By Alyson O’Mahoney, EVP/Partner

I will admit it…I’m a Facebook junkie. However, I think because I approach this social network as both a marketer in the space (RL&A has created and continues to manage several successful Facebook pages for clients), and female/consumer/mom/wife/stalker, I find it so interesting to see what is going on in this space on both fronts. Yet, with all the cool ways you can use Facebook, what appeals to me about it as both a marketer and consumer is probably the simplest thing of all….how you can use it to build authenticity.

Since I’m using Facebook for our clients and I use it personally for connecting to friends/family/companies, I find that I’ve become a fan or friend of MANY brands, services, organizations, causes, etc., so I get lots of updates and shared content in my newsfeed on a daily basis. The ones that resonate most with me out of all of them are those that feel believable:

• Jillian Michaels, trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser (love that show), who I will swear on a stack of Bibles writes her own status updates (not her publicist or PR machine),
• Lady Gaga (who does her own Facebooking vs. her agent or record company)
• and, even, “the monkey” of our Anti Monkey Butt Powder page (www.facebook.com/antimonkeybutt).

There aren’t endless sales gimmicks posted to get you to buy Jillian’s latest fitness CD, or Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” on iTunes or cases of butt powder, but there are really voices communicating with fans of each of these brands, answering questions, reading comments, giving helpful info or just talking to you…like a friend….and isn’t that what Facebook started out to be?

It is hard to put an ROI on authenticity, but when it comes down to making choices in a cluttered consumer environment on Facebook (or at store shelves), I will listen to those brands who use their own voice (and, on occasion, plug their own products, but that’s okay, because they are my friend now…get it?).

So if you are thinking of doing a social media effort on Facebook, my advice to you is to be authentic, or, frankly, be quiet.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Chit Chatter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.