In several sessions during the first day of the NRF Big Show 2013 in New York yesterday Facebook was discussed in terms of its value and usefulness for retailers.
I was interested in this in the context of what I wrote six weeks ago on this blog about Facebook.
Three experts noted that Facebook should not be considered a key marketing platform for many retailers. They cited Facebook’s playing with feeds, their approach to advertising and that it does not fit a traditional call to action need. yes, I know of newsagents who are happy with Facebook. This is especially the case in regional and rural Australia.
For my newsagencies I don’t see Facebook as important as email and Twitter. Indeed, Twitter has been (and is) a gem for us.
What was interesting was the support for email. The experts cited the price model (free), the lack of attention competition within a message and ease of use. While they noted that email is not the ideal platform for the important millennial demographic, they pointed out that it is ideal for women 35 and over – the most valuable demo for newsagents today.
I’ve written here a bit about email and its use. I especially like what Pacific Magazines has done for so many of us with an excellent email sending platform as part of their Nexus program.