Citing abandonment from the 12-17 age bracket, some marketers are calling the ‘death’ of Facebook. But unless 12-17 year olds are your demographic, you can’t afford to leave out Facebook marketing as part of your social media marketing matrix just yet; here’s why.
Facebook Marketing a Must – Platform Use Still Outpacing the Rest of the Social Media Pack
Thanks to new data from YouGov we can tell you just how many US adults are using social networks, and which they prefer. A closer look at the numbers shows why marketers can’t afford to leave Facebook marketing out of their social mix, at least just yet.
Despite predictions of its imminent demise and – apparently – the defection of 12-17 year old internet users, Facebook is still the most widely used social platform in the world, including here in the U.S. Whether Facebook use is actually on the decline among all users or its days are numbered, remains to be seen. But for the time being, Facebook marketing provides the opportunity for today’s small business marketers to connect with, engage and attract members of its target markets, more so than on any other social platform.
Here are two statistics which offer proof positive that(at least for now) Facebook must be part of nearly every corporate marketing strategy. One, in the U.S., as much as 85% of all household buying decisions are made by women. And two, 80% of adult women in the U.S. are Facebook users (more than double the number of women using any other social platform).
A new YouGov survey tracking social media use recently published information which should be of great interest to those who are using digital marketing to promote their products or services. For instance, did you know that only 15 percent of U.S. adults say they aren’t members of any social networks – that includes 18% of men and only 12% of women.
Why Should Small Business Owners and Brand Marketers Market on Social Platforms?
If you have a limited marketing budget, social platforms (especially Facebook) provide small business owners and marketers with an opportunity to engage in paid promotion from an extremely low price point. Unlike most media and advertising opportunities, even a mere $50 to spend on Facebook marketing can bring in new followers, brand awareness, target audience engagement and sales.
Since Facebook and other social platforms give marketers the ability to limit ad placement based on user demographics, it’s possible to put sponsored posts in front of only the most likely buyers.
Which Social Networks Provide the Best Small Business Marketing Opportunities?
That depends. As with any other marketing opportunity, the best options rest in getting brand exposure on channels where ideal buyer types and overall target audiences can be found. Given the sheer number of U.S. adults that use Facebook, Facebook marketing still probably tops the list for most small businesses. Take a look at the number of users by social network as of December 2014 and see how the numbers break down when it comes to U.S. adult men and women:
All Social Media Platforms Are Not Created Equal
It’s impossible to talk social networks without acknowledging that each has its own particular purpose and audience (except for Facebook, whose reach is nearly universal). For instance, eliminate Facebook and you find Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest coming in with somewhat equal popularity among U.S. adults. These networks are vastly different from one another not only in the type of people likely to use the platforms but also in terms of the most effective way to use each as it pertains to marketing.
For more on the difference between the most-used social platforms, refer to our recent post: Strategy + THIS Will Help You Get What You Want out of Social Media which provides an overview of the best practices for several of the most popular social networks.
You might also like: 4 Ways Small Business Can Beat Big Players on Social Networks
3 Quick Tips to Boost ROI on Small Business Facebook Marketing Efforts
Get in the Game
Getting in the game is about more than setting up a company or professional social profile page. Stop thinking of Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other platforms as marketing channels, and imagine that, instead, they were real-life networking events.
Setting up a profile page is akin to entering the event and putting on a nametag; it’s going to take a lot more for you to make connections, connect with people who are interested in your brand, find out what their points of pain are and communicate how your brand can help resolve them.
Adopt the Right Approach
When you place an ad in a magazine or on media like the television or radio, it’s an opportunity to talk about your brand. Social marketing is not advertising. Success in social marketing is about connecting with people in and outside of your target audiences in order to share information and discuss topics of mutual interest.
If you approach social networking this way, you will have many more opportunities to talk about your brand than you will if you approach social media with an advertising mindset. Ironic, but true.
Extend Reach Strategically
We sponsor a few posts each month on Facebook and LinkedIn and target their placement based on user job titles and industries. It has helped us to grow our number of followers (which means that our updates have the potential to reach more people on social networks) and has also provided increased web traffic. We are strategic in not only targeting placement, but in publishing content and information that is of value to our audience members, with the intent of gaining increased brand awareness and starting dialogues about our products and services with interested followers.
This will be more important for small business owners and brand marketers to consider in 2015, when Facebook changes will mean that unpaid brand updates will not reach as many followers as they have previously. Though this could sting some entrepreneurs, it’s also important to note that small business owners and brand marketers can ensure that their posts get additional reach by turning brand followers into brand advocates. The more likes, comments and shares brand posts receive, the more they are rewarded by Facebook with additional reach.
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