TravelMole eWire Q&A with Facebook’s Blake Chandlee

Blake Chandlee is the UK director at the social networking site Facebook, recently voted the fifth most loved brand in the UK by Marketing Week.

Q: As a travel company wanting to harness the data that social networking sites hold, why choose Facebook over other sites?

A: We don’t really call ourselves a social networking site because people aren’t talking to other people they haven’t met, they are talking with their real friends and family. A survey done last year showed that when people were asked which source they would trust the most for recommendations, 86% said their friends and family. Facebook is about where friends and family get together so if you can get people talking about your brand in that trusted environment, that’s got to be a good thing.

Q: But isn’t the whole point of sites like yours that people don’t want to be sold to, they just want to interact with other people?

A: You have to advertise to exactly the right people and get a very good profile match with your product – then people don’t mind. If someone has skiing in their profile and it’s clear they go skiing a lot, they will not object to seeing an advert from a ski company. But if you targeted someone whose profile showed no evidence to link them to your product, then they would mind.

Q: Have travel companies been slow to see the potential of social network sites?

A: The big players like American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin have harnessed them well and created branded pages. Easyjet did a skiing page where you were invited to post skiing pictures which worked well. It’s all about understanding the consumer and their mindset. Then, if a consumer becomes a fan of your brand’s page, there’s a viral element that comes into play. If I become a fan of a page, this is an action that will be reported in the newsfeed that goes out to my friends about what I have been doing. That’s organic distribution of the brand and it’s done in a relevant way so it’s not intrusive. It is a trusted referral.

Q: Lots of companies worry that once they enter this space, they are gambling with their brand’s good name and worry that they can’t control consumer debate about their brand. What would you say to them?

A: Users are not averse to advertising, they just don’t like bad or irrelevant advertising so you need to be sensitive.

Facebook knows a lot about our users and they know we know. Understanding that and putting out only relevant and targeted advertising is key.

There are 10,000 travel groups on Facebook and they all talking about different travel companies whether you like it or not. It’s key to understand what’s being said about your brand.

And something else to remember is that your best consumers, the ones who love you, will join your page, become brand ambassadors and defend you to the hilt.

If someone comes on and is negative about your company, you can bet the ones who love you will attack that comment.

The community will take care of the brand. Consumers evangelising about a brand is core to the Facebook experience.

Q: How can travel companies tap into the vast data held by Facebook?

A: There are two ways. Create a page for your brand or create a social ad which targets people whose profiles show they are likely to interact with your product.

Q: Any tips on using Facebook as a platform for selling?

A: If you are creating a page, give consumers a reason to come back. Let them load photos, for example. You will need to moderate this but it’s worth it.

by Dinah Hatch