CHAPTER 3
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
When we first signed up for a Facebook account, the first thing that struck us was how clean and neat a Facebook profile looked like. There were no flashing banners or distracting advertisements that we have come to be accustomed to when visiting most websites and blogs. In Facebook, the placement of ads on a Page is limited to a column on the right hand side of a Page. This leaves us with plenty of white space to create the kind of Facebook experience we want.
By keeping the interface simple, Facebook sends a very clear message to its users and businesses alike: users have a choice. Users get to choose the content they want to see and read. Users get to choose the associations they want to make. Users get to choose the information they wish to publicly share. Users also get to decide, on their own terms, when and how they want to connect with their friends, other fans and businesses. Users are also at liberty to delete or unsubscribe to business Pages that they no longer want to be associated with. There are no distracting messages to cloud these choices – the user is free to choose what they want, when they want, and how they want it.
Permission marketing vs. interruption marketing
Guerrillas know that the key to understanding marketing is to understand how humans relate to marketing and how marketing relates to humans. Consumers nowadays fiercely guard their time and attention, yet never before have consumers felt this bombardment by interruption marketing. In interruption marketing, consumers are viewed as passive participants in the marketing process. Interruption marketing typically relies on attention-seeking or shock tactics to entice consumers to buy. But because today’s consumers are constantly bombarded with marketing messages, interruption marketing has conversely lowered the chance of persuading the consumer to buy. Think of all the advertisements you have to sit through before you get to watch the ending of your favorite drama series. There is simply too much noise. It has become utterly impossible to remember all the messages, let alone act on them.
Permission marketing is a stark departure from interruption marketing, as described by Seth Godin, online promoter and author of 12 bestsellers. In permission marketing, businesses focus on building relationships with consumers over time, so as to win permission to market to the consumers. In the process of relationship building, consumers would willingly share information about themselves, their spending threshold, and so on. Permission marketing is a very powerful marketing tool, if only one knew how to harness it.
Facebook as a whole operates from the same premise as permission marketing. Facebook users get to decide what kind of Facebook experience they want to have. They get to decide who and which businesses they want to connect with, and what kind of information they want to share with businesses. Facebook users are active participants. They are not just going to sit there and watch your big budget advertisement and make a purchase as the result of feeling impressed. They know they have a choice. They can walk away, and will walk away.
Permission marketing and Facebook marketing are relatively new concepts to marketers. To us guerrillas, they offer a fresh perspective on marketing that excites us. Like all things new, we start by defining some rules to help us along:
Rule #1: “Permission to make contact, Sir”
In Facebook, it starts and ends here.
When it comes to prospecting in Facebook, there is only one starting point: seeking consent to make contact. Guerrillas know this. They know that if they do not overcome this first hurdle, there is no alternative for them. The war – not just the battle - is over. In Facebook, they won’t get access to customers if they do not have their permission to make contact. They won’t be able to turn visitors into fans, and fans into customers.
The thing about guerrillas is that they are not handicapped just because there are barriers to entry. Instead, the barriers push guerrillas to try new ways of doing things. So in Facebook, guerrillas adopt new rules to engage their customers. They do this because they know that once permission to make contact with Facebook users is given, this will unlock the floodgates: some 522 million daily active users and counting.
Seeking and gaining consent is paramount in Facebook because it leads to access of information. Once consent is given, businesses can access pre-determined information (e.g. demographics, location, preferences, likes, friends’ lists). Gaining consent is also one step closer to sales generation. In a fan’s mind, the question after consent is not whether they should buy, but when, how, and in what quantities.
Rule #2: Page over Ads
Facebook and Guerrilla Marketing share many values in common. Let’s take a quick step back to recall what Guerrilla Marketing is all about:
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What is Guerrilla Marketing? Guerrilla Marketing relies on time, energy, imagination and creativity rather than budget and/or other conventional marketing methods to make a valuable impression about a business. The Guerrilla brand originated from a passionate belief that those with limited resources can still compete—and win—in a level playing field with other companies—as long as they are armed with the right weapons and knowledge. |
In Guerrilla Facebook Marketing, it is really not how much money that you invest in Facebook that determines the outcome of your marketing campaign. What matters is how much time, energy and attention you invest on your Facebook Page to build relationships with your fans. These are your prime investments. The more you spend in these areas, the higher your chances of building up strong relationships with your fans will be.
If you wish to approach Facebook simply as a medium to blast your ads, you can do so – Facebook offers businesses the possibility of posting ads to their Facebook users. More on Facebook ads as a Guerrilla weapon is covered in Chapter 4 of this book.
But this is not the way of the Guerrilla Facebook Marketer. This is also not what Facebook was designed to do.
Customers today want to buy from businesses that have earned their confidence, that display respect for them, that are recommended by trusted sources such as friends, and share their values. When customers find businesses that offer them these things, they won’t mind paying more for it. It is no longer just about price.
Hence, advertising does not give you precedence in Facebook. The starting point of engagement in Facebook is therefore not an ad, but your Page. Hence our rule, Page over Ads. If you are new to Facebook, you may wish to skim ahead to Chapter 4 on weapons to learn more about Facebook Pages first. On Facebook, having a big advertising budget isn’t necessarily going to convert visitors into fans, and fans into customers. Conversely, not many features on Facebook come with a price tag. In Chapter 4 of this book, there are some 25 Guerrilla weapons in Facebook featured, out of which at least 20 weapons are free to use without the need to pay for anything other than your time, energy and attention.
Rule #3: Identify what motivates fans to connect
In the past, marketing communication was a one-way street. Businesses used to hold monologues with their customers: they spoke, and their customers listened.
Facebook’s dynamic platform, however, has transformed the way businesses communicate with their customers. Today, fans and customers are engaged in two-way dialogues. Businesses can post updates, hold events and conduct polls. Fans and visitors have the option of co-creating content on Pages by uploading images and videos, leaving comments or engaging in discussion groups. They are also co-creating content for businesses when they participate in marketing events such as contests or polls, share reviews, external links or engage in discussion groups with other fans. In other words, they are connecting.
Making connections is central to any relationship. Associations, linkages and sharings lead to forming bonds or unions. This is what making connections are about. Facebook offers users many opportunities to make connections – with friends, other fans, and with businesses. And since it is important feature in Facebook, it is useful for guerrillas to first understand what motivates people to connect with others on Facebook.
Some people are motivated to connect with others because they are looking for social contact. For example, looking to find companionship, love or friendship, or to catch up with family and old friends. Some people are motivated to connect for acceptance. For example, joining and participating in interest groups to feel included or sense of belonging. Other people could be motivated to connect for status. For example, sharing one’s life achievements or success to feel important. Or to connect based on a shared cause or idealism. For example, sharing opinions, reviews, comments and external links to influence friends to band together for a social cause. Then there are those who connect for sheer entertainment. For example, posting funny videos, images or jokes for a good laugh. And there are those who make connections for personal gain or benefit. For example, participating in events such as contests or giveaways for personal benefit, or for networking purposes.
Figure 6: Motivations to Connect in Facebook
Now that you have some insight on what motivates people to connect with others on Facebook, how does this shape the way you would approach your Facebook strategy to make it more meaningful and authentic for your fans?
Rule #4: Follow the linear process of engagement
To transform prospects into engaged fans and finally to consensual customers, there is linear process to follow. We say “linear” because it is easier to go through the natural linear order. By allowing each stage run its course before proceeding to the next stage makes the process run much smoother.
Since we already know from Chapter 1 that the core of Facebook lies in relationships, we are going to approach Guerrilla Facebook Marketing in a similar way as we would approach starting a new relationship.
So let’s just assume that you know what kind of person you would like to date and skip ahead to the part when you have found someone who interests you.
Well, you would put yourself out there. You let the other person know that you are available, and how to contact you – easily. In the book on Guerrilla Social Media Marketing, author Shane Gibson refers to this stage as the Discovery stage.
Stage 1: Discovery
Discovery refers to how easily people can find you - on Facebook and elsewhere. Do you have your contact details readily available? Is your Facebook business Page mentioned elsewhere – both online and offline? For example, on name cards, printed brochures and so on? Can you hold an event to generate buzz about your Facebook presence? If you already have an Internet presence, have you made the links between your external websites and Facebook? If you already have a following on your blog or twitter account, what can you do to entice your followers to follow you on Facebook? What is your Facebook presence like? Do you have a well set-up Page? Have you tried searching for your Page on google and on Facebook search itself? Can you get involved in Group Discussions? How can you get your current fans to recommend your Page to others? Will a viral marketing campaign work for you?
Stage 2: Introduction
The next step would be to let the other party know who you are. Note that at this stage, the other party may not be open or receptive to you, so the onus is on you to volunteer information about yourself. Let’s call this stage the Introduction stage.
Introduction refers to your first impressions – in this case, it could be elsewhere – both offline as well as online – and not necessarily on Facebook. This is when you could share information about your background, where you are coming from, your preferences, and your likes. At this stage, it could feel like a monologue, but keep at it. Your aim is to establish trust and confidence in you and your brand. If you have played your cards right, the other party might be sufficiently interested to check you out, with or without you knowing. The key point is to keep your introduction non-committal by offering the other party options to choose from. Remember, the other party did not sign up for this. If you have an existing website or blog or YouTube video, why not start with those first? You would ensure that there is an option to follow you on Facebook from these links. Naturally, we have assumed that your Facebook and other online presence have been spruced up and ready for these all-important first impressions.
The objective of this Introduction stage is to take the first step in getting some consent from the other party, for instance, finding a way to contact the other party. This applies to any first meeting when the interested party would want to secure a way to continue connecting beyond the first introduction or meeting. Be open to many forms of contact - be it a business card, an email address, a twitter account name, a blog address, a telephone number, or - lucky you - you might even land yourself an address. By all means, use guerrilla weapons, such as a Sign-up feature, if you have to.
Nowhere – we repeat – nowhere in the introductions should there a sales pitch hidden somewhere. You do that now, and the game’s over. You’ll go home empty handed.
Stage 3: Interaction
Once you have that contact, the flirting dance can commence. This is the stage in which both parties get to know each other. No big surprises here, so we are just going to call this stage the Interaction stage.
Interaction marks the beginning of conversations. It is an exciting stage as the other party is warming up to you – and you know this because there has been some positive response on their end. After all, you have their attention now. In terms of strategy, think customized and personalized. For instance, invitations to events and to join discussions / interest groups that you moderate. Take note of their birthdays and make an event out of it. Offer the other party the option of coming to you. You could entice them by offering incentives to interact with you – free seminars, invitation-only previews, samplers, and the like. Have different landing tabs for visitors as opposed to fans: this helps them feel special, but not overwhelmed. Ask questions when you can. Seek clarifications, and confirm needs. If you can’t ask questions, observe - this is how you can get the most out of your analytical tools. For instance, you could pay closer attention to the traffic generated on Facebook and elsewhere to identify links between traffic flows and their directions. Like in dancing, two parties are learning how each other’s tempos go – so pay attention to how the other party is reacting to your advances by monitoring your Page traffic statistics.
Stage 4: Consent
If you have faithfully followed these stages, by now, the other party would be receptive to what you have to say. You are now in the position of power to influence the other party. Now is the time you would want to pull out your bigger guns: you might want to demonstrate value, offer solutions, or highlight benefits. You are drawing the other party in: you are going in for the kill.
The final stage in starting a new relationship is consent. Once consent is given, the most valuable act you as a business can do is to honor that consent of the other party. You can do this by providing regular authentic conversations, connecting with them on a regular basis, and giving genuine offers from time to time. Think loyalty programmes, exclusive fan offers, fans-only events. There’s more on deepening relationships covered in Rules #5 and 6.
Discovery leads on to introductions, and then on to interactions, and finally, consent. If you follow this natural linear process and let each stage run its course, it makes the process of relationship building much easier.
Rule #5: The sale is no longer the end point
After the initial consent is sought and given, there’s more.
You are now in a consensual, connected relationship. You are connected to the other party, and the other party is connected to you. You decide to take things further by getting hitched. Would you consider marriage the end point of your relationship? Absolutely not. In fact, getting hitched merely marks the beginning of a new and deeper relationship with the other party.
The same goes for your relationships with your consensual fans. With consent from your fans-turned customers, this marks the beginning of a new and deeper relationship between you and your fans. This is why we have Rule #5: the sale is no longer the end point.
So what do you do after a sales relationship is consensual? For a start, you follow-up after a sale. It could be as simple as checking to see if the goods had arrived on time, or whether the service was satisfactory. Guerrillas would take it a notch higher. They know people no longer surf the web just for information. They are logging on to social websites like Facebook to be heard. Guerrillas meet this need head on by asking for reviews – if fans had liked it, how about sharing their experience on the brand’s Page? What about referrals? If they enjoyed the service, how about recommending it to their friends? What about connecting with other fans on your Page? If they like your brand, how about joining the Discussion Boards or fan clubs to meet and mingle with like-minded fans?
Rule #6: Fans cannot and should not be treated equally
Guerrillas recognise the value in repeat business from loyal customers – these are the ones who have accepted and enjoyed your brand, and are seeking to connect with your brand further. They are the ones who like your business culture. In other words, they too are looking to deepen their relationship with you, just as you are interested to deepen your relationship with them. Can it get any better than this?
The important rule when it comes to handling loyal fans is summed up in our sixth rule: fans cannot and should not be treated equally. A guerrilla marketer recognizes the importance of treating these loyal followers in special and unique ways so that they always feel especially loved and connected to you. Recall that in Rule #3, one of the motivations for users to connect with others is acceptance and social contact.
What are some special and exclusive ways to connect with your top fans? What will make them come back and revisit your Page day after day, participate in your discussions, and engage with you again and again? Why would they feel compelled to recommend or introduce your Page to their friends?
You could start with organizing exclusive promotions and discounts for select groups of fans at different times. But don’t stop there. What about appointing your top fans to be spokespeople for the brand? Or inviting these top fans to be part of your testing bed for new products or services?
Finally, in some very successful brand relationships, some top fans can be eventually recruited to become part of a business, either working in the capacity of an employee or on projects in collaboration with a business.
These top fans are not only loyal consumers of your brand, but also willing to work with you to further your brand to others.
They are the best kind of customers you can have for your business.
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6 Rules of Engagement Rule #1: Permission to make contact, sir Rule #2: Page over ads Rule #3: Identify what motivates fans to connect Rule #4: Follow the linear process of engagement Rule #5: The sale is no longer the end point Rule #6: Fans cannot and should not be treated equally |