This month kicks off the first look into advertising on The Big 6 of social media - Facebook. While this can be an extensive topic, the below are some highlights. If you have any questions about any of the content or how it relates to you specifically, please don't hesitate to contact your marketing specialist.
A brief overview: Facebook debued in 2004 and as of this month there are over 1.86 billion monthly active Facebook users and 1.23 billion people log onto Facebook daily*. These numbers are too big to ignore Facebook as part of your marketing strategy. Pros vs Cons Pros: 1. Target specific groups of people by age, location, hobbies, etc. 2. Creates an avenue for open dialogue between your brand and your audience. 3. Drives traffic to your website & helps with your SEO. 4. It's CHEAP! Cons: 1. It can be difficult to break through the "noise" of all of the advertisements. 2. If left unchecked, negativity toward your brand can become a wildfire. Typical Users - Fastest growing Facebook age demographic is people over the age of 55. - Age 25 to 34, at 29.7% of users - 1.74 billion mobile active users Strategies - Use Facebook to educate and entertain. Since it allows longer, more detailed posts, you can provide a lot of useful information to your followers; however, it needs to be content relevant to them and their lives. Locally focused posts ALWAYS do better than generic health posts, but it is good to provide a combination to benefit to as many people as possible. - 8 out of 10 posts should be informational, not selling a product or service. Misconceptions - Actively participating on Facebook takes a lot of time. Posting 3x a week, with something as simple as, "Happy Friday" with a photo of your staff, can take a little as 5 minutes of your time. The biggest hurdle is just getting in the habit of doing it. Measuring Results - While it can be difficult to tie a Facebook campaign directly to an increase in sales, or new patient count, Facebook does offer campaign reports. Metrics such as people reached, likes, shares, and comments all contribute and are important to consider when looking at the success or failure of a campaign. *Source: Facebook as 02/01/17