Think It’s Not For You? Think Again!

Taken a look at social media stats lately? If not, you should. The numbers are staggering. The ads that run on most social media sites are by far much cheaper than running ads on Google AdWords, both display and search ads.

Why? Well, we’ll get into that but before we do, social media ads are not going to be affordable FOREVER. We are in a sweet spot now. Come 2020-2021, these costs are going to skyrocket and for anyone not getting in on this action now, just know it will cost big to start after everyone else has already taken their training wheels off.

So why is social media advertising so important?

Organic reach is just about dead for businesses that are just now entering the digital world. Even well-known and visited Facebook pages with hundreds of thousands of likes are suffering from lack of organic reach.

And Facebook simply can’t show your business post to everyone who likes your page, no matter if they have 50 likes or 1 million likes.

If they did this, businesses would catch on and realize they get free advertising from every single like they have and all our timelines would be filled with ads. On the other hand, people could simply STOP liking business pages and then business would stop using the platform as well.

Facebook knows this and made significant changes to please both sides. In part, they only show any given organic post to 6.4% of total likes, according to an article on AdEspresso.com. It’s enough to make businesses feel like they got something out of posting, but also made them realize that if they paid for traffic they could get more. And of course Facebook was happy to oblige.

Getting Your Ads Seen

Facebook also is having a problem finding places to deliver ads, which is why they rolled out the mid-video ads last year. Video viewership is up on almost all platforms, including YouTube, who recently topped Facebook for most used social media network.

LinkedIn also rolled out a video feature to compete with Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Now all social media platforms have video capabilities. So far, Facebook and YouTube are the only ones actively delivering ads in the middle of videos. Facebook just started this but YouTube has been doing this from the start.

Why Are Facebook Ads The Smart Choice?

With this early move to mid-video ads, Facebook has the edge over other social media platforms. But until about 8 months ago, most companies scoffed at the idea of Facebook and video ads.

Many business owners and executives are Baby Boomers who didn’t grow up with social media like millennials did. So they didn’t see the value or relevancy as quickly.

Now that Boomers are among one of the top growing user groups on Facebook, suddenly the idea of running ads there doesn’t seem so weird. And this is backed up by an article on AdEspresso, which found that 93% of social media advertisers are using Facebook Ads. And the even better news? They found that 26% of people who clicked on those ads made a purchase.

So What Does This Mean for Businesses?

With this new awareness, business leaders have to take action now on social media. They now realize that everyone is on social media and this is an ideal place to grab people’s attention.

They need to start diverting some of the marketing dollars into digital ads. Social media ads work and everyone is going to be rushing to take advantage. In order to get in front of the coming rush, businesses need to act NOW. Studies found that cost per ad jumped 17% in 2018, further proof that the ads aren’t getting any cheaper.

Still Think Facebook Ads Aren’t For You?

We get it. Facebook seems like a place for people to post pictures of their kids and not a place where business gets done.

We hear it all the time from our clients. But after we run test campaigns, all our clients saw significant increases in targeted traffic to their websites and sales in different ways.

What Does The Future Look Like?

With Facebook, the number of people who have joined the platform has leveled out. The younger crowd left, seeking newer social media platforms that were designed for them, which is another reason Facebook is driving the “Facebook Watch” part of their platform so hard.

The more engaging video series they have, the more places they have to run ads. This presents another great opportunity for businesses. Any company that wants to do a video series or a podcast should try it out because it’s the best time to do it.

As a nation, we are consuming more video minutes every day and YouTube is exploding yet again, taking the top social media spot away from Facebook.

Bottom line: Smart businesses are jumping on Facebook and YouTube and making these platforms work for them. Now is the time to move, before the platforms are totally flooded and your results are diluted.

Make Social Media Work For You

Resources:
https://adespresso.com/blog/facebook-statistics/

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How Millennial Leaders Are Using The Platform

Remember, you heard it here first, LinkedIn is set to EXPLODE over the next year!

Ok, let’s think about this logically for a moment. Millennials grew up on social media and cut their digital teeth on platforms like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, not to mention AOL Instant Messenger (an oldie but a goodie!). So, as they grow and mature in their career, what do you think their choice in social media platforms is going to be?

More and more millennials are using LinkedIn to build their networks as well as share and gain expertise. About 38% of all LinkedIn users are millennials, according to Forbes. With 2 new people joining LinkedIn every second, millennials’ presence on the platform will only keep growing.

So what does this trend mean for millennials?

Whether you’re trying to get noticed, attract more prospects or build expertise, LinkedIn is the right place. It’s packed full of decision-makers and influencers – all looking for people and products for their business!

And for those in the B2B space, you couldn’t find a better place to hang out. It’s the top channel that B2B marketers use, according to Omnicore.com. It’s the first place leaders look to find quality content, while still being relatively free of junk articles.

So How Can You Get More From LinkedIn?

Check in daily: Just like you check Facebook and Instagram every day (or 8 times a day like the national average!), make LinkedIn part of your daily social media checks.

All it takes a few minutes a day to check out what your network is doing. Like, comment and share the best stuff. Not only will this raise your profile, it will help strengthen your relationships and make them more likely to help you out with connections, recommendations and other requests.

Fill out your profile: Yes, I know it takes time, but trust me, it’s worth it. The more information you share, the better able other people are to gauge your expertise. The more details and experiences you share, the more likely they are to reach out and connect with you.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality: Yes, LinkedIn is for business, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Put your own spin on business news and world events. Just like you want your website to bring your brand to life, you can do the same on LinkedIn.

Make LinkedIn work for you: Just because everyone else is using the platform for their resumes doesn’t mean you have to. Millennial Josh Fletcher of BAMF media revolutionized the way people write on LinkedIn when he went to a long-form, double-line post, according to Forbes.

With mobile in mind, he made it easy to read and engage with content on LinkedIn. And this paid off big time, as he regularly gets millions of readers for his content.

Think about what you want to get from LinkedIn and tailor your profile and posts to that goal. If you’re looking for a new job, demonstrate your expertise with smart comments on industry news. If you’re building a business and looking for new customers, share helpful information that makes their lives – and businesses – better.

With just 10 minutes a day, you can build a strong network that will keep working for you, even when you’re off doing other things. And as more and more millennials take over companies, LinkedIn will only grow in importance. So, while Instagram is fun, make some time for LinkedIn, too. Trust me, your business and your own personal brand will thank you.

Make Social Media Work For You

Resources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/02/02/six-ways-millennials-can-take-linkedin-to-the-next-level/#51a9def45022
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/LinkedIn-statistics/
https://bamf.co//LinkedIn-views