Alex Fascilla

In 2004, I remember Facebook emerging (seemingly) from nowhere as a new social networking site intended solely for college students (going so far as to require a .edu email address to even sign up).  It was very blue, and very simple--example: remember the days before the News Feed?  The days when the 'Poke' finger took up like half your welcome page?  It was 'social networking' at its best...   if Mark Zuckerberg intended social networking to be a platform for co-eds to pepper each other with Status Updates like "dude, I got soooooo blaaaasted last nite" and maintain Interests like "Being Drunk".  Nice, Zuck.

Fast forward to 2007, and we see a donnybrook begin to form. FB starts to throw its weight around by opening up service to high school students and suddenly you're either a MySpacer or a Facebooker.  Those that preferred clean lines, a simple interface, and legitimate friend requests choose Bookface.  Those that didn't mind a clunky interface, albeit full customization possibilities, and loads of fraudulent friend requests sided with MySpace.

Now recall Facebook circa 2008-09 (shouldn't be too hard, 2009 was like, less than a year ago).  As FB opened up to the whole of humanity, youth everywhere were able to painfully recount their story of hovering over the "Ignore" button before frustratingly clicking "Accept" after receiving the dreaded Parental-Unit Friend Request--to me, when this occurred, the party was over. The lights were flipped on, the beer was dumped out.
(Hey, the after-party still rages on Twitt...  ughh, forget it).


Present day? As Media Life Magazine recently reported, Facebook just hit 500 million users.  When I got my own P-UFR, around the summer of 2009, there were half as many users. In that article, Media Life astutely notes that if Facebook were a nation, it would be the earth's 3rd most populous.  500 million? That's a full 1/14th of the world's population.  What does this mean?  Well, it basically means that Facebook IS the internet.  I challenge anyone to visit 3 different websites on the internet that don't mention Facebook or feature a tiny Facebook icon. 

So what does it mean for the local marketer?  Glad you asked, considering that's the business Balihoo is in.  It means that just as you're clamoring for Search Engine Optimization and optimized Google AdWords performance, you should also be for a Facebook account.  Seriously, integrate this, right now, into your local internet marketing strategy if you haven't already.  You can set up a Business page (as opposed to the more personal pages I describe above) and customers, or, potential customers, can become fans of that page.  Next, commit to doing these things:

• Spend at least 2-3 hours a week tending your page.  Conversely, limit your tending to 168 hours per week.

• Share photos, videos, and blog about what you do, how you do it, or why you do what it is you do.  If you don't know why it is you do what you do, wow, I don't know what to tell you.  That's definitely not a good thing.

• Respond to those that comment on your posts or Wall

• Share links to news on your business or industry trends.  Links to funny YouTube videos are appreciated but probably a bad idea.  Unless you have a Facebook page, Break.com, then you should keep doing that.

• Have fun (I just wanted 5 bullet points and "have fun" seemed like an easy way to get the fifth. A lot of people use that tactic.)

Moral of the local advertising story: if you're not on Facebook, your competitor probably already is--so sign up and get to postin'!  BONUS moral: a business page is much different than a personal page: the party doesn't have to end when you're sent a friend request from your parent company.  I apologize, that was a really terrible joke.