Over the years of social media, we've seen giants in the social media world start to fizzle out and became less important. Now, many are beginning to wonder if Facebook will be seeing this same decline happen soon. In fact, the Guardian released a post discussing the start of this decline. In combination with this article and other businesses leaving Facebook, many people are beginning to question the social giant's relevancy.
Does it really still matter in 2015? I am going to take a look at whether or not it is still important for you and just what you can do in the future with your social media content and Facebook.
Is it Really True That Facebook is No Longer Relevant?
Starting in mid to late 2014, we all started hearing the news that Facebook wasn't relevant for businesses anymore. This created quite a stir in the business world and had many people questioning whether or not they should get rid of their Facebook business pages. What started this? Well, Copyblogger created a post explaining to their audience that they killed their Facebook page because it just wasn't working for them anymore. They laid out some really great points as to why it was a good move for them. However, many experts came out to show just what Copyblogger was doing wrong with their Facebook page and what could've been done.
With the Copyblogger news and the articles many have written about it, it is still apparent that Facebook is vital for businesses. In fact, it is absolutely important for all small businesses because it can increase your reach.
Why Facebook IS Still Relevant in 2015
There is the very obvious reason for Facebook's relevancy is just how many users this channel has. As of September 2014, Facebook had 1.35 billion active users worldwide being followed by YouTube with 1 billion users. The ages of users are increasing, which is great for those marketing to a wider age demographic, and is something that you should be taking advantage of. (However, if you are trying to reach out to a younger, teen audience, you will need to go elsewhere to market to them such as Tumblr.)
Another reason Facebook is still relevant is that it is a content driven social channel, which requires you to create and share valuable, quality content. How does this help you? Because high-quality content is vital to all content marketing campaigns and is something you need to be focusing on. Google requires it for ranking, and you need it to have effective reach on Facebook. Facebook is also a great format for mobile marketing, which is becoming more and more important in 2015. If you don't have much mobile marketing going on with your site, then you should still be using Facebook to reach out to mobile users.
How Can Your Business Use Facebook Effectively in 2015? 4 Ways
While people have been off debating the relevancy of Facebook, there have been a few changes you might be unaware of. These changes mean that you will need to do a bit of a shift to market on Facebook, but you might just need to do small tweaks to your campaign. Let's look at four ways to use Facebook well in 2015.
1. Don't Create Content that Sounds Like You're Overselling. One thing that is going out of style is overselling on Facebook. You might think you need to come across as selling something so people don't misunderstand your intentions. Let me say that they won't misunderstand and they would much rather you take a more laidback tone instead of one that is focused on making sales. Many people are getting tired of the overselling they're seeing on social media and in ad campaigns. You are going to need to make sure you change your tone on Facebook to encourage engagement, clicks, and revenue.
2. Offer Valuable and Quality Content to Users. As I mentioned above, Facebook in 2015 is going to be more content focused and people are more likely to like your page if you provide great content. You need to make sure you are always providing your followers with valuable information, as well as fun, interactive content. You can share memes, infographics, and links to generate more interest and engagement, driving people to your website. Just remember, it all needs to be great quality, so don't think you can quickly whip something up and put it on the social channel. You need to take time to craft your Facebook posts for the most effective reach.
3. Share and Create Videos for Facebook. One of the biggest changes for Facebook in 2015 is the usage of videos. After implementing the auto-play feature, Facebook saw an increase in the amount of people who viewed videos, which shows that creating or sharing video content is important for your business. People are willing to watch videos on Facebook since it is a content format that is easier to consume when on their commutes, work breaks, or getting home from work and checking social media.
4. Don't Hesitate to Use Ads. While it might be frustrating, Facebook's paid ads are an important part of Facebook marketing in 2015. Since this channel has a wide range of users, this gives you the chance to reach out to people either in your area or around the world if you have an Internet-based operation. Use paid promotional ads to help boost your 2015 Facebook usage in connection with great content, videos, and a more laidback approach.
Don't Take Facebook Out of Your Campaign Plans Just Yet
As you can see, Facebook is still relevant in 2015 and can still help improve your business's reach. The biggest hurdle businesses will face is not that lack of viewers, but not changing their Facebook tactics to mesh with the ever-growing social media site. Make some changes to your Facebook campaign, but don't get rid of it just yet! Keep it going and you will be able to see some great results from Facebook shares and interaction.