How Facebook Marketing Is Changing In 2015... For The Better
Facebook is not the same fledgling social network that you know and used back in college...
Facebook is not the same fledgling social network that you know and used back in college.
The demographics today are different, the user base larger, and the features more varied than what any other social network had achieved before.
This whole new social environment means that the school Facebook marketing tricks that worked way back in 2008 wouldn’t work in the Facebook of today.
Following are some of the significant changes that Facebook has undergone in recent times. The most noticeable would be the social network’s overhaul of its iconic News Feed, this is the first page that greets users upon logging onto the site (usually filled with status updates and friend activities).
Previously, the content on people’s News Feed is a free-for-all arena. All sorts of postings from your friends and the pages that you’ve liked- text, pictures, and videos- are all given the same chance to be featured on your Feed. There is no discrimination of any sort.
But all of that changed a year ago when Facebook started to remove blatantly "salesy" posts from the News Feed. Example a post that is similar to "Visit our website to see more deals about this product. Get 50% off if you buy now!" would be unceremoniously removed from people’s News Feeds. The same goes true for posts that merely pushed people to join contests or buy an app, and those that reuse promotional content.
So, as a business who puts a premium on online visibility, how do you go about this new limitation on posts? First off, you need to change the way you post on the network. Don’t use overtly spammy language like "Buy Now" or anything similar. Make sure that the content you put out is specifically targeted to the audience that you’re after. For example, if you’re targeting young adult gamers who are between the ages of 18-24, then it would be helpful to put out content that is tailored to that kind of demographic. If you’re targeting an older, less tech-savvy crowd, then you would be using a whole new posting style altogether.
Next, recognize the strength of Facebook’s Video service. While YouTube has always been everybody’s go-to video repository, Facebook has been aggressively pushing its own video service to its users. The Facebook team had actually made a few tweaks last year to make sure that video uploading on the site is easier and faster than ever before. If you rely heavily on Facebook for traffic and sales, then using Facebook’s own video service is a must.
Lastly, consider using Facebook ads. A lot of people are bothered by promotional content clogging up their News Feeds; that’s the reason why these changes were implemented in the first place. But they are usually not at all bothered by the minor ads that show up on the side of their screens. This way, you can be assured that the ads that you put up will be viewed by the maximum amount of Facebook users that it can reach, without restrictions of any sort. It’s just a small investment to make for a potentially significant payoff.
For more information on future trends, come along to our DLUK - Trends Briefing on the 24th September