Martin Hill

Popularity aside, Facebook has become a great platform for retailers as it is incredibly easy for them to use, and gives them access to a powerful range of tools that would otherwise be extremely expensive. For example, functions such as the Like button can now be easily embedded on a company website next to anything from products and articles, to reviews and videos. This gives consumers the opportunity to share their personal choices with their friends.

While the arrival of the Like button may have been seen by many as a small, almost insignificant, semantic change, the reality is that it adds real marketing power to the site. By changing its “Become a Fan” function, to simply “Like”, Facebook has opened the market in terms of what brands can do. You no longer have to be a Fan of a brand like Kurt Geiger, for example, which can sound a little bit obsessive, now you can ‘Like’ anything from, the brand page itself, down to individual products or offers.

This ability to be able to Like – and to comment on – individual products is where the real marketing power now lies within Facebook, and we are pushing this to all our clients, where relevant. Once you ‘Like’ a product, it will be displayed on your own wall, so instead of people seeing that you just like something broad like a brand such as EasyJet, Virgin or Adidas, they will see that you like a very specific product or offer; whether that be the latest Tag Heuer watch or a £350 flight to New York. And this is exactly what brands need; consumers to be promoting products and offers and not just the brand itself.

Without encompassing a fully transactional proposition, Facebook’s Like button is joining up the two worlds of ecommerce and social media. Indeed, from an ecommerce perspective, Facebook is becoming a huge pool of recommendation. It’s as good as word of mouth, if not better, because there is more clarity and perhaps more longevity in sharing visual content than a second- or third-hand description. And its simplicity is adding to the popularity of Facebook, and I think the reality is that we will soon see a range of other networks, such as social bookmarking sites like Stumbleupon or Diggit, becoming redundant because of this.

This has led to a shift in attitude from clients with regard to using the social media network as a marketing tool - companies now see it as a key marketing channel and are prepared to make the investment. And, while many brands are still not entirely convinced that Facebook is actually directly driving online sales, our own research shows the contrary with 1-7% of sales being generated from Facebook referrals. However, no-one can argue that it isn’t creating publicity, driving awareness and getting column inches, and like it or not the brands that are involved with Facebook are still seen as being innovative.

About the author

Martin Hill, MD at Brilliant, is a highly experienced digital veteran with a wide range of management, creative, production and technology skills covering the entire digital landscape. He has worked as a designer, a programmer, a multimedia producer, creative head, and for the last eight years a managing director, heading up and creatively inspiring teams of designers and developers for a massive variety of projects, usually way ahead of the curve, and winning the odd award along the way.

About Brilliant

Brilliant is a specialist in ecommerce, content management and digital marketing. The agency combines beautiful bespoke websites, with reliable scalable software and exceptional user experience, and digital marketing for established and up-and-coming retail brands, including: Caroline Castigliano, Drakes, Westwood Rocks and Daisy.