The current social media phenomenon is Twitter, before that it was Facebook, MySpace and Friends Reunited. And while your brand wants exposure in the most popular digital environments you shouldn’t forget there are some communities that are probably here to stay.

What am I talking about? Well it can only be Facebook can’t it?

In the UK only Google gets more traffic than Facebook and in terms of social networking websites Facebook is a country mile ahead of the field.

I’m certainly not saying forget everything else but given that Facebook traffic is more than everything else in the top 10 added together you’d be crazy not to even consider it. Add to the fact that it has 200 million active users and more than 4 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day then the reasons not to become harder to justify.

So, what options are available?

For brands the obvious place to start is by creating a fan page. They are quick to set-up, easily tailored to your needs and can become extremely viral if done properly. The key benefit though is that it gives your brand the opportunity to listen and talk to your consumers in an environment they are already very comfortable in.

Redbull on Facebook

Adding fancy gadgets and links to your corporate site is fine but the chances of your page being successful will be pretty slim. At the launch of Creston’s strategic approach to social media Kieron Matthews of the IAB stressed the importance of “respecting your environment”. If you are going to enter into your consumer’s community then make sure you follow their rules. If you don’t then you could quite easily end up following Habitat’s recent Twitter debacle.

A few fan page must do’s are:

• Conversation is key. If your fans ask a question, give you feedback or make a complaint then don’t ignore it: respond. Being open and honest will create trust.
• Keep your fans engaged with regular updates but don’t over do it so it becomes spam.
• Plan ahead and create a content plan. That way you always have something to say.
• Make your fans feel special. Treat them to Facebook only discounts or leak them news before it’s officially released.
• Remember it’s a two way conversation. Treat your fan’s as individuals and try to add a human face to your brand.

Facebook fan pages aren’t right for every brand but if you do venture down this route then make sure you invest the time in listening and responding to your customers.

And one final thought: more than 6 million users are becoming fans of Pages each day.

Social media is all around us and brands are increasingly attempting to leverage its power in influencing consumers. There’s a lot of nervousness in jumping in though, since engagement in social media can easily back-fire, as Belkin recently discovered when it attempted to influence online shoppers to buy its products.

As e-consultancy recently reported…

Belkin’s CEO responded saying they didn’t know it was happening. Hmmm….

One of the lessons we can take out from this is that openness and honesty are key! Without it, you risk causing damage to your brand. In our ever-connected, ever-online world it’s all too easy to be caught out.

It’s also important to develop clear rules of engagement which govern how the brand engages within social media spaces - this ensures the risks are minimised and gives content authors guidelines on how they should behave in different circumstances.

As part of the Creston Digital Forum, we’re running a seminar on social media where we’re inviting clients to come & listen to our view on how to engage. More details will follow…