Friday, April 09, 2010

Referral Marketing: Facebook Friend or Foe?

The number of people who use Facebook is staggering! The content on Facebook can be jaw-dropping. Teenagers can become reckless on Facebook. They seem to forget who might be "listening" in to their posts. Case in point ... when my oldest nephew was boasting about smoking to his friends during snow days when they were home from school. My brother didn't like that very much when I told him about it. I'm not sure which made him more angry ... not knowing about it or that his son was smoking.

Facebook is like a never ending reality tv show. That's why people like it so much. It has a way of bringing people back to a high school mentality. But when it comes to how Facebook can impact your referral marketing efforts, it can be your friend or foe ... just ask my nephew.

Your success with word of mouth marketing can rest on your reputation. I believe that a large number of people damage their reputations on Facebook every day. If one of your referral partners referred you one of their clients and that client chose to research you and found you on Facebook, what would they see? Would they see your photos of when you were tanked at your best friend's wedding? Would they read your posts that contain foul language? I surely hope not!! Would they see photos that portray someone they want to do business with?

Think about the deeper impact. How would this reflect on your referral partner who referred you in the first place?

If you're on Facebook (yes, I am too), always remember that anyone, anywhere, at anytime is checking you out. What will they see? And how will it impact your referability? Let's face it ... you're not in high school any longer.

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