"Should my business even be on Facebook anymore?"
That's a question we had recently from a prospective client of ours when we mentioned running social media for their company.
At first, our instincts were to say, "Well, why wouldn't you be on Facebook? It's such a powerhouse in the world of social media. AND it practically shaped what we know as social media and digital marketing today."
When the client responded that he has several friends whose companies were getting off of Facebook, due to so much of the controversies they have been facing, however, it made us take a few steps back and think more about it.
Sure, we all know the negative headlines related to Facebook:
Cambridge-Analytica. Data breaches. Trolls. The Election.
Whether the above headlines are excuses or not, the numbers show that people and companies ARE in-fact slowly but surely separating themselves from not only Facebook but some from social media altogether. In fact, according to Edison Research, since 2017, Facebook has lost over 172 million users, and that decline isn't set to stop anytime soon.
After seeing those figures, and as the top social media agency in Philadelphia, Studio x. knew we wouldn't be doing ourselves and our clients any good if we didn't dig deeper into this.
So we did.
We found that, YES, the above factors certainly are causing many folks to leave the platform. You have to think that sure, one day, it's your Facebook information leaked, but then your credit cards, your social security number, then your home address. Realizing this personal information can be utilized by dark web undesirables so effortlessly is overwhelming to think about, but it's the reality of 2019.
In our research, we also found that for businesses, in particular, Facebook's constant algorithm changes have made it harder for them to reach their target audiences and followers without paying for ads or boosts. Some studies have shown that only 10% of your business followers may see your posts unless you put some budget behind it. Even then, how conditioned are we (as users) to NOT interact with any content that has "Ad" or "Sponsored" on it?
Studio x. 's answer: because digital marketing is a multi-faceted, ever-evolving concentration that you have to attack from many sides at once.
Think about it: do you limit the rest of your advertising to just one single avenue? What if your brand doesn't lend itself to other forms of social media (i.e., Twitter, Instagram)? Is there a little wiggle room to put a little money into Facebook ads and a little less somewhere else?
Keeping a Facebook profile active with engaging content might take some time and energy, but there is still an audience there, and we predict that there will be for quite some time. Sure, younger users (millennials and younger) may be engaging more on Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) and Snapchat or Tik Tok, but Facebook is still a go-to for many baby boomers and Gen X'ers.
Facebook's ability to display video, photos, captions, hold contests, create events and groups, and link out to other forms makes it STILL a very flexible and useful platform for companies of all varieties and in all stages. We recommend sticking to your guns if you feel that strongly about staying off of Facebook but be open to keeping a profile semi-active. Also consider looping in other forms of promotion, like email marketing, or exploring the never-ending NEW market of more niche-social media platforms.
If you need help crafting or managing a unique digital marketing strategy that may, or may not, involve Facebook or social media altogether- don't be afraid to give your Philadelphia friends at Studio x. a call or click today!