Integrate Old School Marketing Into Facebook
As we’ve watched Facebook grow and mature into what we see it as today, marketing on the platform has become much more advertisement driven rather than content oriented. Businesses are now forced to boost statuses to reach the desired amount of impressions and overall reach, while also having to create advertising campaigns to further grow their following, and hopefully gain customers who will buy what the company is selling. This leads to many business owners being skeptical about Facebook advertising, which is why we’re seeing diminishing engagement and exposure for companies who no longer make Facebook a top priority. There are old school methods of marketing that can get the results you want, and depending on how serious you are, you’ll have to get creative with content and incentives.
What I’m beginning to notice from a small fraction of businesses, is that they’re now asking customers to show them a Facebook post that the company shared, and by doing that, the customer receives some sort of incentive or free service. By implementing this strategy, these businesses are encouraging engagement, while also drawing customers into their stores. This is old school marketing being incorporated into social media, and it’s paying immediate dividends. While these companies are sacrificing by offering incentives or free services, they’re making their businesses more appealing, and drawing in consumers.
Another old school marketing tip that I tell small businesses to add into their social media content stream is to encourage their customers to “check in” on Facebook at the store’s location. By doing this, the customers then become brand ambassadors because the status that is shared reaches all 800 of their friends. Those are 800 people who have now been reached, and it didn’t cost you a dime. There’s ways around Facebook advertising, and word of mouth is that strategy. That “check in” is essentially a virtual word of mouth status that now affects their friends, which could then lead to further shares, along with influencing them to visit the store and also become a customer.
Facebook’s new algorithms now force businesses to spend money on advertising, but the way I see it, there’s now opportunities for companies to really interact with their customers by offering incentives, free services, or discounts if they “check in”. Why should you, or anyone for that matter, spend money every month on advertising when you can go in-depth and reach out to the customer on a more personal level? I understand you have to boost posts and there’s always a need to do social media marketing campaigns, but the best way to reach out to your local community is by word of mouth. It worked 50 years ago, and it will work just as well, if not better in 2015.
We’re seeing a new era take shape in the social media marketing world. Those who continue to go along with the status quot will end up like the “social media gurus” back in 2012, who are now no longer relevant. Facebook advertising, specifically hard selling, has now become the norm on the platform, and speaking from experience and observation, businesses are pushing consumers to other social media platforms. Facebook marketers will become obsolete and the Twitter and Instagram marketers will sprout up. If you want to bring value to a business heading into 2016, you have to encourage them to implement old school strategies. Social media marketers laugh at the 20th century forms of advertising, but right now, there’s an opportunity for traditional marketing to see a revival, but this time, in digital form.
