Dayton companies see potential with Facebook – Dayton Business Journal

For several hours a day, Lora Cassano-Hammons talks pizza on Facebook. As community relations manager for Kettering-based Cassano’s Inc., she operates the company’s Facebook page, which is blossoming into a focal point of its marketing campaign.

As such, Cassano-Hammons constantly logs on to the social networking site to answer customer questions, post specials and offer free food to trivia contest winners. For its 3,800 followers, Facebook also offers Cassano’s patrons a chance to share memories of their dining experiences over the years, something many take advantage of.

“It’s fun to engage our customers and get to know them on a one-on-one basis, which may sound corny, but you really get a feel for who your customer is,” Cassano-Hammons said.

Cassano’s is one of the hundreds of Dayton-area companies now using Facebook. Experts said the site can boost customer ties, but running a successful corporate Facebook page requires constant effort.

For example, Cassano’s, an area staple since the 1950s, launched a company Facebook page early on, which sat stagnant until six months ago. That’s when officials realized the potential to bond with customers and kicked things into high gear. Cassano-Hammons began working with Miamisburg-based U! Creative to get training and focused more of her time on the page.

Getting a handle on how Facebook is driving sales has been tough, but she said the dialogue is helping to build a stronger bond with customers. Now, Cassano’s lists its Facebook address — as well as its other social media sites — on all of its advertising materials.

“It shows them we have a real presence, that we’re not just a name but we’re actual people who care about what they have to say,” Cassano-Hammons said.

Carole Baker-Hicks, owner of Dayton-based Oh Social LLC, a social networking consulting company, said her phone hasn’t stopped ringing lately as businesses are flocking to Facebook to launch a page or get more out of their existing one.

Baker-Hicks’ rule is that any business relying on word-of-mouth needs to be on Facebook.
“It’s a two-way conversation and that’s where your clients are; that’s where the conversation is happening,” she said.

The biggest mistake companies make on Facebook is delegating oversight to interns and non-management employees.

A representative from every department in the company, especially customer service, should be involved in monitoring the page, Baker-Hicks said. And, the strategy for running a Facebook page should be in line with the company’s overall marketing plan.

Among the numerous local companies with a Facebook page are Miami Valley Hospital, Wright-Patt Credit Union Inc. and Teradata Corp.

Wright-Patt Credit Union has been on Facebook about two years, but officials have put more emphasis on using it as a tool in the last year. The organization — Dayton’s largest credit union — originally experimented with Facebook, then took a closer look at how to use it as part of the marketing mix, said Tracy Fors, marketing director at the credit union.

Fors said the page, which has about 600 followers, is updated daily. The key to driving participation, she said, is incentivizing members to participate. For example, for every member that commented about the last patronage dividend on Facebook, Wright-Patt pledged $5 to A Kid Again charity. About 200 members spread kudos regarding the dividend.

The key in social media is not to overdo things, said credit union officials. That means asking if something is social media worthy, as opposed to bombarding followers with products and services.

“While social media is a great way to reach our members, we don’t want it to be one-way communication,” said Chris Gardner, a marketing representative for the credit union.

Experts say it’s best to have clear goals in mind before launching a Facebook page.

Richard Kaiser, of Dayton-based Atomic Interactive LLC — a Web design, development and online marketing company — said one of the worst strategies is to set up a Facebook page and not maintain it.

Starting a Facebook page is free and is as simple as logging onto the site and clicking a few buttons. However, the successful business users on Facebook must dedicate labor to handling frequent updates and customer interaction. For example, when complaints go unaddressed, negative talk can spin out of control. However, proper handling of an issue could make the company look like a hero, possibly in front of thousands of people.

“There needs to be somebody there to address it,” Kaiser said. “That’s a really powerful thing if you’ve got somebody there monitoring (Facebook), and you’re on a complaint really quickly to address the problem. It’s a way to shift the negative energy into something really positive.”

In addition to engaging customers, some business are turning to Facebook to drive revenue. Delta Air Lines Inc., for example, started selling tickets on its Facebook page earlier this month.

Kaiser said Facebook pages aren’t necessarily a good idea for all business. Some manufacturing companies, for example, might be better off doing a blog or forum to reach their customer base, which may not include the average consumer.

E-mail jcogliano@bizjournals.com. Call (937) 528-4424