More and more companies are creating Facebook fan pages to connect with their current and future customers. This concept is brought to light in the article “How Much is a Facebook Fan Really Worth?”
As a college-age Facebook user, I know that we mainly use Facebook for its original purpose: messaging friends and sharing photos. Now Facebook has revolutionized marketing practices and goes beyond friend-to-friend communication. It has become a marketing tool and a PR tactic; so many companies now create fan pages to connect with their customers.
But I feel that companies can’t accurately count Facebook fans as current or future customers. For instance, Gucci has 737,000 fans on Facebook but it is questionable how many of them actually own or will own a $4,000 bag.
However, fan pages can be most beneficial for start-up companies. I receive so many page requests from people I know who are starting their own production company, fashion line, event-planning company, band, etc. I become a fan of their pages to show my support, and, because it would be rude not to.
Facebook has made it easier for these entrepreneurs because it gives them a way to market their product and pass it along to mutual friends and friends-of-friends. As the use of Facebook evolves, will we as college students become future consumers through Facebook’s fan pages?
