.k.a. Ode to a Facebook Page)

I'm writing a proposal for a Facebook marketing program. Thought I'd work out the introduction here:

Social networking has erupted onto the digital landscape in the past few years with unprecedented velocity. Many marketers understand they need to make use of this new medium, but few understand how or why. This is the reason scores of brands are fumbling around sites like Facebook with marketing programs that are failing miserably. They are failing because they are treating social networks like they treat landing pages—just another channel for direct response.

But nobody wants to be friends with an ad.

Facebook has 65,000,000 members. They claim that 54% of those members log on to their accounts every day—and spend an average of 22 minutes there. That's a long time on the internet. They're spending all that time in their social network because they want to be there—not because they want to be on your website. Unless you can add value to the social network experience, you're just wasting your time.

_________ has a terrific discount for ___________. We absolutely want to trumpet its availability. But is ____ off enough for them to join a group and come back?

Take a look at the top applications created on the Facebook platform and this concept of adding value comes to life. Just about all of them take some aspect of Facebook culture and embellish it in some way to improve the Facebook experience. The Wall becomes FunWall and SuperWall. The Poke becomes Superpoke. Friends becomes Top Friends.

And yes, a discount provides value too. Some of the old rules still do apply.

But Facebook is about connections. Connections between people. Our job—if you choose to hire us—is to do more than connect customers to your brand. It's to connect them to one another through the lens of your brand.