Facebook Sharing is Caring

In today’s digital world, interacting with friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter, is a main part of society. Facebook in particular allows users to easily connect with their long-lost friends, or just close family members. Being connected for most people is a priority, whether it is updating your Facebook status, or messaging a coworker about tomorrow’s meeting. Connectivity also ties in with marketing. When users share branded content on Facebook, they are not only connecting other people with that content, but they are also making a connection between themselves and the brand.

Back in the days when the only method of advertising was buying space in a magazine, or time on the radio, there was not a whole lot of interactivity occurring between the audience and the brand. With the emergence of the Internet and social media, the game of advertising changed. On Facebook, when a user shares an emotional advertisement with his or her friends, the receivers of that ad will feel more compelled to consider whatever product it may be, and take action and purchase it. Social media has allowed the audience to become the advertisers. Users feel more comfortable buying something that was recommended to them through a friend on Facebook.

Take a look at a campaign that Maserati performed on Facebook. Their goal was to engender consumer interest in their new Levante SUV. To achieve this, they created video ads that they posted on Facebook and Instagram. The videos all had a unique selling proposition, such as the driving experience or the exterior features. Using Facebook advertising tools like Lookalike Audiences and Custom Audiences, Maserati was able to target the right audience for them. As a result of this campaign, Maserati reached more than 4 million on Facebook and Instagram, and produce 21,000 leads. Of those 21,000 leads, 127 Levantes were sold, making Maserati’s campaign a success. What really pushed their campaign to glory was the disseminating of the videos by users on Facebook.

Sharing branded content on Facebook is the best way for companies to become connected with their audience, and for their audience to become connected with each other. Facebook Messenger allows companies to connect with their audience on a much more personal level than sharing. And in this wave of messaging that today’s society is in, it is imperative for brands to take advantage of the opportunities like this one on Facebook. Connectivity on Facebook allows brands to easily and affordably reach their audience, and provide them with the right amount of information for their product. Using Facebook’s many tools for advertising, accomplishing these connections with audiences is easier than ever. Connecting with audiences, and connecting audiences with each other is a golden opportunity for brands to establish a trust with them, and for their business to grow and prosper.

Sticky Situation…

Connectivity is the glue of advertising; it joins consumers and advertisers together and creates a strong bond. In order to be truly successful in utilizing Facebook ads, you need to connect. It is important to appeal to consumers in order to create loyalty for your brand. The idea of connectivity is shown in two distinct types: connection of consumers with a brand and connection of consumers with consumers. Both of these have great impacts on the customer when it comes to brand loyalty and sales. Connectivity is something to keep in mind with every advertising move you make.

Connecting with your consumers is the most important aspect of advertising, and is even more important in today’s technological world. In order to properly reach your audience, you must truly know them. You must be able to reach your consumer wherever they are and however they are accessible and in ways that will resonate with them. No more pushing out one ad for everyone. It is necessary to make many different ads that appeal to and are relevant to your specific target audience. It is possible to stay connected by reaching out to consumers and listening to what they want and need out of your brand; you must not assume. Once a consumer is hooked, the relationship needs to be strengthened and maintained. This can be done by staying connected on a Facebook Page and having consumers create their own content regarding the brand.

It is also important to utilize Facebook in a way that allows your consumers to connect with each other. Facebook is a network with endless ties between people, and connections are constantly being made. Consumers who share good or bad reviews about your company are influencing their Facebook friends to feel the same way. That is why it is vital to advertise and connect with consumers who are influencers. Influencers have the power to persuade more consumers to buy a product or to trust a brand. That is the beauty of connectivity: a message to one can turn into a message to many.

Big Brands Leave a Big Mark

Advertising has had to adapt to the dramatic change created by new media—prominently social media. Customers today are smarter than ever and they are able to recognize advertisements and sponsored videos/events. When consumers recognize blatant advertising they are prone to blocking it out. Therefore, brands need to come up with more entertaining and creative means of advertising. Brands recognize that their customers spend a lot of time on social media, therefore the best way to connect is to join the creative channel. Brands try to tailor to the individual, and they use the help of Facebook to communicate with their target audience.

Large brands use Facebook’s principle of relevance by connecting themselves with the consumers that are a part of their target audience. Now, the most important part is not just to get “likes” from the Facebook community, but to engage with the people who liked them. Brands pay Facebook to show their posts to their target audience, and using a regular Facebook user’s search history, they are able to see if the brand’s ad would be able to catch the attention of the user.

For example, Coca-Cola, one of the most recognizable brands, uses Facebook to advertise. Coca-Cola is home to 20 billion dollar brands such as Sprite, Fanta, and Diet Coke. On Coca-Cola’s main Facebook page they have 93 million fans. However, Coca-Cola differs from other brands, they do not post many day-to-day updates. Other brands post just about daily on their pages. This is mainly because Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy is not aimed at encouraging people to visit its shops, as there are none, but rather maintaining a positive brand image and raising awareness of new campaigns such as the “Share a Coke” campaign, which encouraged consumers to buy a physical coke to share with a friend and also sharing their story online. In addition to its main page, Coca-Cola also has several other pages each dedicated to their own product (like Sprite, Fanta, etc.). These Facebook pages also allow the brand to communicate with its customers, and it make’s everything seem more personal and intimate.

Facebook is extremely helpful to Coca-Cola because they are able to achieve an international reach. Coca-Cola exports to 200 countries, and 50% of its sales are from countries outside the US. For example, through Facebook, Coca-Cola was able to focus on consumer’s in India, a country that drinks mostly tea and coffee. Coca-Cola was successfully able to convince consumer’s that Coke was the best drink for the summer. Using Audience Insights on Facebook, Coca-Cola was able to spot out its target audience in India using demographic and geographic date. Coca-Cola targeted men and woman aged 16-30 in 7 states in India. Overall, Facebook is able to provide international insight for large brands like Coca-Cola.

Gettin’ Down to Business

Facebook wants marketers to succeed. The social media site contains several tools to help marketers reach consumers, and one very helpful tool the site offers is its Facebook Business Page. The general information that a marketer needs can be found by simply visiting the Facebook Business site.

On the website, Facebook has a simple and easy-to-navigate display of the aspects of Facebook advertising. The site breaks down its information in three categories: Marketing Goals, Pages, and Ads. This allows marketers to read up on how they can reach their audiences and decide what element of Facebook’s advertising is best for them. The Marketing Goals section gives advertisers specific information about what they want to achieve through Facebook’s advertising offers. It explains how marketers can find their target markets, be discovered, and build customer loyalty. Facebook’s business site also points out the vast number of consumers who are using Facebook on a mobile device and will receive the messages.

Facebook Business provides much information on their advertising formats and placements. Advertisements can be in the form of videos, company pages, photos, slideshows, and more. Then these ads can either be placed in a consumer’s news feed or in the right column to the side of the feed. The advertising portion of the Facebook Business website gives information regarding pricing, choosing your target audience, and even advertising tips. While those are the direct forms of advertising that marketers can put out, Facebook also lets marketers know that their ads can reach even more consumers. Facebook, a community of connections, allows friends of consumers to be reached through a “Like” or “Share”. What may be the greatest aspect of advertising through this social media is that if you place a great ad, your consumers can help your message be passed along even further to their friends.

Facebook’s business site is one of the most beneficial resources for marketers. The easy break down and explanation of goals, where their ads will be placed, and how consumers will receive ads can help even the newest of marketers to succeed.