Facebook and Business: Hiring/Recruiting

While advertising and public relations seem to be the main aspects of business being improved by Facebook, many businesses are now using Facebook during the hiring process. Specifically, businesses use Facebook to scope out possible employees. As businesses are now aware that people commonly use social-networking sites to express themselves, businesses use these sites to see not only the way in which a possible employee expresses themselves but also to try to determine the personality of the possible employee. And if your Facebook profile does not display you in the most favorable light--i.e. a profile picture which displays underage drinking--employers are less likely to hire you. Because of this, many colleges suggest to those students applying for jobs or internships to set their Facebook profile to private. However, even when a profile on Facebook is private, all users can see your profile picture. So, those applying for jobs and internships should always choose a profile picture which displays them in a favorable light just in case that employer decides to take a peak.

Similarly, many colleges and universities are using Facebook to research and recruit potential students. Specifically, many colleges and universities are now creating Facebook pages in order to encourage students to join in such a way that is less obtrusive than mail and emails--i.e. through status updates, messages, and pictures on Facebook. Also, since many colleges and universities simply do not have the time to look at every applicant's Facebook profile, admission offices will often only look at the profiles of applicants brought to attention for containing illegal or inappropriate behavior or language.

While colleges' and universities' use of Facebook is not as common as business' use of Facebook, this use still gives Facebook users, especially college students who are about to embark into the job market or high school students searching for a college, a lot to think about. Facebook is making interviewing and applying to college a different process: we now have to present ourselves not only in the interview but on Facebook as well.

Facebook and Business: Public Relations

As I discussed in my last post, Facebook advertisements provide a successful, efficient way for businesses to advertise. But now...businesses are also creating Facebook pages not only to advertise but also to improve public relations. After a business creates a Facebook page, Facebook users then have the option to become "fans" of the business. By becoming a fan of a page, users then have access to the business' photos, links, videos, and much more. Oftentimes, these large companies will use status updates and messages to alert their Facebook fans about a new product, such as Adidas' recent status update promoting their new shoes: the Cities Artist.

And even though larger companies, such as Coca Cola and Starbucks, have over 3 million fans, many smaller companies are also using Facebook pages. For example, WFMZ, an independent television station that broadcasts to eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey, has 2, 671 fans on Facebook. WFMZ--like the big businesses--uses their Facebook page to better connect with customers. For example, with status updates, WFMZ alerts fans about events they will be hosting and charities they will be sponsoring. In turn, WFMZ seems to be successfully connecting to their fans--in a recent status update concerning WFMZ's anniversary, many followers commented on their gratefulness for the television station.

By creating a comfortable, convenient, and familiar way for customers to provide feedback, businesses who use Facebook to improve customer relations are sure to generate more business...more comfort and convenience= more consumption.

Facebook and Business: Advertising

According to Facebook's statistic page, Facebook currently has over 350 million active users. Because of this, it is no wonder that businesses are now using Facebook for advertising purposes. For example, if you have a Facebook account, it's hard to miss the many free gifts offered by Facebook daily. These free gifts may seem like a fun way to brighten a Facebook friend's day, but these gifts are actually hidden advertisements paid for by businesses. For example, recently, the free Facebook gift was a holiday drink provided by Starbucks. By offering a holiday drink for users to give friends, Starbucks hopes to encourage users to actually buy these holiday drinks--not just give them as gifts on Facebook. And I have to admit...I was given one of these holiday drinks as a gift on Facebook, and I fell into the trap: a couple of hours after receiving the gift, I headed down to my local Starbucks and purchased a holiday drink--the Gingerbread latte.

However, this subtle type of advertising does not end with the free gifts. The margin advertisements on the side of every Facebook user's profile page are both unobtrusive and discreet because the advertisements blend in with the overall layout of Facebook. Also, did you ever notice that the margin advertisements seem extremely personalized to each specific Facebook user? For example, was there ever an ad that seemed extremely personalized to your interests? Well, this is because these advertisements really are personalized because Facebook allows businesses to engage in a form of target marketing--i.e. businesses are able to display advertisements to selected demographics.

Specifically, the advertising software provided by Facebook allows businesses to choose these demographics based on the information given by users on their (the users') profile pages, such as hometown, religious beliefs, interests, education, and favorite movies. Businesses can then easily choose the demographics which are most likely to purchase their products.

So, the next time you give a free Facebook gift or even update your information on your Facebook profile...you are actually doing more than meets the eye: providing businesses opportunities to advertise their products.