Do you know the fifth largest country on the planet?
It’s not China, India or Indonesia… its Facebook. Last week Facebook added its 200 millionth user and if it were a country it would be the fifth largest on the planet. Here are a few updated facts on this new nation:
– The fastest growing segment (January to March 2009) were people from aged 26 to 44
– 100 million users visit the site every day
– On average, over 3 Billion minutes are spent on the site every day
– Users have an average of 120 “friends” in their networks
– Service is available in 40 languages, with more in the works
These are some overwhelming statistics, and as a marketer it’s easy to automatically think – we must be on Facebook. Arguably, you’re correct but consider some of the other points associated with these numbers – first, despite growth users have been reluctant to click on ads served in the community. This leaves brands in a bit of a search to try and find ways to leverage the space.
Secondly, you can never forget that Facebook is a networking site and you have to interact. Just being there isn’t enough… it’s kinda like being a wall-flower at a business networking event; the payoffs are associated with the amount of networking done. This leaves a balance issue between your day-to-day business success and the number of community friends you acquire, don’t lose sight of one because of the opportunity of the other.
My prediction for brands looking to be successful in Facebook is reliant on the social networkers – brands that tap in to the 200 million users spending over three billion minutes there every day will be most successful. But is has to be done in a away the user wants. For instance, offer content that they can post (in your email and on your website,) create an applet or gift that they’ll want, encourage them to give feedback and try to start direct conversations. At the same time, read as much as you can and see where things fit, here are some great, recent articles:
– eMarketer, Facebook Reaches 200 Million Users
– Website Magazine, Are You Socializing Your Business into Obscurity?
