Okay, so that title may sound a little bit harsh, but I promise that there is some truth to it. While Facebook likes aren’t completely worthless, their actual value has been diminishing at an alarming rate.
Let me explain:
Over the past two years, Facebook has been squeezing the organic reach of content for businesses using the platform. As 2013 was coming to a close, the average post from a Facebook page would organically reach around 11-13% of that page’s followers. Fast forward to today, and you’re lucky to hit 3%.
While many marketers and business owners are quick to accuse Facebook of being unfair by not rewarding brands that are posting relevant content, keep in mind that Facebook became a public company in 2012. The social media giant has become revenue driven, and they’re out to increase their profits just like we are. So while Facebook users can rack up likes like Guy Kawasaki collects Twitter followers, it’s likely that those fans will not see the content you posted, let alone interact with it and visit your business Facebook page.
If you really want to get anywhere with your social media marketing, you’ll have to spend money. Let’s use our Marketing Blog as an example (make sure you read and subscribe to our social media posts). Our Facebook page only has a few hundred fans. By investing in Facebook paid campaigns, even as small as $20.00, we can reach around 3,000 targeted Facebook users. The added engagement that comes from this will often boost the organic reach of a post, as well at hit around 500 people who don’t already follow our Facebook page.
In comparison, if we had 4,000 Likes, and simply published a post hoping for organic reach, we would only reach about 100-150 Facebook users. And if you have fewer fans than that, well, you do that math.
Okay so what’s the point, right? The point is that it’s time you shift your marketing focus when it comes to social media marketing. It’s no longer a free advertising platform for your business. In order for your marketing strategy to succeed on Facebook, you have to be willing to spend a little bit of cash – Which we suggest you do. If you’re looking for more reasons why you should be investing your advertising dollars on Facebook, read our recent article here.
We’ll see you online… Cheers!
Okay, so that title may sound a little bit harsh, but I promise that there is some truth to it. While Facebook likes aren’t completely worthless, their actual value has been diminishing at an alarming rate.
Let me explain:
Over the past two years, Facebook has been squeezing the organic reach of content for businesses using the platform. As 2013 was coming to a close, the average post from a Facebook page would organically reach around 11-13% of that page’s followers. Fast forward to today, and you’re lucky to hit 3%.
While many marketers and business owners are quick to accuse Facebook of being unfair by not rewarding brands that are posting relevant content, keep in mind that Facebook became a public company in 2012. The social media giant has become revenue driven, and they’re out to increase their profits just like we are. So while Facebook users can rack up likes like Guy Kawasaki collects Twitter followers, it’s likely that those fans will not see the content you posted, let alone interact with it and visit your business Facebook page.
If you really want to get anywhere with your social media marketing, you’ll have to spend money. Let’s use our Marketing Blog as an example (make sure you read and subscribe to our social media posts). Our Facebook page only has a few hundred fans. By investing in Facebook paid campaigns, even as small as $20.00, we can reach around 3,000 targeted Facebook users. The added engagement that comes from this will often boost the organic reach of a post, as well at hit around 500 people who don’t already follow our Facebook page.
In comparison, if we had 4,000 Likes, and simply published a post hoping for organic reach, we would only reach about 100-150 Facebook users. And if you have fewer fans than that, well, you do that math.
Okay so what’s the point, right? The point is that it’s time you shift your marketing focus when it comes to social media marketing. It’s no longer a free advertising platform for your business. In order for your marketing strategy to succeed on Facebook, you have to be willing to spend a little bit of cash – Which we suggest you do. If you’re looking for more reasons why you should be investing your advertising dollars on Facebook, read our recent article here.
We’ll see you online… Cheers!
Published on August 11, 2015
About the Author: Tatyana Mournier
