Roger McNamee's 5 Tips for Facebook Marketing Success

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By Todd Wasserman2013-08-17 18:29:05 UTC

Roger McNamee isn't just an investor in Facebook. He's also a client.

In particular, McNamee, a founding partner at Elevation Partners, has used Facebook to market his band, Moonalice. The jam band had about 50,000 fans last summer, but is now around 220,000 thanks to some focused marketing on the platform. Perhaps more impressively, there are more people talking about Moonalice's Facebook Page than there are fans for the Page, indicating a high engagement.

Moonalice has been on Facebook since 2006. McNamee likes Twitter too, but says Facebook is better for launching something new, while Twitter is for established brands and individuals or organizations that have news to share. Since going whole hog on Facebook about a year ago, McNamee says he's learned some lessons about marketing on the platform that he'd like to share with others looking to increase their fan base, engagement or both. Since McNamee is a Facebook investor, though, you may want to take some of what he says with a grain or two of salt:

1. Post a Lot

McNamee says he posts between 10 and 20 times a day. When asked if this makes fans feel bombarded, he replied that he believes only 5% of fans see the average post. (Actually, Facebook pegs that figure at 13%.) "There's no chance of anyone getting more than a few," he says. Content is important too. "If you're sending spam, that's horseshit."

A look at Moonalice's Page confirms McNamee's claim. The band posts a lot. But McNamee doesn't put much stock in research by Buddy Media and others that show that certain days and times of day are better for postings than others. For him, a shotgun approach is better than precision targeting.

2. Take Risks

There's not much thematically connecting Moonalice with cute animals, but cute animals equal great engagement, so there are lots of them in Moonalice's feed. McNamee said that initially some fans were turned off by the animal shots, but overall the lovers outnumbered the haters.

Not all experiments go so well. McNamee recently posted a pic of Ike Turner and Tina Turner and captioned it "I like Ike." Since Ike Turner was a known abuser of Tina, many fans got angry and McNamee eventually pulled the post. "That shit happens," he says. "When it does, you've got to go man up and say 'I fucked that one up.'" Still, McNamee believes an occasionally offensive Facebook Page is better than a boring one.

3. Buy Facebook Ads

McNamee attributes a lot Moonalice's four-fold growth in fans to advertising. He's spent anywhere from zero to $7,000 a month promoting Moonalice with Facebook ads, he says. He stresses that the content of the ads — which are usually posts that are blasted out to a wider circle of potential fans — is very important: "We look for real stories, authenticity."

4.Make it a Real Dialogue

A Facebook Page shouldn't be a vehicle for one-way communication. "Answer the emails, 'Like' the comment," McNamee says. "Let them know your voice matters."

5. Be Upbeat

In contrast to traditional media, Facebook is mostly full of good news, McNamee says. A sour attitude doesn't play well on the platform. "Don't sit there and whine at people. Remember, this is supposed to be fun."

Image: Elevation Partners

Topics: Business, Facebook, Marketing