It seems that Facebook is no longer content to just be a storage vault for your digital life. Today’s lead story in our SmartBrief on Social Media newsletter is about the announcement of Facebook Zero, a text-only version of the network aimed at mobile users.
I think that the push toward mobile hints at a grander ambition: persistence. Facebook wants to be a part of your life as it happens, everywhere and all of the time.
The key to making this happen is mobile access. You already check your phone a hundred times a day. Facebook is hoping users will make a habit of checking their Facebook messages whenever they check their voicemail. This change has already taken place for many smartphone users with unlimited data plans. This shift makes it easier for folks with ordinary cell phones (such as yours truly, unfortunately) to take their social networking on the road.
What does that mean for you? For starters, you’re going to need to think about Facebook with mobile users in mind.
- Make sure all your content works for users looking at your profile or fan page using Facebook Zero.
- If you’re trying to convince your fans or friends to do something, try to make the task as easy to accomplish as possible — mobile users simply aren’t going to go back to your home page and fill out a form.
- Try enticing your fans to come to you. Now, you can talk to customers while they’re out shopping, diners while they’re out dining, etc. Don’t waste that opportunity.
- Don’t think about mobile social networking just in a Facebook content. As phones get better and geotagging technology becomes more prevalent, mobile networking will become the norm. Use your Facebook Zero strategy as a beachhead for building a more comprehensive mobile plan.
What other ways can marketers put Facebook Zero to work? Are there other implications to having Facebook easily accessible via cell phone? Anyone not sold on the potential of mobile networking?
Image credit, hillaryfox, via iStock