are fan pages/public profiles the new hot commodity?

Domain names (good ones, specifically) are running out. Unless you want to exceed the magic 5 or 6 character rule, choices are limited and resulting in somewhat oddly named sites such as snurl.com or uladoo.com. These names work fine for new start ups, but what about existing brands wishing to add their presence to the internet? Are they forced to adopt some cryptic, vaguely-related URL?

Enter: Facebook Fan Pages/Public Profiles. I've been thinking, writing and speaking about Public Profiles a lot lately. I feel that with Facebook's continued exponential growth, Public Profiles will only become a more dominant brand outlet. Additionally, with the shortage of search-friendly URL's entering crisis status, and domain prices shooting through the roof, utilization of Facebook's Public Profiles feature only makes sense. We've seen brands like Coca-Cola quietly assume control of fan-initiated pages, with some money almost undoubtedly changing hands in the process.

Now, lets take it one step beyond simply acquiring branded pages. What about more generic pages, such as Sleep or Cuddling? With each page totaling nearly 300,000 fans at the time of writing (and growing rapidly), these seemingly pointless pages offer a huge audience with a common interest.



Now, imagine Serta Mattress Co. quietly acquiring the "Sleep" page and using it as an extension of their branding efforts. Instantly, Serta would have an audience of 300,000 people all interested in what they are trying to sell--a good night's sleep. Same goes for "Cuddling". Imagine if any number of companies acquired this page. A few off the top of my head that could forseeably succesfully leverage the page to their advantage may be Cosmopolitan magazine, Trojan condoms (since we all know what cuddling inevitably leads to), or even a breath mint company like Certs.

I'm figuring that some are asking how having a page without the company name on it benefits the company in any form. As mentioned, it instantly gives the company a large targeted audience, instantly. People that like sleep are probably interested in tips on how to achieve the most restful night possible. Why not use a fan page as an outlet for tips on sleeping comfortably? Why not import the Serta corporate blog?

Keep fans updated with new information in mattress technology, or even post a status update reminding fans to flip their mattress once a month. Subtly insert the Serta name or logo here and there, and you have an enourmous as well as low-effort branding campaign. Serta could potentially become synonmous with a good night's sleep among 300,000+ people. The same could go for any number of seemingly generic and glib Public Profiles.

With Facebook being as large as it is, and Public Profiles being indexable for all major search engines, the potential for search traffic is also staggering. Imagine typing in "good night's sleep" and having the "Sleep" Public Profile appear in the top ten results, with all kinds of useful information, tips and have it attached to the Serta brand. Most brands pay thousands upon thousands to SEO analysts for this kind of exposure and ranking. Given Facebook's size and continued growth, its not unrealistic to think that a Public Profile could potentially make the top 5 Google results.

What this boils down to is a chance for huge and relatively inexpensive brand exposure to companies who may be struggling to actively engage customers. Print and television adverstising is in a sharp decline, in terms of effectiveness and relevance. Brands must explore new and diverse outlets to establish their image, and Public Profiles is nearly certain to be one of the biggest outlets in years to come.