I’ve got a ton of followers, but my notifications are empty. HELP.
It used to be that having a massive list of followers on Facebook was the ultimate win for a digital marketer. To be fair, gaining a large following on any social media platform still merits respect, and a large audience means more eyes on your content; but it’s just not that easy anymore. Facebook wants to know that your audience is excited about your brand and connected to your message. To that end, the platform’s algorithm gives Newsfeed preference to content that has been heavily liked, shared, and commented upon.
Marketers quickly learned the virtue of “Ask and you shall receive.” Millions of brand and fan pages host contests on the platform that encourage followers to like and share posts for an entry to win. And it worked - posts with similar calls to action frequently earned more interaction than those without. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Facebook’s most recent update shows that developers are catching wise to marketers tricks, as it applies a hefty penalty to posts that could be considered “goading.”
In all honesty, goad posts aren’t the best practice for social media marketing to begin with.
Lack of engagement usually points to low-quality content.
This can mean a number of things, like:
Your content isn’t relevant to your audience
Your content is entirely sales-oriented
You’re overloading your fans with posts
Your message doesn’t match your brand
Facebook applies a hefty penalty to posts that fall into these categories. You may think this unfair, but in reality, your fan base would penalize you for such posts anyway. The foundation of every single digital marketing campaign - or at least every single successful one - is good content.
What makes good content?
Glad you asked. You don’t have to have a Man Booker prize to create some good content. Essentially, good content addresses the four issues presented by poor content - it’s relevant to the audience and their interests, it doesn’t force the sales aspect, it’s not intrusive, and it’s in sync with your branding. Whether that content takes the form of imagery, social posts, email, or blogs is up to you.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your audience’s interests aren’t necessarily your own. Luckily, Facebook and other platforms offer audience insight data that allows you to glimpse what else your audience has been searching for. Don’t just provide a product or service, but promote a complete experience or a way of life. Your audience is more likely to remain loyal if they know they can trust your recommendations.
Many social media marketers have indicated that 2018 is the year to get back to the basics, which include a quality, user-friendly content schedule. What do you predict for digital marketing in 2018?