Years after their release, I finally saw 2 films in 4 months that intrigued me “The Social Network” the story of Facebook and “The founder” the story of Mc Donald.
In my opinion they are not two cinematrographic masterpieces the real show they show is the veiled marketing that shines through the plot.
Why?
Both films offer a very clear picture of the strategic choices that have allowed both to become giants.
Between the two, however, I want to talk about the more IT one: Facebook.
The basic idea of Facebook in fact, however simple and ingenious it would not have been absolutely sufficient on its own to transform a service of this type into a success.
Facebook was not the first social network at all , in fact, there were already several social networks around the world. Even in Bari the Scacchi institute had its own social network “Skakki nostra”, a real social network reserved for high school students, then opened a little to all the schools in Bari. And this long before facebook and it was already very famous in the city.
Giants like Friendster and MySpace were thriving on the net and the social network supported by Google IN Brazil was also emerging: Orkut.
In fact, going back to what the Internet was in 2004, we note that it was NOT obvious that such an idea would work . All services that were (and still are) huge mass hits, at that time already had the support of large investors.
The competition even then could have seemed overwhelming if you think that Google was one of the investors.
But what has allowed Facebook to beat the competition and become the social network par excellence and the most visited site in the world?
The answer is: Positioning + smart strategy.
Facebook at the beginning, just as it happened for the Scacchi institute in Bari, was not open to everyone at all, but it was addressed only to the university reality of Harvard , who was not enrolled in that prestigious university had no way to access the social network.
This exclusivity made the service rampant inside Harvard , unlike other social networks, in Facebook the students of that university knew that they would find all their friends inside .
At that point Facebook slowly began to expand into other important universities , being careful to maintain its aura of exclusive service.
An exclusive club , closed and of which those who were out wanted to be part.
Another decision that made the difference was just like “avoiding competition and then destroying it”.
Expanding into other universities, there were some that already had their social networks: Facebook waited there to propose itself, avoiding investing in an environment where it would have been difficult to establish itself , and instead aimed at all universities that did not have their own social networks, easily conquering them.
In all trees the fruits that grow lower are the first that must be harvested!
Just like in business, the simplest results are the first to face.
Once it became THE university social network par excellence, the small local competition melted like butter on the plate
Facebook could count – in addition to large numbers and a reputation for exclusivity – on a great “quality of subscribers” .
Just the high perceived value that being part of that elite club had allowed Facebook to make the “boom” as soon as the doors were opened to the outside.
At that point, the people inside that club were what made the difference.
Having conquered an audience as “on average more educated and influential”, with an equal number of men and women inside, gave an enormous advantage over other services that at that time had taken hold such as forums for example.
The product is never as important as the positioning.
How can you apply this teaching to your online and offline business?
If you have a membership or a Masterclass, how much can this strategy help you?
