Guitar Hero Facebook Fan Page Delivers Results

0 Comment(s) | Posted Oct 27, 2009 by Peter Wylie

Peter Wylie

Guitar Hero has become the first game to amass 1 million Facebook fans, according to Inside Facebook. I’m impressed with the efforts Activision, the game’s producer, has made in building a community around the game online.

The Fan Page on Facebook is a perfect example of how to engage both passionate fans and casual users with compelling content. Rather than merely bombard its fans with Guitar Hero promotions and offers, the fan page links to photos of recent guitar concerts and actively seeks fan input on a range of topics.

“We know that Guitar Hero fans always seek out the best music!” the company posted Monday, Oct 21 on the Fan Page. “…Got any new favorite bands?  TELL US!” The thread has already received 1,922 comments and 558 like mentions, showing a high level of engagement. 

Engaging with fans in this manner drives sales for Guitar Hero.  When the company has a product update or announcement, such as the new Classic Rock track pack they launched the same week, fans are much more likely to see and evaluate the new offering, since they’re on the site participating in non-sales activities.

The fans’ input, both negative and positive, also is a valuable source of information about the product’s strengths and weaknesses. Gauging demand through Facebook outreach can prevent development of unpopular features and the resulting loss of productivity and investment.

Savvy marketers who wish to gain significant, actionable information about their clients and their products can engage users through Fan Pages without any expense save their time. As long as the offering is not clearly commercial, and respects the fans’ time, desires and attention spans, Facebook Fan Pages are a cost-effective and fun way to engage clients and build brand online.

- Pete

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