The Genius of Facebook

It seems to me that everyone throws the word 'social marketing' around these days to describe everything. I want to get back to the basics. To me, the genius of Facebook can be described as any example. When I want to find out the latest movies to see, the latest baby products that REALLY work, even down to the next car I should get, I poll my friends on Facebook. Say you have 600 friends (and yes, people do) and 30% respond with similar answers, what do you think will sway the buyer more?

An ad (print or online) can generate an idea (the idea to purchase), so in no way is that being discounted. Companies just forget to take that a step further, and that's where social marketing comes in.

Even Twitter comes into play. I shop a lot online, as do most people in their 30s do. I follow retailers, hoping I'll come across a great deal they post on Twitter. While scanning through my tweets (oh, I hate that word), I see other people I follow commenting on their latest purchases.

Facebook Connect is genius. People are starting to get it--retailers use this service, get a Facebook log-in window on their website, allowing users to tap their friend lists for input as they shop. Think about it--one person becomes a fan, all your friends see it, and they become fans too.

My take on the future, whenever that may be: shoppers will start using Facebook instead of search engines like Google, where most retail buys happen today.

Social Marketing in a nutshell: As more media outlets grow, the more word-of-mouth marketing opportunities the better. Don't discount friend power.