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Going global in a social world: Promoting global brands using the Facebook page structure
Table of contents 1: Three primary Facebook structure options 2: Step 1: Audit your brands social presence and operational resources 3: Step 2: Establish a framework for your global presence 4: Step 3: Implement an enterprise-level social management platform 4: Step 4: Establish an internal check-in and audit process 5: Conclusion
Social networking is indisputably a global phenomenon. Its highly visible role in last years public uprisings around the world was only the latest example of a trend that has been steadily building for some time. A recent Forrester study of 95,000 Internet users in 18 countries showed that in addition to heavy social media usage in the U.S. and Europe, consumers in emerging markets are actually leading the world in social media usage and engagement. In fact, three-quarters of Facebook users are now outside the United States. In China, India, Mexico, and Brazil, the study found that 93% of those who are online use social media at least once a month. And participants in these emerging markets tend to be more active in creating social content than their counterparts in the United States and Europe (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/some-countries-aremore-social-than-others-survey-finds). The imperative for global brands is clear: Its no longer enough to focus social efforts on English-speaking consumers in the United States and Europe through a one-size-fits-all approach. If this is your current strategy, your brand is missing an opportunity to effectively engage some of its most active customers through social media. But the right solution for your global brand is not always obvious. Many seemingly similar brands have adopted different structures. Weve identified three primary Facebook page structure options for global brands:
A global page that reaches all social users, primarily in one language. Skittles provides a good example of this page structure.
A global page that reaches all social users but emphasizes content targeted by region or language. For example, Levis does an excellent job of serving different content to local audiences, depending on the country, region, or even city.
Country or regional pages that offer unique content for each national or regional audience.
If youre asking yourself, Whats the right structure for my brand?, youre in good company. Many global brands face challenges in determining how best to create an effective presence on Facebook, such as how community managers should handle the language and cultural differences within a fan base, and how to best capitalize on the local knowledge and expertise of regional resources while maintaining corporate oversight. Most importantly, brands need to decide whether one global Facebook page or multiple regional pages makes the most sense. After implementing Facebook pages for dozens of customers with international audiences, weve identified four steps that are critical to developing a successful, sustainable social presence.
Disadvantages Fragmented fan base can make it harder to reach all fans with globally relevant messages Distributed page structure may confuse fans and potentially dilute the brand story for regional pages If fans like your primary English-language page rather than their regional page, they might miss some regionally relevant content This does not need to be an all or nothing approach. Many brands have one primary page with unique pages for some, but not all, countries or regions.
Conclusion
Global brands have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on growing and engaged audiences in emerging markets. As you weigh options for an optimal brand structure, remember that reaching your audience in an authentic way is the best path to converting Facebook fans into customers. So take a step back, and think about the ways that your brand successfully reaches and talks to consumers today, through both offline and online media. Then implement a corresponding structure designed to achieve brand success, not only on Facebook but across all social platforms.
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