If you are struggling with Facebook organic reach you are not alone. Facebook’s ever changing algorithms are causing a huge headache for small business owners around the world. Even though Facebook makes it hard to reach the fans you’ve built without paying for advertising in someway, small business owners are still obsessed with Facebook. I constantly hear, “we have to be on Facebook.” And “we aren’t getting any results on Facebook.” Sometimes in the same sentence.
I’m going to throw something out there. Facebook’s days are numbered.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think there is a lot of value in Facebook if you use it correctly, if you have an existing and highly active fan base from the golden days of Facebook for businesses, or if you have a ton of brand ambassadors out there who are constantly sharing your content to their own personal networks. But focusing strictly on the Facebook fan page is not going to get you far, at least not now.
I realize I let a huge cat out of a bag. I said it. Facebook is going down. And here’s why.
1. Declining Organic Reach
This is not a joke. Your fan page posts will only reach a very small percentage of the fans you have. Have 500 fans, only expect 20 to see most of your posts. If you have money to spend then you can get some
2. Niche Networks
In the days of Myspace, everyone was on Myspace. Then everyone left Myspace for Facebook. There was little competition. Today, niche sites are taking over. People want to spend time where they are surrounded by like-minded individuals. Niche sites are the future of marketing. Here is a list of 60 niche networks I found for your viewing.
3. Teens are leaving
In a recent study, just 45% of the teens surveyed said they use Facebook, a significant drop from 72% just 6 months ago. To me, that’s huge! Now I’m pulling this out of the air, but I’m going to say that is because teens don’t want to be on a social network that their parents and grandparents are active on. That’s just not cool. Teens are flocking to Instagram, my personal favorite network.
Should You Be On Facebook?
Yes, there are still a billion people on the network and there are a lot of opportunities if you can get the right Facebook strategy in place.
I think it is safe to test the waters. Some businesses have a ton of success. Publications, blogs and news sites do well, ecommerce stores can survive and those that market to the older generations (grandparents and parents) are in good shape. Yes, grandparents and parents are the most active people on Facebook. And there is nothing wrong with that. It just means that you can expect to see less and less teens on the site in the coming year.
Another advantage of Facebook is the extremely sophisticated social advertising tools. You can remarket your products and services on Facebook after they have come to your site. Or you can market to specific audiences based on what they like, where they live, who they are, and even what credit cards they use. Plus, you can advertise only to people who have signed up for your list or bought something from you. This is powerful!
Lastly, the personal networks are still strong. So if you want to be truly successful you need to look at how you can get people sharing your content for you. This is where the real reach comes to play. But to do this, you have to engage people on your site and get them sharing. In other words, you have to create your own content for others to share.
Are you ready to say peace out to Facebook?
