It’s hard to deny Facebook’s immense popularity, especially among Millennials. So it makes sense that if you want to market to that group, Facebook is the best way to reach them. This post by Nanigans (creators of a performance marketing platform) illustrates some effective ways to to harness the social network’s marketing potential. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before diving into all the ways to market through Facebook.
1. Friend recommendations
While it’s true that many Millennials rely on their friends’ recommendations to help them make buying decisions, those recommendations don’t come easy. “Liking” something on Facebook is a great way for users to share brands they endorse. However, 10 is the median number of brands that Facebook users ages 18-34 have “liked”. Millennials don’t throw their seal of approval on just anything. So common Facebook phrases such as “like this if you agree!” don’t go that far. Provide value, not “like” baiting, to win the Millennial audience’s approval.
2. Provide privacy
This is the age of the NSA, when it’s hard not to consider your own online privacy. According to Render Positive, 43% of Millennials are concerned about the security of their personal details. In fact, the study says 68% don’t like websites or apps that use Facebook Connect to share account details. Only 4% would be happy using their Facebook account to buy online. Facebook may be all about sharing, but that element must be optional. Always make sure Millennials (or anyone, for that matter) can choose to keep their information and purchases private and secure.
3. The value of “Likes”
There is a dark side to Facebook marketing that is starting to get some attention. This video by Veritasium explores Facebook “like” fraud, not just by paid click farms, but possibly by Facebook itself. While the validity of this claim is up for debate, Facebook has been accused of unfair practices before. So what does that mean? Take Facebook “likes” with a grain of salt. And by all means, save your money and avoid click farms!
4. Look towards the future
Facebook is certainly popular now, but this study says that may not always be the case. In it, researchers predict that Facebook would see a rapid decline. They say the site will lose 80% of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017.
Basically, Facebook users will lose interest in Facebook over time as their peers lose interest — if the model is correct. “Ideas, like diseases, have been shown to spread infectiously between people before eventually dying out, and have been successfully described with epidemiological models,” write the researchers.
Frizell, Sam “Facebook Is About to Lose 80% of Its Users, Study Says.” Time 21 Jan. 21, 2014
Whether or not the study is accurate is up for debate. All you need to is take a look at the graveyard of social networks like Friendster or MySpace to realize that nothing (not even Facebook’s popularity) is permanent. Facebook may be a good way to reach Millennials now, but it never hurts to keep an ear to the ground and stay focused on what will be the next big thing in the future. Have a flexible, and diverse marketing plan and avoid putting all your eggs in the Facebook basket.
Leave a Reply