Facebook

It seems like everyone I talk to is a Facebook user these days. And it makes sense: more than 200 million active users (see Facebook stats page) reading and posting and linking to ideas, people, and information. It also seems like a lot of people have a “if you build it they will come” attitude about Facebook.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Like any communication engine, social media sites like Facebook require up-front expertise and ongoing attention to succeed. But what’s the best strategy?

I’ve pulled together some really practical things to consider when building a corporate Facebook community — things we’re definitely putting into practice at Juniper Networks — and in the spirit of sharing, I am posting them below. Think I’ve missed something, or gotten it wrong? Online communities are all about collaboration, so I’d love to hear your thoughts. What’s working for you? What isn’t? Let me know.

1. Participate! This is really rule number one. Building a presence on Facebook doesn’t end with making the page. That’s just where it starts. Finding supporters and advocates, joining other conversations and starting your own — it’s only through sustained, real interaction that your community will grow.

2. Involve employees first, then customers. If you want potential and existing customers to be involved, you first have to make sure your employees and partners are active on the page. These are the people who will provide the content, create and monitor the discussions, and generally give your customers something to participate in.

3. Be honest, respectful, and transparent. Social media sites are different from traditional channels of corporate communication, and people demand a different sort of treatment. They very quickly sense when they’re getting the same old marketing speak, but they will reward you for being candid, direct, and respectful. Plainly state who you are and what your relationship is to the information you’re providing. If you’re linking to something outside the site, give an accurate account of why you’re doing so and what people will find if they follow the link. Palm’s robust Facebook discussion groups are home to many exchanges involving such links, and I’ve found that most of the time people state their intentions and accurately describe the destination site. This level of openness will create strong and lasting relationships.

4. Make every post count. The content of your posts will be reflected in the quality of the community you build. If you want a vital, energetic community, then give them something to chew on. Make sure you’re not just rehashing information they can get elsewhere, but that you’re adding true insight or perspective. Also, link to other blogs or sites that enrich the subject. If you create an environment of open and valuable discussion, people are bound to link back to you. The Wall on Oracle’s Facebook page, for instance, always has some interesting, on-topic, but off-kilter posts that make the page good viewing.

5. Incorporate other social media. No Facebook page is an island.* In fact, a Facebook page provides an excellent platform for incorporating other media such as RSS feeds and Twitter, so your community will have options for how best to keep track of your posts and updates and whatever important information you’re sharing. A company I think is doing this particularly well is Symantec. Symantec’s Facebook page elegantly combines different feeds and accounts to create a hub of relevant information and easy ways to participate.

*Remember to link to your partners and ask them for reciprocal links.

6. Monitor your sites. Along with posting information and updating your own site, an important part of participating in social media sites is to monitor the pages of your partners and competitors. Track mentions of your company’s name, then monitor and contribute to those conversations. As always, remember rule number 3!

7. Involve HR. According to Forrester Research, social media sites are not only great ways to build communities of support for your brand, they are also perfectly suited for use as a strategic tool for HR and human capital development. With HR monitoring and contributing to your Facebook page, the page can promote open positions, reach out to potential employees, gather critical insights into how best to retain your most talented employees, and even speak about your corporate culture in ways that enrich discussions of your products, services, and corporate philosophy.

The field is green

I linked to some pages above that illustrate the kind of Facebook presence that will complement traditional media strategy, and though there are others I’ve left out (notably the excellent SAP page), this is an exciting time to be actively working in this area exactly because it’s so new. The fact is that most B2B companies have yet to fully harness the potential of social media, and it remains an excellent way to achieve differentiation in the marketplace.

How are we doing? Check out Juniper Networks’ official Facebook page and become a friend, and like anything Web 2.0 or Web 3.0, it’s a work in progress, constantly evolving. I’m excited by what we’ve done so far, and maybe even more so by what lies down the road. Let me know what you think!

Suggested further reading:

Jeremiah Owyang, Josh Bernoff, Sean Corcoran, and Steven Noble, “Top Social Computing Predictions for 2009,” Forrester, January 27, 2009

Matt Brown, “‘Facebook for the Enterprise’: Catchy Phrase or a Strategy for Collaboration?” Forrester, July 8, 200