#PRInsights Facebook doesnt suck, your content does This is not a good time to lack in creativity when it comes to your brand’s Facebook content. Last month, the social network announced that brand content would take a major visibility hit if it is blatantly promotional. If that seems like slightly ambiguous news, let’s clarify what exactly that means. Facebook is penalizing brand posts that: • Attempt to only sell products or encourage fans to buy something • End with a call to purchase a product or download an app, even if it begins with non-promotional content • Ask fans to enter a contest or sweepstakes with no additional content • Mirror the copy of an advertisement This doesn’t mean brands cannot share ad-style content with their fans; it simply means that if they do, money is the only way to guarantee that content will be seen. What does this mean? Well, it means a lot of brand managers are going to be angry that they spent years (and probably a ton of cash) beefing up a page’s fan count, only to be cut off from most of the audience they amassed. But before digital marketers all over the world flip a lid, here are some ways to mitigate the fallout. Expect organic distribution to decrease Prepare yourself, your CMO, and/or the clients you represent for this change. Consider making a quick one-sheet with links to a few articles and a couple of bullets addressing a new content strategy or proposing an increase in advertising budget on Facebook. I’m all about being on the proactive side of things with clients, especially when it comes to complicated subjects like social media. You’re the expert, so be the expert. That’s why they pay you. Expand to niche networks Facebook and Twitter are cluttered with content, particularly from brands. It’s no wonder there is stiff competition for visibility. However, there are plenty of social networks outside of the giants that brands can use. I’m not suggesting all marketers rush to flood Snapchat and Swarm with promotional messaging to avoid spending ad dollars. Rather, marketers should look to smaller, niche social networks and create strategies suited to their core demographics and content distribution style. Go cross-channel I get it: you absolutely still need to use digital to promote sales and products. What you must do, though, is move away from solely relying on social media for promotions. Instead, launch promotional email marketing campaigns; integrate social components into your website; and offer loyalty programs that incorporate social media but directly influence consumer behavior. Design campaigns to take a consumer through the journey of engagement, reward, and loyalty, and do so across platforms. Don’t abandon Facebook I say it constantly, and I’ll say it again: Facebook isn’t dead. It’s still a powerful marketing tool, capable of reaching and engaging audiences on a mass scale. What brands need to realize now is that one-to-one marketing cannot take place on Facebook alone. Facebook’s advertising options provide brands with a cost-efficient way to reach audiences if marketers are willing to pony up and focus their efforts on effective advertising techniques. The network is still an essential component of a successful digital marketing plan…it’s just no longer free. BuzzFeed has received quite a bit of media attention for its Facebook success, and CEO Jonah Peretti attributes that to a well thought-out content strategy that doesn’t hinge on gimmicks or strictly promotional content. He compared BuzzFeed’s strategy to the foundation of television advertising in an article in Business Insider, a comparison I believe perfectly applies to a new era of social media strategy. Marketers, take note: In an abstract sense, [social networks] have the same incentives as the cable providers. They want content companies to invest in better and better content that makes their networks more valuable. Some of that will be news made by journalists. Some will be entertainment made by great storytellers and comics. But it is in their interest and the consumer’s interest to distribute great original content published by companies that will invest in content in the long term. prdaily/Main/Articles/17744.aspx
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:30:00 +0000
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