As many companies adopt social media outlets as platforms for marketing, Facebook stands out as a high-traffic, user friendly networking site. While there are challenges associated with marketing online, there are also many advantages to using Facebook as a marketing tool for one’s business.

One of Facebook’s greatest aspects is that users spend more time on the Facebook site than they do on other similar social media networks. Also, new studies show that people are representing themselves and their interests accurately, which allows companies to track potential customers based on their Facebook profile.

While Facebook is a great vehicle for marketing, there are areas of Facebook marketing that may prove challenging. Using fan pages and groups on a social platform allows for users to interact and leave postings, which may or may not always be favorable. Companies also must know how to respond to these postings, including damage control if needed. Using Facebook as a marketing tool requires a strong knowledge of social media if it is going to be a profitable investment.

Social Media Examiner Blog has a great post highlighting Facebook as a marketing tool:

1. The average American spends about 7 hours on Facebook monthly
2. 44% of social sharing on the internet is powered by Facebook
3. Facebook is the number two most popular site on the internet, behind Google
4. Users more accurately portray themselves on Facebook than previously imagined
5. Companies have seen an increase in their sales and customer loyalty by using Facebook as a marketing tool

Social networking has been a hot topic for the last few years. Increasing number of corporations are adapting social networking into their business infrastructure. Most recently the social networking buzz landed with the government.

U.S. Intelligence agencies have created a social networking site called A-Space. It is designed for analysts across 16 intelligence agencies across the nation.  Instead of sharing opinions on perhaps the latest movie on Facebook, A-Space users are sharing information about al Qaeda and other national security related issues. For the first time spies can have a chance to think out loud and share top secret information amongst their peers.

Like other social networking sites, the goal to A-Space is to promote community and connectivity by assessing all the information available – to the spy agencies that is.

Food for thought:

If the intelligence community is already embracing social networking, why are there still so much resistance on adapting to social networking strategies in corporations?  Things that make you go hum..

Oh by the way,  the information on A-Space is highly classified, only intelligence personnel with the proper security clearance can access the site. Looks like 007 is still the way to go for a sneak peak of the Spy world.

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