I was on Salesforce.com’s Blog doing some research for some articles I was writing. I wanted to leave a comment and refer back to another article I wrote on Salesforce.com’s platform and AppExchange. Then a weird thing happened. Social media wires got crossed. In their zeal Salesforce.com would only let me leave a comment by logging into my Facebook account and linking it to the comment plugin.
I can see why they want this. There is an increasing move by marketers to drive likes and activities in Facebook to influence social posts as well as derive SEO value. Many people participate blindly. I wonder if they think about how their personal persona comes across in a business medium.
I do business via writing, on my blog platform, Twitter and recently on Google Plus. It is my virtual office.
Facebook is like my personal home. It is personal space for me, my family and close friends. A lot of people I do business with feel similarly. Some feel more comfortable blending the two worlds.
I think it is easier for a B2C business to utilize Facebook to drive popularity. Restaurants, retail stores and sports teams do great this way.
B2B is a different world to me. Professionalism plays more of a role. It ranges, I realize, but there is a difference.
Here’s the issue which I had with the Salesforce.com blog. They thought about themselves, not others. They are wanting the social interaction but created a barrier to engage. Why force a Facebook comment mechanism when a standard blog comment schema would work effectively and invite many more comments. Are they really wanting to be my friend?
For your own business, the takeaway is not to keep Facebook out. What I am saying is that we have to be aware of and invite the right personas in social media from our buyers, visitors and fans. Think it through. Make it easy and make sure it is sensible for your audience.