Think beyond Facebook

For a lot of organizations, the leap into social media begins (and often ends) with this sentence: “We need a Facebook page!” If you hear that said by a colleague—and especially if you say it yourself—take a step back and carefully consider your options. While Facebook’s 300 million members might make you think you have to be there, it’s by no means your only choice. And it may be a waste of time.

Your main consideration should be your audience. Are they on Facebook? If so, can your content compete with all the other content they engage with on Facebook? For some organizations, the answer is yes. But as Facebook grows larger, it will be a good fit for fewer and fewer organizations. While Facebook can be a great business development tool, its members use the site primarily for personal use, so you need to be pretty compelling to get noticed. Just because you build it, there’s no guarantee they will come.

Even if your company says no to Facebook, however, you don’t need to say no to social media as a whole. You could start a blog. You could launch a YouTube channel. You could put a discussion board on your website. And maybe best of all, you could use a tool such as Ning to start your own social network. There’s no one tool that’s right for everyone and no shortage of options. Saying no to Facebook may make it a little harder to get started, but thinking beyond the most popular social media site may be exactly the right way to begin.

--Anthony J.

The Show within the Show

During last Sunday’s episode of “Desperate Housewives,” viewers were teased with a Sprint commercial titled “Another Desperate Housewife.”

This spot was created by the writers of “Desperate Housewives” and was given the same general feel as the program, with a similar setting, tone and narration. It was like a mini spin-off masquerading as a commercial and featured a couple in the throes of suspicion, betrayal and mystery a la Wisteria Lane. There will be seven more of these shorts throughout the season, and the couple from the commercial will casually appear in a real “Desperate Housewives” episode, further blurring the line between the program and the commercial.

“You want to be able to relate to viewers within the property they know and love and that they have a passion for,” said Stephanie Kelly, Sprint’s entertainment media manager.

By incorporating elements of this highly rated program into their spot, Sprint is hoping to pique the interest of viewers and reduce the dreaded fast-forwarding of their commercial.

This is an innovative way of increasing commercial viewership. It makes sense. People who enjoy the campy salaciousness of “Desperate Housewives” will be intrigued and entertained by “Another Desperate Housewife.”

It is safe to predict that this ad will most likely be watched more frequently than a traditional ad and will be better remembered. But will it sell more Sprint phones?

--Tessa G.