Home – New › Forums › Marketing mastery › Time to Rethink Your Online Social Media Marketing?
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September 6, 2018 at 10:46 am #998973Up::0
Nothing happens on the Internet until someone clicks a link.
Business Owners,
If you publish something on the Internet, you need to take responsibility for promoting the links to your info to your target audiences. If you don’t, you would be advised to spend your communication budget on offline media.The main link promoting sites are search engines and social media sites. Both are changing at an unbelievable rate. This post focuses on changes in the social media communications platforms and their users.
FS Business Owners,
You are advised to be aware of the dramatic changes occurring in social media.If you are using a social media marketing service, you may want to ask them how the recent changes to social media and its users are impacting your results and what action your service recommends in these quickly changing times.
To FS Internet & Social Media Marketers,
What general recommendations are you making to clients about all these dramatic changes?Following are a sample of articles/surveys published over the last 6 weeks:
Sep 2018: Pew survey finds marked decline in Facebook user engagement since March
Author: Greg Sterling, Linkedin ProfileIn a Jun 2018 survey:“a substantial number of Facebook users (42 percent) have stepped back from daily activity and engagement. This stands in marked contrast to a March Pew survey that found 74 percent of users visited daily and most of them (51 percent) went to the site multiple times a day.”
“The more recent Pew survey also found that 26 percent said that they deleted the Facebook app from their phones.”
Sep 2018: Good riddance to social media mass production
Author: Mark Traphagen, Linkedin Profile“Social media marketing is in a near-crisis situation. Here’s what marketers must do to survive and thrive…”“All these trends and more added up to a clear message: The era of mass automated social media production is coming to a close.”
Aug 2018: The Top Facebook Business Pages Are Posting More But Getting Much Less Engagement
“The top 20,000 brands on Facebook… had upped their post volume by almost 20% year-over-year, according to an analysis from Buffer and BuzzSumo…”“Facebook Interactions Declining Significantly …the report show that the total number of interactions on these pages’ posts had dropped by more than 45% year-over-year in Q1 2018 and by a similar 44% year-over-year in Q2.”
Aug 2018: Facebook Is Tops with Everyone but Teens
“Here’s how the top social networks rank among the following age groups…”Aug 2018: Gen Z (16-24 yo) Seems A Little More Into Snapchat Than Instagram Stories
FS Business Owners,
I don’t expect you to delve into the detail of the Internet marketing articles listed above but hopefully their volume and recency gives you a feel for the Internet marketing changes that are currently rampant and if you use Internet marketing and SEO services that you may feel the need to question whether their knowledge and activities are adequate to your needs in the current online media.I hope the FS Internet marketers and SEOs will offer their suggestions.
September 7, 2018 at 6:33 pm #1217037Up::0The findings come from a survey of U.S. adults.
Many US Facebook users have changed privacy settings or taken a break | Pew Research Center
Cheers
CoreySeptember 8, 2018 at 9:18 am #1217038Up::0Hi Corey,
I don’t understand the point you are trying to make…The 5 references I listed above are about more than one US adult user survey.
There is:
- An article based on a analysis of data from BuzzSumo of 43 million Facebook posts on the top 20,000 business which concluded that Fb page engagements were down 45% in one year.
- An opinion piece by Mark Traphagen, an extremely experienced Internet marketer that summarises the state of social media market turmoil. It may be the most useful summary article for many small business owners.
- Etc., etc.
I understand and encourage folk to be sceptical of any article about SEO or social media marketing. Most of them will be out of date, inaccurate, misleading or irrelevant.
That is why I:
- offer references that address a range of approaches to the topic
- include article publishing dates,
- include the author’s names and links to their LinkedIn profiles.
- try to select reference articles that are current and from authors with a level of experience and/or I’ve followed over a period of time.
I hope you can clarify where I’ve misunderstood your post.
September 8, 2018 at 8:38 pm #1217039Up::0Why would Australian business owners need to
Rethink Online Social Media Marketing – based on results conducted in America by American users, how does that translate to the Australian market?Cheers
CoreySeptember 9, 2018 at 10:01 am #1217040Up::0Hi Corey,
I think you may be missing the main issue being discussed here.This is not primarily about Fb users changing their security settings or taking a holiday from Fb, it is about the impact of Fb’s algo changes on Fb business pages.
Buzzsumo has been analysing and reporting Fb interactions for years. To Buzzsumo, Fb posts, follows and likes are International, not country specific.
What should a business owner do if spending money on a social media service that is designed to promote their FB business page when they see an analysis from a reputable resource like Buzzsumo that says:
“Over that 5-quarter period, engagement declined by:- 63% per post for image posts;
- 48% per post for video posts; and
- 70% for link posts.”
In addition, it seems businesses had to increase their posts 20% to attain these relatively insignificant interaction levels.
These aren’t minor FB usage changes, they can only be described as a total collapse in customer visits from generic interactions for Fb business pages.
I’d consider any business owner to be incompetent if they did not immediately put in a “please explain/comment” to their social media marketing service when they see numbers like these.
For social media marketing services, here is a detailed explanation of Fb’s Feb 18 algo change:
Feb 2018: The New Facebook Algorithm: Secrets – Behind How It Works and What You Can Do To Succeed
Author: Brian Peters. Linkedin profileSM marketing services, Are you on top of these changes?
ISTM, Fb is now totally focused on pushing Fb business pages towards Fb advertising programs.
September 10, 2018 at 1:06 am #1217042Up::0Hi John, I thought the article by Brian Peters you posted a link to was very informative. The idea that we need to create content that creates dialogue and meaningful interaction is a plus to me. I also think it creates an opportunity for small business owners to utilize facebook more effectively; after all, no one knows your business/customer/product like you do. The direct feedback you can get via FB is very different than what you get though product reviews. If you can manage your own FB posts, it’s time to take the bull by the reins.
You can create communities around your business but I personally think it’s more effective to engage in different communities that are centered around your product/expertise and bring your message to the masses rather than preaching to the already converted. I’ve seen a few of the new business communities turn people off as they are overly selling centered.
While I do advertise occasionally, I’m not seeing the big drop in reach other businesses are lamenting. I think we all just need to wrap our heads around a more interactive FB business synergy.
AnnSeptember 10, 2018 at 2:22 am #1217043Up::0As someone not really in this field but nevertheless finding it interesting as it relates to other issues such as marketing, human nature etc., I have a couple of questions.
Isn’t social media, by definition, a place for facilitation, interaction, collaboration, and the sharing of information and ideas?
If so, what’s changed?
Is it in fact marketers who have tried to challenge that notion by automating, mass producing content, and now finding the providers are pushing back towards what social media really is?
September 10, 2018 at 10:46 am #1217044Up::0Hi Ann & Johny,
Just to confirm that this thread is specifically about Fb BUSINESS pages, not about Fb PERSONAL PROFILES. Following are a couple of articles that I hope answer your questions…1. Different Rules for Personal Profiles vs Business Pages
Facebook sets different rules for the two Facebook formats. Here is a short article that summarises some differences:
Aug 2018: Facebook Business Pages vs. Personal Profiles: What you Need to Know
Author: Nick Gaffney Linkedin profileA couple of key differences:
“Facebook caps Personal Profiles at 5,000 friends. Facebook Business Pages, on the other hand, don’t have limits.”“Business Pages also have the opportunity to analyze information about their audience’s demographics and behaviors, allowing advertisements to be further targeted for better return on investment.”
2. Why & How Fb Controls Visibility of Business Pages
Fb has amended how/when its algorithm shows business pages in Fb user’s “news feed”. If Fb decides your Business Page posts are too promotional or uninteresting it seems to cull the frequency and list of followers/likers who receive your posts in their news feed.
Mar 2018: 2018 Facebook Newsfeed Changes and Your Business Page: How To Maximize Reach
Author: Abby Sorensen. Linkedin profile (Note the limited experience)“Facebook put out a survey and the results of this survey showed that people wanted to see more posts from friends and from pages they cared about, and less promotional content. “Promotional content” does not refer to ads (which Facebook controls for both quantity and quality), as much as it refers to posts from liked pages that consumers see as too promotional.”“The results of this survey led to the Facebook algorithm change. Facebook’s intention is to make the Facebook newsfeed more relevant and effective; all in all, to make each user experience on Facebook better. However, this change means that pages posting promotional content can expect a decrease in the distribution of their posts.”
I’m no expert in Fb marketing.
Perhaps their are social media marketers on FS who can expand the discussion and correct any errors on my part.
September 10, 2018 at 11:11 am #1217045Up::0[USER=7531]@jo[/USER]
JohnW, post: 261787, member: 6375 wrote:Mar 2018: 2018 Facebook Newsfeed Changes and Your Business Page: How To Maximize Reach
Author: Abby Sorensen. Linkedin profile (Note the limited experience)“Facebook put out a survey and the results of this survey showed that people wanted to see more posts from friends and from pages they cared about, and less promotional content. “Promotional content” does not refer to ads (which Facebook controls for both quantity and quality), as much as it refers to posts from liked pages that consumers see as too promotional.”“The results of this survey led to the Facebook algorithm change. Facebook’s intention is to make the Facebook newsfeed more relevant and effective; all in all, to make each user experience on Facebook better. However, this change means that pages posting promotional content can expect a decrease in the distribution of their posts.”
I’m no expert in Fb marketing.
.
[USER=6375]@JohnW[/USER] I think you know I respect your views, but when you start using someone who has only being in the business for 9 months I do need to question the validity of the advise. Based on that I could call myself a digital marketing guru.September 10, 2018 at 9:12 pm #1217046Up::0JohnW, post: 261787, member: 6375 wrote:Hi Ann & Johny,
Just to confirm that this thread is specifically about Fb BUSINESS pages, not about Fb PERSONAL PROFILES. Following are a couple of articles that I hope answer your questions…
Absolutely, here is my business page. You can see I get pretty good reach and interaction.September 11, 2018 at 10:31 am #1217047Up::0bb1, post: 261790, member: 53375 wrote:[USER=7531]@jo[/USER][USER=6375]@JohnW[/USER] I think you know I respect your views, but when you start using someone who has only being in the business for 9 months I do need to question the validity of the advise. Based on that I could call myself a digital marketing guru.
Hi Bert,En garde! I was trying to answer the question, “Why & How Fb Controls Visibility of Business Pages”.
ISTM, Abby’s article answered that pretty well.
BTW, did you actually compare the recommendations of the “newbie” (Abby Sorensen) with those in the article by Brian Peters? Can you help us with a summary of where Abby’s recommendations are in error?
Abby is employed by Nicole Harrison’s company, SocialNicole. [URL=’http://(https://socialnicole.com/about-us/’%5D Read some
About history here[/URL]. Nicole’s LinkedIn profile is here.Do we know whether Nicole “proofed” Abby’s article before it was published on Nicole’s site? I sure don’t…
We need to be careful about LinkedIn profiles. They offer some info that may be relevant, accurate or not. I treat them as a potential warning light not a definitive signal.
Bert, Please, gimme a break…
Would you have looked up the Linkedin profile if I had not done it for everyone?
How about you research and post some useful articles on the forum topic?
I’ll be delighted to read your suggestions.
September 11, 2018 at 10:36 am #1217048Up::0Hi Ann
Well done with your Fb marketing programs.ISTM that not many small businesses have the social media resources/advantages you do. Eg.
- You have a highly focused, high interest audience group
- You have very visual products
- You started around 2009(?)
- You have an existing client base that you can direct to your Fb page.
What we can’t tell from the outside is whether your Fb interactions are relevant and/or productive, increasing or decreasing since Fb’s algo change?
I’m not being critical, simply observing that most small businesses are likely in low interest product/service categories where it is hard to attract relevant Fb followers.
September 11, 2018 at 12:00 pm #1217049Up::0JohnW, post: 261831, member: 6375 wrote:How about you research and post some useful articles on the forum topic?John, I am but a humble gardener, I leave the research on marketing up to the marketing people. But as a consumer I should be free to comment where there are potential gaps, surely that is the benefit of the forum, to question and probe.
September 12, 2018 at 4:20 am #1217050Up::0JohnW, post: 261832, member: 6375 wrote:What we can’t tell from the outside is whether your Fb interactions are relevant and/or productive, increasing or decreasing since Fb’s algo change?But I can because I can see my insights and as I said earlier my reach remains quite good. I imagine because I don’t treat FB advertising as advertising but as a way to reach out and interact with people that might be interested in my product. I join FB groups give discounts, post links, like and share other people’s posts, answer questions, etc
Yes, I am in a very, very niche industry but that can have drawbacks as well. I imagine my approach would work for homewares, beauty products, baby gear, etc .
Yes, I can post pretty pictures, so can all my competitors and the majority (which I follow through insights) don’t get as much interaction.
I don’t draw customers to my FB page, I draw potential customers from groups and my FB page to my website. How many likes I have is meaningless, how many customers have used the coupon code I gave a group or names I recognize from my page or groups as well as recommendations to my business are what I’m looking at.
That’s my basic point John. You can still make FB work for you if you can wrap your head around the work involved in sharing real and relevant information and interacting with communities. Paying someone to regurgitate posts every 7 days doesn’t get the same traction as it used to but that just makes FB a more interesting place with less garbage
September 12, 2018 at 9:06 am #1217051Up::0bb1, post: 261833, member: 53375 wrote:John, I am but a humble gardener, I leave the research on marketing up to the marketing people. But as a consumer I should be free to comment where there are potential gaps, surely that is the benefit of the forum, to question and probe.
Hi Bert,
And, I’m but a simple retired pedlar…The problem with the web info about all things marketing related is that there is more inaccurate, irrelevant and out of date info than not.
When it is important to check potential suppliers I may use a range of resources like:
- Google searches for the business name + words like “reviews”. “problems”, “scams”, “spam”. “rip off”
- The business website. Incl. Terms and Secrecy pages
- Linkedin profile
- Whois lookup for the age of the domain and the name, contact details of the registrant.
- The Wayback machine to view the site’s history
I don’t trust Google or Yelp-type review sites as these are historically heavily spammed.
Please don’t stop commenting. You bring a healthy dose of scepticism and practicality to all things small business marketing related.
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