Last week I saw a great example of how businesses should use Facebook. Below is a "status" posted by Life is Good that showed up in my news feed since I am a "fan" of the company.
Life is good.(R) We will never know all the good a simple smile can do.
3 hours ago * Comment * Like
The folks at the company actually do this quite a bit; post happy little thoughts that make me smile and love this brand even more than I already do. The posts embody what the company is all about – or at least what the company wants me, the consumer, to think it is all about.
That, my friends, is branding. Its value is stealth but potent: creating or reinforcing a bond with customers that goes beyond simple preference for your products or services. It's communicating the personality of your company, without an overt or immediate sales agenda.
Life is Good has also used its Facebook status updates to promote sales, new products, store openings and other events more traditionally associated with marketing. But here they have used a quiet pause to build the brand. Brilliant. Man, do these guys get it.
Witnessing such an enlightening use of the medium almost makes me feel justified in spending all the time I do on Facebook. It's research for my work, right? Not a frightening vortex that sucks hours and hours from my life. Almost billable isn't it? Probably not.