Addressing the millions

And why should we actually set up a profile on Facebook? I often hear the question posed in this way. It is asked by both representatives of real estate agencies and developers. The commercial development market is increasingly appreciating the power of social media. But is it able to exploit it? The question remains open. On the one hand, shopping centres, for instance, are very comfortably positioned with regard to the new media reality; but on the other hand, B2B (business-to-business) communication still flounders.

The power of community
Nowadays you do not have to convince anybody that social networking sites constitute a highly important element of communication. Thanks to them you can reach the average John Smith or a business client with a non-standard message. The question is whether it is worth it? A look at the numbers could provide the answer. According to a survey carried out by CBOS, 56 pct of respondents in Poland use the internet regularly (i.e. at least once a week). What are the ages of the users? The survey shows that 93 pct of respondents aged between 18 and 24 use the net. In the 25?34 bracket the number is 81 pct and 73 pct among Poles aged 35?44. The data debunks the myth that the internet is only used by young people. CBOS informs us that 100 pct of the students and pupils surveyed use the net, but the rate is just as high among businesspeople. It is used by 98 pct of management staff and specialists as well as 92 pct of administration and office employees. And finally, 59 pct of the individuals surveyed by CBOS have a profile on one of the social networking sites. Is that many or few? Let us take a look at the number of users. According to data published in June by Megapanel PBI/Gemius, the most popular social networking service in Poland, Facebook has over 12.5 mln users. nk.pl (formerly Nasza Klasa) has just over 10 mln users. A service addressed to businesspeople, GoldenLine.pl, has nearly 2.2 mln users and Twitter popular with Polish politicians 1.3 mln users. The numbers speak for themselves: such a large audience should not be ignored. We must also remember that these are only the numbers for the Polish market ? there are many, many more users on the global scale.

Homework done
Facebook generates the most excitement from companies and users. It is the most popular and the most powerful social networking service in the world. In April it had more users in Poland than the Onet.pl portal. But real estate companies have noticed this only recently, and as little as two years ago it still seemed that developers would never treat it seriously. In our July 2010 issue we wrote: Złote Tarasy in Warsaw has 34 fans. And practically non-existent activity. The last (and at the same time, the first) entry appeared in April the laconically worded Test entry, followed by the only comment (test comment). We also pointed out that Galeria Jurajska in Częstochowa had 21 fans and Manufaktura in Łódź 1,100 fans (it already had one of the best shopping centre profiles on Facebook at that time). What is it like now? Złote Tarasy communicates with nearly 29,000 fans, Manufaktura has over 20,000 of them and Galeria Jurajska more than 6,600. It is worth emphasising that it is shopping centre owners who use this form of communication most willingly. The majority of shopping centre profiles (or fan pages) are professionally maintained and feature news and competitions. But the most important thing that social media provides is the possibility of dialogue. When asked what Manufaktura needs a Facebook profile for, Joanna Karpińska, the spokesperson for the centre, replied without hesitation: ?First of all we listen. Manufaktura is a unique place, where there is a lot happening. Facebook allowed us to build an interesting community with which we can have a conversation. We are among the few centres that allow message posting on their profiles.

Joanna Karpińska points out that thanks to this the profile it is possible to analyse how Manufaktura is perceived. ?No questionnaire or marketing research can provide such knowledge. Thanks to our community we know what to improve and what is popular. It could be said that Facebook allows us to improve ourselves, says Ms Karpińska.

When it comes to communication addressed to business clients, the situation looks much worse. This is an area that is still waiting to be developed.

Being trendy is not expensive
?B2B communication appears much rarer on social networking services. But this is starting to change. It is worth remembering that it is not only the youth that use the most popular social networking service, Facebook. More and more people are looking for information on the business potential of this particular service. So it can be used as another, very attractive, channel of communication with clients, insists Joanna Wróblewska, SEM project manager of Ideo, which operates on the internet services and technologies market. The communication carried out on social networking sites does not have to eat up a lot of resources. In marketing jargon it is still termed as a ?low-budget channel?. What can we gain by creating a profile on Facebook or Twitter? The consumer of the 21st century is bold, self-aware, aware of their needs, interested in innovation and demanding. Companies that employ social media are able to show that they are trendy, they are not afraid of modern communication and that they are moving with the times. A fan page can be an informal place for conversations with fans. And its wall can act as a notice board for all the news, instead of the company website. ?Moving communication from the formal area can 'demythologise' many a company and free up relations, especially in the more difficult sectors, argues Joanna Wróblewska. Who is the main audience of the new media? This is a group of very aware users. They are the sort of people who eagerly get involved in discussions. It is worth remembering that they expect us to also get involved in interaction with them. This in turn opens up the field for informal communication and showing that our company is a team of professionals, but also presenting a ?human face? at the same time. We should remember about the developing group of 'prosumers', i.e. people with a broad knowledge of the products and services connected with their favourite brand and who pass this knowledge on to others. A prosumer is an active consumer who is not just a passive recipient of advertising material, says Joanna Wróblewska.

What is it like in practice?
Globe Trade Centre, Ghelamco and HB Reavis ? these are some of the main players on the commercial property market in Poland. However, you will not find their profiles on Facebook or Twitter. GTC uses the social media mainly to promote its shopping centres. Why? ?The scale of GTC?s operations, including the number and the sector diversification of its projects, makes it very difficult to maintain one profile/fan page aimed at building B2B relations. This is why we use other tools in such communication, which are not related to the internet but provide a suitable reach to the business audience, particularly from the perspective of countries in our region,? explains Przemysław Polak, account manager of Advanced Public Relations, which deals with the PR of the Warsaw Stock Exchange-listed developer. However, it is worth pointing out that this is not always the rule. In certain, localised cases, we also maintain a fan page for the company's operations in a specific sector of the market in that country. This is the situation in Romania, for example, where we have a fan page aggregating information about our key residential projects in the country. The presence of particular projects on Facebook is moderated locally, which enables us to get to know clients? needs better and adjust the content of fan pages to their expectations. In many cases our business partners, for example shopping centre tenants, are actively involved in creating the contents of these pages, adds Przemysław Polak.

The belief that social networking sites are not meant to serve business communication seems to be common in the real estate industry. However, not everyone shares this opinion. ?Social networking services such as Facebook can be successfully used for B2B communication. A good example of this are the international corporations, that are now using this channel effectively. Social media are a good channel for expert communication, demonstrating the experience and knowledge of the company and the people working for it. We are carefully analysing the possibilities provided by these media,? says Robert Borowicz, the marketing and PR manager of DTZ.
Companies, particularly developers, are often concerned about the fact that communication via social media could expose them to unnecessary hassle, as the users of such services are often prone to criticism and fierce debate. ?It is important for a company?s profile or fan page to be maintained in the right way. You should not entrust it to people without any experience in such activities. You should also remember that the social media presence should not be treated as an advertising campaign. You should prepare well before launching such activities and develop a long-term strategy,? advises Robert Borowicz.

Build an image, forget about the money
Social portals can also be used for promoting operations and activities which are not directly connected with the main business of the company. They could be used, for example, for social campaigns. Such activities show a professional approach to the new media. They allow us to foster the image of being a socially responsible company. We should remember at the same time that such activities involve a much greater number of people and are consequently much more expensive. Besides, they are not only created as part of a campaign on Facebook, but as an element of the whole PR strategy, remarks Joanna Wróblewska.

A good example here could be the activities of Echo Investment. When you enter the name of the company into the Facebook browser, you will not find a profile referring to its direct area of activity. However, you will see the Echo Investment City friendly? fan page, which is dedicated to a programme aimed at promoting ideas for making urban areas more open and friendlier. It also involves the Insider Designer competition, which is addressed to young designers and architects. The fan page was set up in January 2011 has 232 fans at this point.

However, Facebook is not meant to be a sales vehicle. If this is how you approach your profile on this service, you are making a mistake from the very start. ?The benefits of being present in social media should not be converted directly into money. When thinking about Facebook you should forget about Excel, unless you use it for importing statistics from this portal. In the case of the new media you should focus on developing a long-term positive brand image, explains JoannacWróblewska.

Radosław Górecki