Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s new tool will allow marketers to manage a large fan base by allowing them to host real-time chats with celebrities. A few brands such as VH1, Discovery Channel and Sony Masterworks are already testing this new tool.
Tool still in testing phase
The new Q&A tool on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is powered through marketing platform BumeBox. Previously, marketers typically used the moderation and analytical tool to manage chats on Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), but bringing chats to Facebook will help PR pros to expand their fan base.
Just this month, Sony Masterworks tested its Facebook campaign to support America’s Got Talent star Jackie Evancho promote her new album. In an hour of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) Q&A, there was an increase of 734% in comments, which is way ahead of any other singer’s posts so far.
“Jackie Evancho was a no-brainer as a first use because of the great, loyal fan base on Facebook,” said Melissa Goldberg, general manager at Total Assault, Evancho’s social media and digital marketing agency. As per the results, Total Assault is now considering launching a similar effort on Twitter. On the micro-blogging site, the singer has a fan following of approximately 90,000 while on Facebookher fan base is 270,000.
Similarly, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) was also used by the Discovery Channel to run its campaign promoting its reality show Fast N’ Loud with cast member Christie Brimberry. The Discovery Channel achieved 29 million Facebook likes and 2.8 million Twitter followers in the campaign.
Issues related to use of the tool on Facebook
The Facebook tool, does, however, have some problems compared to Twitter, notes a report from Ad Week. On Facebook, fans cannot follow the chat in real-time because the pop-up is not in chronological order and is rather based on popularity. Moreover, the organic base of Facebook has shrunk over the past year, which suggests that the brands will probably have to layer paid ads when running a Q&A to reach a specific audience.
This implies that brands cannot abandon either of the social platforms, and still need to use both Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) for such initiatives, according to Julie Ask, an analyst at Forrester Research. Ask said, “This isn’t a question of either-or—this is a question of brands looking for more of their consumers in more places.”
