Observing the Competition
Getting involved with social networking was once considered cutting edge. Now? It’s a necessity—just like having business cards or a website. Today, customers expect you to have a smart social networking plan that makes you look better than the competition. In other words, potential customers are evaluating your social networking savvy along with your product or service and considering how it stands up against the competition.
Finding Your Competition
One of the best ways to find your competition in the realm of social marketing is to do a search on Google for your service or product along with the term Facebook. For instance, Google “Facebook tires” and you’ll see all the tire companies that have a significant presence on Facebook. Mind you, we didn’t say the biggest tire companies on Facebook—the Goodyears, Firestones, and so on—but the ones with the biggest presence on Facebook.
Search engine optimization, online branding, and customer awareness are associated with websites, but they apply to Facebook, too.
 | DEFINITION |
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of organizing your web presence so Google, Yahoo!, and other search engines can find you easily. The better you optimize your site using key words and phrases, the higher your brand will appear on search engine results lists when someone searches for your business by name or type.
Remember, a big dog in traditional media or even in the real world may have little or no impact on Facebook. On the social networks, your competition may be a scrappy yet savvy company that has taken the time to build a loyal following. Separate the traditional competition from the Facebook competition, because they may be two different groups for you and your business.
Staying Ahead of the Enemy
Once you find your Facebook competition, observe them. And don’t get frustrated if they seem to initially be ahead of the game. Not only is it unrealistic to expect your business to pick up after a few weeks of online marketing, but such quick success can actually be debilitating to a company. Equally unrealistic is believing that you’ll always be ahead of the curve, especially if you just started on Facebook.
Making Frienemies
Sometimes our best allies are our adversaries. An old proverb says that “An enemy of my enemy is my friend.” That enemy could take several forms, such as a big conglomerate trying to take over your business, or a new start-up inching into your territory.
The situation could call for working with a friendly competitor called, in modern vernacular, a frienemy.
| DEFINITION |
A frienemy is a competing person or company that you decide to work with, usually in a limited or carefully defined fashion. Both parties are usually aware that they can switch back to being strictly enemies at any time.
A frienemy relationship can be beneficial to both parties. For instance, let’s say you own a chain of tire stores and have a great national TV presence, but Eddie’s Tires has an excellent Facebook presence. You could have Eddie promote your stores on Facebook in exchange for you having Eddie do a brief cameo in one of your Fall TV spots. Eddie gets customers via your TV spot, while you get a leg up on your Facebook presence through Eddie’s page. And when you both get what you need out of the deal, you can part ways.
The Least You Need to Know
• A social network is a website that lets people connect with like-minded individuals or their favorite brands.
• Your Facebook campaign needs to define, find, and fulfill the customer.
• Prioritize your campaign goals, as they may conflict with one another.
• Make sure your definition of a successful Facebook campaign is quantifiable.
• Working with competitors, called frienemies, can be a great way to get a campaign started.