If you market on Facebook, read this now
Apple’s iOS changes could be killing your results
Apple’s new privacy update rolled out in September 2021, and Google’s privacy update is expected this year. This is a big deal for marketers, especially for small businesses that tend to DIY Facebook marketing because it is ‘so easy and cheap to boost a post.’ It is an even bigger deal for Mark Zuckerberg because this Apple change was the key factor in the $200 billion hit in value Meta’s stock took in February. (Meta is the company formerly known as Facebook).
What does the iOS update mean for your Facebook ads?
In addition to being accused of overstating the number of Facebook users, Facebook posts are much less effective than ever. This is a double whammy in that, one, the Facebook audience marketers think they are reaching isn’t as large as Facebook claimed and, two, Facebook ads are much harder to target and less effective. In simplest terms, that is because if iOS users (Apple) enable their privacy settings, it is harder for Facebook to find them and serve them your ads.
When it comes to Facebook marketing, many small businesses already spend too much time and give too much hope to what Facebook does for their businesses. According to Hootsuite, a leading social media company, organic (ie. FREE) posts appear in only 5.2 percent of your followers’ feeds, and unless your message is compelling, your post is quickly scrolled over. That means if you have 500 followers, 25 people may see your post.
What can you do as a Facebook marketer?
1. Verify your domain to configure pixel conversion events for measurement
2. Prioritize the eight events most important to your business when setting up your campaigns
3. Adjust your reporting measurements, as your results will change
4. Identify new strategies on Facebook
5. Spend less time on organic posts unless you have a large audience and high engagement
In other words, Facebook is no longer an inexpensive DIY marketing channel. Don’t be lured into the belief that your free Facebook marketing is working because your friends and employees tell you they see your posts. They are pretty much the only people who do. If you want to continue to use Facebook as a key marketing channel, you need to set a budget, design a highly engaging campaign, monitor your results and adjust throughout the campaign.
TANSTAAFL
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
When something becomes a textable acronym, it must be true, right?
TANSTAAFL is an economic theory that applies to Facebook marketing as it is the concept of opportunity cost. In the case of Facebook marketing, your opportunity cost is the time you spend on scrolling on social media, creating the posts, engaging with or sharing your posts and measuring your campaigns.
If that time could be spent in other areas, like enhancing your customer experience, improving service times or developing an effective advertising campaign, that time is really your cost. It adds up.
