Tag: Facebook marketing

4 Stellar Social Media Resources

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , ,

The numbers don’t lie. Social media is everywhere — used daily for news, entertainment, socialization and, you guessed it, marketing. 

Nearly 50 percent of the world’s population utilizes a social media platform. That’s approximately 3 billion people. What’s more, most people spend more than two hours a day scrolling through their social feeds. 

Brands and businesses have successfully capitalized on this massive marketing opportunity. Thirty-seven percent of consumers find purchase inspiration through something they’ve seen on social media, and 71 percent who have had a positive online brand interaction are likely to recommend the product to others. 

Top 4 Clairemont Social Media Resources

With this enticing information in mind, utilize some of our social media secrets + a sprinkle of your own creativity for a strong marketing recipe.

3 New Hacks for Social Storytelling

In need of top-notch tips to invigorate your Instagram? These small changes can make big improvements to your social media strategy. 

Beef Up Your Video Power

Video content combined with savvy strategy and terrific tools: it’s a game-changer. 

The Social Race: Paid vs. Organic Exposure

Discovering the best way to lock in exposure can get complicated. Utilize these strategies to leverage the benefits of both paid and organic exposure. 

Making the Most of Your Hashtags

If you’re ready to up your hashtag game, employ this tool for #BigResults. 

Want more? Check out our take on TikTok!

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Businesses: Keep or Quit Facebook?

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , 1 Comment on Businesses: Keep or Quit Facebook?

Ah, Facebook.

What started as a closed social network for college students has mushroomed into one of the largest advertising and informational platforms in cyberspace. Facebook has shouldered its fair share of political drama and data breaches, and it still continues to grow, sporting everything from Karen memes to Halloween pics of the grandkids.

To Keep Or Quit?

That is the question. A maelstrom of change, is Facebook’s hotbed still a useful platform for businesses?

Facebook has seemingly squished organic reach since its algorithm shifts in 2018. Businesses have watched their organic impact dwindle along with their engagement and action rates. Given this, many have started questioning whether they should invest the time and resources to maintain a Facebook account at all.

Keep. And Here’s Why.

While Facebook may not function in the same way it did eight years ago, five years ago or two years ago, businesses still garner significant benefits from maintaining a compelling presence.

In fact, research shows that there are almost 2.75 billion monthly active users worldwide, an increase of 12 percent from 2019. In addition, approximately 1.8 billion people log onto Facebook daily — again, an increase of 12 percent year-over-year. Facebook is growing rapidly and is regularly trafficked.

1. Facebook is your business card.

The stats show that Facebook is the internet’s third-most visited website behind Google and YouTube. In essence, Facebook serves as a powerful search engine for information, much like Google. Potential customers and partners investigate the validity of your business, while job applicants explore photos, videos and posts to get a sense of your company’s culture. An active, healthy Facebook presence legitimizes your business, offers a peek into the personality and culture, and demonstrates that your company has the resources and energy to invest in two-way conversation. When they search, you need to be there.

2. You want the option to advertise (e.g. increase revenue).

While organic reach may have decreased, opportunities for paid advertising has skyrocketed on Facebook. In Q3 of 2020, Facebook ad revenues increased to $21,221 (in millions), a 22-percent increase year-over-year. In addition, average revenue per user increased from $6.95 in Q1 of 2020 to $7.05 in Q2 of 2020. That means that each person is spending more on Facebook ads, and that’s no small deal.

Targeted, intelligent ad campaigns on Facebook can not only increase sales for warm customers but also nurture cold prospects into your sales funnel. In order to tap into this goldmine, you have to have a Facebook business account. Another reason to keep yours up and running strong!

3. The conversation is happening … with or without you.

We recently worked with a client that addressed accusations against its business. And guess where this conversation jumpstarted? Yup, on Facebook. Had this business not had an active, listening account on Facebook, it would have missed this crisis altogether and likely not been able to correct information, offer mitigating actions and make things right. Conversations by customers and partners will occur whether you’re on Facebook or not. So why not be present to be a part of the conversation?

It’s not time to ditch Facebook … yet.

Strategies have changed from relying solely on organic content to crafting targeted ads and investing in interest-based groups. But your business has to be on Facebook to even be a part of these conversations — opportunities you don’t want to miss.

And hey. We can help!

Drop us a line to talk about your social media strategy!

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Facebook’s Change: Now What?

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s head of news feed, described Facebook’s newest change as “bigger than the average tweak … It’s not a tweak.”

Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, dubbed it “Facebook Zero,” and Contently described it as the “Facebook apocalypse.”

It might just be all three.

In mid-January, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled an overhaul to Facebook’s algorithm, one that possibly spells disaster for business pages. Rather than pontificate on death’s door, here are the CliffsNotes:

The Main Shift

Previously, Facebook aimed to connect users with relevant content. Now, the algorithm will prioritize meaningful interactions between people, not between pages and people. Think … posts by people who ask for recommendations or who share personal stories that spark heartfelt responses.

Who Matters? People. Real, actual people, not businesses or news sources. This overhaul places a premium on people who are in your network as well.

What Matters? Previously, the Facebook algorithm evaluated successful posts by the amount of time spent and the number of likes. The new system values post engagement in the form of comments. Lengthy, meaningful comments that require time and effort score far higher than short, monosyllabic quips.

(Facebook spells it out in its short video.)

The Effects

Straight from Marky Mark (Zuckerberg) himself — content from pages will increasingly disappear from news feeds. Reach, views and referral traffic will decrease to pages, including the Facebook content darling itself: video. Facebook will view this as a passive media type. (Note: video is not disappearing or becoming obsolete; we’ll need to adjust how we utilize it!) Overall time on Facebook will decrease while, Facebook predicts, quality of interaction will increase. And while the shift will start in the news feed, it will eventually infiltrate the entire platform.

Why the Change?

Facebook adopts a psychological stance on this one. Passive scrolling and empty interaction on Facebook, it says, decreases quality life. Meaningful, engaged interaction that requires effort and time investment add value and boost positive feelings. Hence, it seems that Facebook is striving to bolster our quality of life.

But back to business … now what?

First and foremost, don’t panic. Here’s what we see as promising grounds so far.

1. Ad Campaigns. There’s little chance that Facebook will hamstring its revenue source: ads. Begin to beef up your ad strategy, solidifying campaigns and goals to increase website traffic and nurture conversions. While many predict that costs for campaigns will rise as supply and demand adjusts, ads are currently still a firm method to connect with your consumers. (P.S. Check out a few tips here.)

2. Live Videos (and others). Live videos seem to be a slight exception to Facebook’s new rules. It encourages viewers to actively engage with both the content creator and with other viewers. Video, in general, is not dying, especially with recently launched features like Facebook Watch. So don’t ditch your cameras yet! Just stay tuned for ways to create “thumb stopping” content that will illicit comments and shares.

3. Encourage “See First.” For now, train your followers to mark your page as “See First,” affording your business content some priority in their news feeds.

4. Explore Using Messenger Bots. These “behind-the-scenes” bots can deliver ad content, answer questions and help streamline the sales process beyond standard news feed content or ads. Jon Loomer shares tips on leveraging Facebook Messenger ads.

5. Avoid Engagement Baiting. Facebook has made it clear that they will demote pages and posts that use engagement baiting to artificially increase post engagement. Asking fans to like, share, comment or tag friends are examples of engagement baiting. It’s a no-no.

6. Diversify. Psssst. Don’t forget; Facebook isn’t the only platform to nurture your fan base and gain customers. Now is the time to revisit your content marketing and broad social media strategy.

As marketers, we now need to consider how to create conversations between people, not between our followers and the page. Also evaluate how investing time in this Facebook shift supports — if at all — your core business goals.

In essence, Facebook has transformed from a broadcast platform into a coffee house table for thoughtful conversation. Pour a cup of joe and chat.

Need some help revamping your Facebook strategy? We’re here to help.

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What does a PR agency do? Home Interiors Facebook Campaign

Clairemont InternBlog, Case Studies, Furniture PR, , ,

Clairemont Communications has extensive experience in furniture public relations and building strategic PR plans for home decor brands, interior designers and furniture manufacturers. As our team celebrates our 5th anniversary, we are revisiting some of our most favorite projects since launching in 2010. Here’s one:

Client: Thomasville Furniture 

Background: Thomasville Furniture, established in 1904 and a leading name in home furnishings, was confronted by the challenges of economic downturn. Faced with a reduced marketing, advertising and media relations budget, Thomasville turned to Clairemont Communications for help. After evaluating social media networks and confirming Facebook’s significant potential as a customer engagement channel for the company, we assumed management of the company’s Facebook page in July 2010.

Objectives: Clairemont met the client’s request to build brand awareness during Thomasville’s annual Memorial Day Sale by conceptualizing the Ready to Refresh $10,000 Giveaway. Our objectives included the following:

  • Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes during the promotional period.
  • Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.
  • Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

Method: Seeking a major fan increase as part of a larger strategy to build a younger customer base, this six-week-long promotion that was integrated with other online and offline tactics to maximize engagement. Clairemont built and managed a customer application to host the giveaway using the social engagement platform Shoutlet. Working with the Shoutlet team and a graphic designer, we conceptualized and directed the creation of a custom graphics for the giveaway, incorporating the designs into the application, optimized for desktop and mobile use. To facilitate our objective of leveraging the giveaway to increase page likes, impressions and reach, we built a sharing component into the giveaway application, so that fans could earn extra entries.

Creativity: To emphasize the affordability of Thomasville Furniture, Clairemont shared beautiful photography – which was also featured in the Memorial Day Sale catalog – showcasing rooms decorated with Thomasville Furniture for $10,000 or less. Additionally, we created and shared collage boards showing fans assortments of products totaling $10,000. With these two tactics, Clairemont sough to help fans visualize the amount of stylish furniture available at Thomasville within the $10,000 price range.

To engage users on the page, we also created ten word graphics, such as “Imagine what $10,000 will do to refresh your home,” and “Keep calm and redecorate,” which prompted conversation on the page. Custom-designed cover photos promoting the giveaway were updated bi-weekly to keep page content fresh. Lastly, coordinated marketing efforts separate from Facebook promoted the giveaway through regular email blasts, on Thomasville.com and in the Memorial Day catalog.

Evaluation:

1. Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes.

  • During the duration of the giveaway, Thomasville’s Facebook fan count increased by nearly 11,000 likes, exceeding our original goal of 10,000.

2. Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.

  • The giveaway successfully increased key metrics on Facebook, allowing us to exceed our original objectives with more than one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of approximately 500,000. Strategic postings and captivating content successfully increased the page’s engagement, with nearly 25,000 more daily engaged users throughout the six-week-long promotion than the weeks prior to the giveaway.

3. Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

  • Additionally, with more than 134,000 entries, the giveaway successfully captured more than 100,000 new consumer leads for Thomasville, surpassing our goal of 75,000 new leads.

As we look back at this work from just a few years ago, we realize how much has changed on how Facebook can be used for promotional purposes. Have you found the same to be true? Do you long for the old Facebook that had seemingly less rules?

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Does Facebook Advertising Really Work?

Josephine ButlerBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , ,

Are these things really worth it?

I recently had the chance to sit in on a webinar hosted by Justin Kistner of Webtrends and Jason Keath of Social Fresh, where they addressed the age-old (well, not that old) question: Does Facebook advertising really work?

This question has been in the forefront of debate recently with General Motor’s announcement that the company is pulling all of its advertising from the social network. So, we must know, did GM make a good choice? Is Facebook advertising really worth it?

The short answer is yes!  The long answer: certain types of ads work better than others. Here are a few important things I learned that will help you create the most efficient and effective Facebook ads:

  1. Use many highly targeted ads versus one big-reach ad. It’s better to create separate ads that target specific groups (i.e. twenty-something females with an interest in interior design, middle-aged men that enjoy exercising) than it is to create one all-encompassing ad.
  2. Target ads to fans for conversion. Fans are seven times more likely to click on an ad than a non-fan. An added bonus? Cheaper CPC (that’s cost per click).
  3. Link ads to Facebook apps instead of websites. What happens to fans that click on a Facebook ad that leaves Facebook? They go back to Facebook. Ads that don’t redirect traffic to a different website receive twice the conversion rate than ads that do leave the site. In short, keep fans on Facebook engaged by directing them to an app on your page!
  4. Refresh creative regularly. Ideally, you should update your creative within 72 hours after launching the ad. This ensures a higher CTR (click-through rate) and will keep your audience intrigued.

So what do you think? Did you find these tips helpful? We’d love to hear your comments, and please stay tuned – we’ll be sharing a few best practices when it comes to writing copy for your Facebook advertisements.

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