Succeed with Facebook Ads
Organic Facebook reach is not what it was when the platform first came out 15 years ago. On January 11, 2018, Mark Zuckerberg posted the following:
We started making changes in this direction last year, but it will take months for this new focus to make its way through all our products. The first changes you'll see will be in News Feed, where you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups.
As we roll this out, you'll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard -- it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.
For example, there are many tight-knit communities around TV shows and sports teams. We've seen people interact way more around live videos than regular ones. Some news helps start conversations on important issues. But too often today, watching video, reading news or getting a page update is just a passive experience.
Now, I want to be clear: by making these changes, I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down. But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable. And if we do the right thing, I believe that will be good for our community and our business over the long term too.
At its best, Facebook has always been about personal connections. By focusing on bringing people closer together -- whether it's with family and friends, or around important moments in the world -- we can help make sure that Facebook is time well spent.
In summary, organic reach is not what it used to be for pages. Instead, the focus is being placed on your friends and family.
Truly, this goes to the root of social media. It’s about community. It’s about building relationships and reconnecting with the ones you may have lost through the years.
In 2019, Facebook (and social media as a whole) resembles a pay-to-play environment. With so many businesses desperately trying to scream their name above the rest, the great equalizer often comes down to who has the biggest budget. So the spoils go to the Fortune 500 companies who not only built their brands decades ago, but who also have sizable advertising budgets and other resources to reinforce their messaging.
But does this mean social media should be abandoned completely? Absolutely not. As the old adage goes, if you don’t like the conversation, change the subject.
So, instead of trying to take on larger companies directly, play a more locally concentrated social media game. As we’ve discussed before, most industries can be considered saturated to some degree in 2019. So, a local focus could very well be your next best strategy to rise above the competition.
Through the use of pay-per-click advertising (PPC), overcome these obstacles becomes even more simplified. Through boosting posts, you have access to a seemingly unlimited variety of targeting options; age, location, gender, and interests just making up a few of them.
But here’s the best part: While some people use social media to try to “sell” people into using their business, it’s really better used to build on the relationships you already have. This brings us full circle to Zuckerberg’s words, “Facebook has always been about personal connections.“
By tapping into your friends, family, and colleagues, you’re essentially building your business in the eyes of your “sphere of influence”, the ones most likely to refer business your way. While the process is long-winded and requires an unwavering commitment, this is how every small business goes from the minor leagues to the major.
For help with Facebook advertising, send us a message at RizzoYoungMarketing.com.