Nov 6, 2013
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Facebook Users by Age
My mother is on Facebook. It feels like everyone is. My grandmother has a Facebook profile and she’s 92. That sums up the underlying power Facebook holds in the marketing world. In yesteryear you could only find certain key publics and markets through social media. Now you can find everyone in one place. But is Facebook the marketing tool that it’s cracked up to be?
Social Media Examiner released their 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. They asked participants if they used social media and whether they tracked how effective their social media marketing actually is.
Of those surveyed 97 percent use social media for their business and 86 percent consider it an important part of their marketing.
Now let’s take a closer look at Facebook. 92 percent of surveyors use Facebook and 49 percent consider it their most important social media marketing tool. But the real surprise here is only 37 percent of marketers think Facebook is an effective form of marketing. This confuses me. Perhaps the surveyors are not tracking their efforts correctly. Maybe they do not understand the real power of Facebook. Let’s take a look at why Facebook is effective.
1. Everyone uses it. Just like I said before, my mother is on Facebook. I can reach huge groups through one social media site.
2. It’s free. You don’t have to pay for a Facebook account. This is free advertising. You get more attention based on your content or how much you’re willing to pay. Good content is always the better bet.
3. Search Engine Optimization. Facebook plays a role in SEO. It isn’t the biggest role, but it’s big enough to matter. If you post real content with links, hashtags, and photos you will move up in search engine rankings.
4. Create a loyal fan-base. Facebook helps you pinpoint your loyal fan-base. As you post good content you will start to notice that the same people “like” your posts.
Don’t give up on Facebook. It’s effective in its own way. Remember to post real content and play to your audience. Spread the word anyway possible.