“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”   Erik Qualman, The Social Media Revolution(1)

Unfortunately, most companies use their Facebook pages as little more than a new medium for their old school marketing tactics. Facebook isn’t a place for interruption marketing, engagement through bribery, or standard issue syndication and news aggregation. Social media revolves around community and conversations. It’s a place for art, expression, and contribution – not advertising.

In a sea of mediocre Facebook pages, here are a few pages that reign supreme, knock our socks off, and are clearly deserving of a little attention:

Outside Magazine Outside’s page vibrantly, creatively, and successfully connects a spirited tribe. Outside uses their Facebook to connect explorers, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts who have stories to tell and hard-earned pearls of wisdom to share.
Outside goes way above and beyond just using their Facebook as an aggregate news source for their online content (which is, unfortunately, a widely accepted Facebook strategy). Our favorite thing about Outside’s Facebook is their use of fan photos. This page’s fan photos are not only beautiful, they’re inspiring- they actually leave us craving adventure and a subscription to the magazine. Adding to Outside’s engagement is the fact that the best Facebook fan photo of the month is published in the prestigious glossy pages of Outdoor’s print magazine. We also love that Outside has kept its wall as its landing page!

Outside gets Facebook!

Skittles and Skittles UK
The infinitely wacky creators of “Tube Sock” and the Midas/Skittles Touch have successfully created two different Facebook pages with posts as consistently random and zany as their commercials. Thanks to the UK page’s “Super Mega Rainbow Updater Staff 2010” photo album and their Update Library tab, you can also meet the Skittles employees who wrote said posts. Skittles’ content rocks, but trippy posts about the antiques of the future aren’t really what make Skittles such a success. Skittles gets its audience, gets the brilliance of the random status update, and really gets Facebook.

Skittles gets a ten out of ten for using Facebook to authentically capture and convey their brand.

Warning: The New York Times tweeting rules applies here- your FB strategy needs to be tailored specifically for your brand. The tone that works for Skittles won’t necessarily work for you, so get your own.

Grammar Girl
Mignon Fogarty is a grammar geek turned super hero. Have an urgent question regarding spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or syntax? Under her super alias, Grammar Girl, Mignon uses Facebook to right the grammatical errors that universally confound us. She also lets us know when her new grammar podcasts and books come out or go on sale. She does an excellent job of starting conversations and has successfully created a go-to forum for those of us not yet worthy of the “grammarian” title. If you dig words, or get excited over Oxford commas, Mignon has a page that’ll fan your nerdy flames.

Grammar Girl gets her audience and uses Facebook to make a contribution!

Eye Magazine
Eye Magazine is a uniquely inspired international graphic design review for artists who contribute to visual culture. From coverage of American fashion trends to the deeply philosophical and socially conscious Buenos Aires Cardboard Book Project , Eye uses their Facebook to provoke thought, showcase remarkable design projects, engage the global artistic community in collective graphic initiatives, and inject inspired foreign perspectives into our news feeds. Eye’s posts are short, include outstanding images, and link us to fascinating content. Our favorite things about Eye’s Facebook are that it exposes us to emerging veins of graphic expression, and that it instantly connects such a diverse community of creators and helps facilitate the exchange of inspired creative thought.

Eye could do a better job of engaging conversation, but they do an excellent job of initiating visual impressions.

Additional helpful links –>>

To see which Tweeters are getting Twitter right, check out our blog Twitter: The Medium is the Message.

For a guide on using social media to make a contribution and shift the way you’re communicating, check out our blog Social Media: The Prize Inside.

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1 Qualman, Erik. The Social Media Revolution