Search Engine Optimization News Blog

Independent interactive marketing agency Rosetta released a study this week showing 59% of 100 leading retailers have fan pages on Facebook.

“These results support what we’re seeing in our day-to-day client work, which is that we’ve reached a tipping point with Facebook among retailers,” says Adam Cohen, partner with Rosetta’s consumer goods and retail practice. “Social media sites continue to be an important source of community connection, and savvy retailers are reaping the benefits of Facebook’s rapid extension into new demographics, such as Gen-X and seniors.”

Facebook, Google, MySpace, and many number other social media sites are aggressively marketing how they can help businesses grow. However, there is mopre to it than just signing up!

“It’s important that retailers don’t just slap up a page because everyone is talking about Facebook,” says Cohen. “An effective Facebook presence requires that you carefully consider what your customers are looking for, what you would like to communicate, and what role a fan page should play in your overall online strategy. If you take all of these into account, it can be effective in building customer loyalty.”

Rosetta’s conducted the study in April, and updated their results in September. In that six month time span, 29 of the retailers surveyed added Facebook pages, including Best Buy, Toys “R” Us, Kohl’s and Wal-Mart. Even more are added daily, and by the next survey, we can expect to see the numbers rise once again.

The move towards online advertising is in lockstep with the need to promote a visual presence on social sites and a strong website that is interactive and appealing. As more and more businesses take up the challenge, the internet marketing world is going to become still more competitive. Online business is expected to outstrip foot traffic to actual stores in coming years.