3 replies to this topic

[Aimee]

Greetings! I just started doing social media for a small non-profit organization and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. The company has no best practices or social media strategy  Having said that, one of the older employees feels it best to "friend" everyone  they meet at fundraising events so that they can add them to the company's Facebook page. This person refuses to carry business cards and this sort of forced Facebook friendship makes others uncomfortable. His defense is that what he's doing is no different than connecting with others on Linkedin.

 

Could someone please share with me their experiences with these two sites in relation using one like the other and if this should or shouldn't be considered a best practice or not?

 

Thanks 

[chrishirst]

You should use whatever your customers, current and potential, are using, and it may be that the 'older' employee is simply trying too  hard to be 'hip and trendy', thus, like so many 'marketers' is missing the point of abusing 'social media' for business purposes.

[Jill]

one of the older employees feels it best to "friend" everyone  they meet at fundraising events so that they can add them to the company's Facebook page. 

 

My daughter is a political consultant who successfully uses Facebook that way. That is where her target demographic and following are. She can post almost anything and immediately receive hundreds of comments. 

[torka]

When you say it's making some people uncomfortable, are these people inside your company or are they the people he's meeting at the networking events?

 

Because if it's the former, and the people he's networking with this way seem to be cool with it, then maybe the other folks in the company need to get over themselves. If it works for him and it's not alienating the public, well, it's getting more followers for your company page, which gets more exposure for anything you post there. That should be a good thing (assuming you're posting interesting, engaging stuff on your FB page, that is...).

 

But if, on the other hand, it's prospects and customers who are being made to feel uncomfortable, then IMO he needs to rethink his tactics. The whole idea of using social media for marketing a business is not for the convenience/comfort of the business.

 

And if you don't know how the people on the other end of this networking feel about it, I think finding out should be your first step. Whether his approach has merit all really hinges on whether they're charmed or creeped out.

 

--Torka