Global vs. Local Facebook pages: Which is right for you?

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Global vs. Local Facebook pages: Which is right for you?

Oct

By Alisha Paul | Director, Marketing & Social Media | ICUC Moderation Services

One of the longest, ongoing debates in the social media world is whether or not global companies should be engaged in a single global Facebook page or multiple, local market Facebook pages?

Historical data on the question should make the debate mute: According to Syncapse research, local Facebook pages drive 36 per cent higher engagement than does a single global page, however it doesn’t seem to have put an end to this discussion as it’s left many marketers with a similar, looming question – Why?

The benefits of local pages lie within the power to harness the social graph to create digital word-of-mouth campaigns that engage fans, drive organic impressions, leverage influence and create goodwill for the brand. Where most global companies struggle is how to give their worldwide corporations a local presence on Facebook.

Jeremiah Owyang suggests that companies are organized for social business in one of five frameworks: Organic, Centralized, Coordinated, “Dandelion”, and “Honeycomb”. While each matrix has its own set of advantages and drawbacks, an internal analysis of your company will allow you to determine which model you’re in and which model is your desired state. And recognize, that this process takes time, as it is not a simply org chart restructuring, but a cultural change.

A company’s Facebook page should reflect those of the organizational physics of the enterprise itself. For example, if marketing dollars are managed both centrally and locally, asking your local team to support a centralized presence with little to no creative control, regional relevance and input, won’t see much success or passion for the program. However organizations that support targeted messages and empower local teams will have a greater success rate.

Customer First
Every brand will require a different strategy, however keep in mind that just because your brand is global does not mean that it is received the same around the world by your customers. Think seasonal campaigns, product launches and availability.

Technology Limitations
All Facebook tabs that are launched on a global page are visible to the world, making it harder to create locally relevant content and brand experiences. This also opens your brand up to increased opportunity for human error, and it only takes one incorrectly published update to spark community backlash.

Measurement
Single global pages present a greater challenge to measurement as it becomes harder to identify which regions are contributing to or diving engagement. The end results being that marketers lack the insight to help improve content.

Posted in Social Media