Question

Your response should be more than 400 words. Thanks!

Question: Imagine you are Facebook’s marketing director, suggest ONE marketing strategy/action for the company to grasp growth potential in the next 12 months. Support your answer with examples.

Answer 1

In the current climate of a global pandemic, large sections of the world are in lockdown or quarantine. Businesses that used to run face to face marketing strategies are now floundering as they struggle to retain a presence on the business landscape. This is the prime time to invest or extend digital marketing for businesses that up to now did not feel the need for any strong online presence. FB can use this opportunity to offer packages designed specifically for small businesses (assuming medium to big already have fully set up online presence) that currently do not use the tool much in their line of business, and offer additional benefits such as integration with medical agencies to support any sick employees, coordination with police/border monitoring agencies to ensure essential trade related vehicles or personnel can move about as needed. They can also look at connecting businesses to state/local government bodies to expedite authorisations or processes that need approval.

The strategy from FB should be to assimilate all of its sub-products into one platform that businesses can use to allow for smooth operation, and offer this to buyers at a premium in the coming months when businesses are most affected and it will be most crucial. A ready-to-use (plug and play) FB package can consist of a business account with FB to publish the brand and products, instant messaging and phone and video calling/conferencing account for business communication, and photo and video sharing tool to broadcast visual images of products and offers.

FB is mostly used as a social media however, in the current times with no one being able to post pictures of outdoor activities or events people want to still stay in touch with the world - as in find out what their favourite businesses are doing, any special offers etc. that might be coming up once the quarantine ends, new social responsibility concepts that need focus for the socially conscious. For all these, FB could be the primary source of information and the go-to place for all kinds of interests. Small businesses might consider the investment to get the complete FB package a small price to pay during these uncertain times. Once implemented employees can use all the features to stay in touch with each other and with customers. FB can also set up a customer service for these package implementers on a shared service model that will work out cheaper for each business as they won't each have to maintain a dedicated staff for the same.

The lockdowns and quarantines are likely to go one for quite a few weeks yet in most continents with the imminent threat that the virus might return and lockdowns instituted all over again bringing economies to a standstill. This fear and uncertainty is likely to push more small businesses online as much as possible to mitigate any future risk. This fear climate will last at least for the next 12 months and can afford FB a never before opportunity of venturing into product development for clients, and customer service for these new clients