Observation 1)
Sneak into the back of any classroom that allows college students to use computers and you will see that 50% or more of the computers are on Facebook.
What it means: if they’re spending time in class, which is most likely an environment where they could get in trouble for being on Facebook, it’s reasonable to assume that they’re spending an inordinate amount of time on there when they won’t get in trouble.
So, the question is….what are they DOING? Honestly, I think this answer would be very different for each student; some are posting videos and pictures, some are posting status messages and commenting on friends’status messages, some are chatting with friends, some are “stalking” the pictures of their crush; it really could be any number of things. 2 things they’re most likely not doing: they’re not clicking on your adds and they’re not reading your marketing messages. Facebook is a communication tool above all and many of today’s students use it as their primary communication tool (second only to text messaging – essentially a private version of facebook style communication – simple short messages sent digitally).
Invading the Facebook space and expecting students to flock to your brand is dicey at best and foolhardy at worst. Facebook is a new way of communication and today’s college student flocks to this style in droves. If you don’t “get” it, I would question whether you “get” today’s students.
I completely agree. Facebook was built to connect people with other people they know in a one-on-one way. That fundamental structure must evolve before marketers can be truly successful in the platform.
Looking forward to future posts on this topic!
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