Everyone is on Facebook. That’s why every brand is on there too. Of course, marketers want to get closer to their customers, and Facebook makes it easy to do just that with all its built-in marketing tools. But does it really?
It all looks good on paper: you pay a fee and you get more followers. And more followers means more people to listen to what you have to say—at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Unfortunately, there’s more to this whole Facebook marketing thing than we initially thought.
Likes are Just That
Even if you pay top dollar for page likes, there’s no real guarantee that your consumer engagement would go up. You can give it a shot if you want. Run a likes-generating campaign for a week and then post something on your wall. See how many views you get versus the total number of likes you have—and then check how many of those views actually converted into some form of actual engagement (i.e., post likes, comments or shares).
You can post the most interesting share-worthy things on your wall, but none of it would matter if no one is there to see them—which brings us to the next point:
Facebook Decides Who Sees What
Facebook lives and dies by the number of its users. We are its most valuable asset—and the team behind it knows this, so they make sure that to us users Facebook = great time.
Of course, a Facebook wall filled with ads and all sorts of marketing messages does not really make for a happy social media experience. Remember how pre-AdBlock Youtube used to drive people insane with ads? So, how does Facebook address this? It uses content filtering.
This means that Facebook learns what each user wants and then filters the type of content they see based on it. So, unless people who like your page actually interact with it or press the “Follow” button on the lower right side of your page’s cover photo, there’s a big chance that they won’t see your posts.
But You Can Always Just Buy More Engagement
It’s called boosting. You’ve already bought more followers, why not obtain more exposure and engagement too?
Yes, it seems that paying for page likes is not enough. You have to pay Facebook again to make sure that the followers you just bought actually see your posts. And more often than not, all it does is generate post likes and nothing more.
Of course, if a user has some form of ad blocker in place, there’s still no way your boosted messages are coming through.
The Solution: Take Facebook for What it Is
Let’s face it, Facebook is not a marketing tool. There’s just no way (at least for now) to please both users and advertisers at the same time. If the marketers and advertisers are happy, then chances are the users are unhappy because of all the ads. If the users are happy, then it’s probably because ads and marketing messages are being filtered or blocked.
But don’t delete your brand’s Facebook page just yet! It can still add value to your business if you use it for what it was originally intended to do: socialize. It’s the perfect platform to strike up meaningful conversations with your customers. Find out what they want. Ask them what they have to say about you. It’s a great way to spot emerging trends and new opportunities.
Anything to add? Share it with us in the comments!
