“Failing to consider Facebook is marketing malpractice.”
I said that a few years ago, and I stand by it today. Facebook is the biggest social network with the broadest audience. Its analytics are powerful and easy to use. And if you’re trying to build a following, it’s the first platform you should consider.
But, should it be the platform you choose?
Facebook isn’t the only game in town anymore. In fact, other platforms are gobbling up market share.
For the past decade, the boilerplate marketing advice you’d get for a new business is “start a Facebook page.” Today, it isn’t quite that simple. Here’s the process you need to work through.
Why Have a Facebook Page?
Facebook’s pages are profiles for brands or businesses. They let you offer important consumer information like hours, show off pictures, and give people something they can tag when they come to visit. They’re also a great way to engage, build relationships, and solicit and respond to feedback. But they’re not the right choice for every business. You need to be intentional about the social platforms you choose.
For any platform, and Facebook in particular, address these four areas:
- Audience: Where are the people I want to talk to?
- Attention: How hard is it going to be to get my message across to them?
- Authenticity: Does my message match my brand and the resources I can commit?
- Advantage: What’s an ideal return on investment look like from social media?
Audience
Only invest in Facebook (or any other social media platform) when you know you can target an audience effectively.
Look at your demographics. Over 20% of Facebook’s users in the United States are over the age of 55. Is that your target demo? Other platforms are fast gathering eyeball share among other age groups. TikTok’s well-publicized growth with Gen Z has fuelled its rapid rise, for example, and Millennials use a variety of social media apps much more than Facebook.
Demographics are more than just age, too. Consider all these factors:
- Family status
- Occupation
- Income
- Education level
- Gender
- Housing status
Your industry plays a part here too. Some have their own industry-specific social media ecosystem (for example, ThomasNet for manufacturers). For those industries, a Facebook page is probably a waste of time.
Figure out what your ideal customer looks like, then find the platform they’re most likely to use. If that’s Facebook (or your audience is broad), a Facebook page is the right investment.
Attention
Social media is absolutely flooded with content, and people are overwhelmed with choices. It is often better to focus on a platform where you can have a quiet conversation with a few people instead of shouting through a megaphone to try to be heard.
Competition is one of the biggest factors in attention. Are your competitors on Facebook? If so, you’ll need to decide whether to confront or avoid them.
Sometimes one platform is the clear winner in a niche, and you’d be wasting your time to not use it. For example, if you’re in cryptocurrency, you need to engage with people on Telegram, Discord or Twitter. The audience there is expecting that content. Saying “I’m going to be the king of crypto on Facebook” won’t do you much good because there isn’t an audience looking for that content.
Other times you want to avoid your competitors. This is particularly true if you’re taking a radically different approach to the dominant messaging or are in a challenger-brand position. It can be nearly impossible to establish your value or credibility when there’s already a leader on a target platform. You could easily appear as a copycat. Consumers seldom remember brands that come in second …
And that leads me to my next point.
Authenticity
To be authentic, you need to understand your brand and your company. Consider your brand, products and services. Do they show up best in text, with pictures or on video? If you have something to show on video, focus on a platform like TikTok, Instagram or YouTube instead of Facebook. Trying to force video content into Facebook formats will have limited impact, take significant effort and may never pass the authenticity test.
Resources are more than just time and money. Know what you’re capable of organizationally, too. Do you have great writers on staff? Let them do what they’re best at. Maybe you’re a little weak on graphics or video; don’t try to become the next viral TikTok sensation … on Facebook. Focus only on what you have resources for, human or otherwise.
Advantage
Marketing is an investment. There has to be some advantage to any marketing efforts you make; you need to get a return. Social media is no exception.
ROI is never “just” sales. Sales may be (should be) a primary performance metric, but sustainable return needs to include:
- Visibility: Do people know who you are and what you’re about yet?
- Engagement: Do people care about your brand and your product or service? Are you trying to start productive conversations?
- Conversion: A conversion is more than just sales. It could be downloads, signups or subscriptions. Conversion is key to build relationships.
- Advocacy: Social media is digital word-of-mouth and smart social media campaigns generate user content to build advocacy.
Businesses exist to make money, true. Sales are always important. But the areas above will help you build sustainable sales, not just see a spike for the quarter.
Does having a Facebook page give you any advantages or improve your return on investment? If it doesn’t, skip it and focus on a platform that will generate a return.
Should You Have a Facebook Page?
Build a Facebook page if:
- You need its reach. Facebook has more reach than any other platform. Use it.
- You need to talk to a broad audience. You won’t talk to anywhere near the same number of demographics on any other platform.
- You want easy analytics. Facebook is excellent for tracking and parsing data.
- You use paid media. Paid media on Facebook is one of the major reasons to use it. Paying for boosted posts, influencers and ads can reap benefits if you do it right.
- You want discoverability. Facebook’s discoverability algorithm is good and can push your page to new audiences. Some other platforms leave you largely at the mercy of your community.
Don’t build a Facebook page if:
- Your market is shifting away from Facebook. Whether it’s LinkedIn, Reddit or Discord, if your market is evolving away from Facebook, don’t get caught on a shrinking platform.
- The audience isn’t there. Starting a page that speaks to no one is at best folly and at worst, malpractice.
Hopefully, with the information above, you can decide whether or not a Facebook page is a good investment for you. Either way, that decision needs to be part of your broader content strategy. Social media must be used in addition to owning your digital presence. Build strong content on a website you control, then branch out from there.
A Facebook page isn’t essential for every business. It might be for you. Evaluate the cost and the return. Decide whether to go with Facebook or another platform, and then back it up with a strong website. And if you need a hand, contact us. We’re here to help.
Best Regards,
Ed Bardwell
President
Rainmaker Digital Services