Facebook Outbound Marketing Friendships

What exactly do I mean by Facebook Outbound Marketing Friendships? A few years back my daughter Emily informed me that I should reach out to people on Facebook; as in “friend” them.  I was a bit perplexed.  I never really “friended” anyone. People would just find me and I would decide to confirm or deny the friend request. I did not have time to search people down.  I also felt like it was strange to think of knocking on someone’s door and asking for friendship.  Emily assured me it was the Facebook way, so I began to casually friend people here and there. Mind you these are people I knew in real face to face time. Silly me to have that thought of knocking on a door. If it is like knocking on a door to a friends’ house, then I am the first one up the walk knocking when visiting a friend.

I have realized in the past month, now years later, that I treat Facebook much like inbound marketing.  If conversation is coming to me, I am quick to jump in.  Anyone who knows me knows that I can be quite chatty and witty in my conversations.  The streams are moving past my screen. No work involved at all in conversation.  I am not really marketing anything on my personal Facebook page, unless you find conversation, sharing, and posting as marketing. What I really mean is I don’t have to go out into Facebook, other than clicking on a link that has been delivered through my stream.  Information comes to me. I sit in my cozy world of hand delivery.

How many of us really do the outbound kind of Facebook posting.  Intentionally clicking on your friends’ list and finding someone, clicking on their page and delivering the start of conversation?  Guilty!  I am guilty of not doing that. I have never even started the idea of making this a habit of my social experience on Facebook.  Who has time?  Facebook has so many limitations on how we see each other’s stuff that unless we get into that habit how do we ever know what’s going on with our hundreds of friends?  Do we want to know?  If we don’t have time, nor do we want to know what is the purpose of having so many friends on Facebook?  Questions swirling as I write this.

I have two days a week dedicated to work days in my office.  On my to-do list I am writing in “Connect with 5 friends on Facebook.”  All that means is go to my friends’ list and for those whom I do not cross paths with very often, go directly to their page and say hello.  Perhaps Facebook keeps making all these silly changes because they realize we are becoming disconnected on Facebook.  A platform to connect.  We have become lazy with our friendships.  I realize this is the new culture of connecting.  I love that I can look in on people.  I love that I have been able to see those video’s of a baby’s first steps as technology now allows.  Let’s not get disconnected in what is to be connecting us. I am adopting some outbound marketing principles to my Facebook experience. Join me in adding a hello on the pages of ten of your friends each week.  What thoughts might you have to share on Facebook Outbound Marketing Friendships.