Tag: Facebook

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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Should You Buy Followers?

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , Leave a Comment on Should You Buy Followers?

We’ve all done it. You post fresh content, respond to comments and employ a good balance of organic and paid exposure, but it seems like your social media following is growing at a snail’s pace.

Growing your social media can cause headaches and take an amount of effort and time that you feel like you may not have. You’ve heard that some accounts pay to boost their followers and, at this point, it seems like a creative solution to your problem, right? Unfortunately, like all things too-good-to-be-true, that notion is a little misguided.

Buying social media followers can have more consequences than just taking a large bite out of your budget.

1) It can damage your brand reputation. While buying followers can seem harmless at first, once real followers discover that your profile numbers have been padded, they may feel as if you are no longer credible. Once your brand suffers a negative reputation, it can be difficult to regain your customers’ trust.

2) You won’t get the engagement you need. With thousands of “bot” accounts (accounts created for users that don’t exist, copycat accounts or hacked accounts), you won’t be getting the true engagement that you need for social media success. Sure, you may be paying for hundreds of likes and retweets, but when you post content, the consumer is more than likely one of your fake followers. That doesn’t help get your message out there or grow your business.

3) It can be expensive. If you still want to risk it, think about how much money you’ll be paying to potentially damage your reputation and acquire hollow engagement. Most companies that provide these follower accounts charge in bulk for followers, likes and retweets. It could cost you anywhere from $50 to a few thousand dollars regularly.

4) It often violates platforms’ terms of use. If you still think that buying followers on social media is a good idea, think about this: it violates many of the top platforms’ terms of use, including Twitter and Instagram. While it’s not illegal, your account could be suspended or even removed.

It may seem like your account will take forever to gain a hefty following, but by uploading and sharing quality content strategically, you can grow your social media accounts. Try working in some hashtag magic or become acquainted with Instagram’s new algorithm to start.

If you need to step back and let some pros take over, drop us a line, DM us or tweet us!

Written by intern Yasmine Evans, a senior at NC State University.

 

 

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Making the Most of Your Hashtags

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

Hashtag. It’s one of those words you keep hearing and the more you hear it, the weirder it sounds. In social media, you’re constantly reminded to “hashtag this” or “hashtag that.” But which hashtags should you really be using … and why?

Remember that a hashtag is merely an identifier that pools certain posts together and keeps relevant data connected. It is a way for communities to share, a way to gauge opinions on topics and most importantly, a way for users to sift through the millions of terabytes of content floating around on the internet.

If you’re looking to beef up your hashtag game, you have to first ask, “For which platform am I creating content?” There is a monumental difference in strategy and results among Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Let’s break down each one.

Twitter

Twitter is where hashtags started, and the platform still emulates the tried-and-true spirit of their original purpose. Hashtags siphon your post into an online conversation. These tagged posts are “connected” to a thread of posts with the same hashtag, linking all the posts together. They work wonders for discovering developing trends and tracking relevant news or your favorite topics.

© [Artistan] / Adobe Stock
Twitter’s timeline algorithm, much like Instagram and Facebook, organizes your feed based on what it thinks will be relevant to your interests. One of the easiest ways to utilize hashtags is to find a popular tag and make your brand a part of that conversation. By engaging with a popular tag, your post will attract much more eye traffic. Connecting with trends is a great way to keep your brand in the loop.

Due to the 280-character limit, using several hashtags in a post doesn’t work well, so the most effective route is to use only two. Believe it, or not, there is an aesthetic appeal to social media content and writing a well-composed, organized and “clean” post could make all the difference.

Instagram

While people log on to Instagram to see carefully framed and beautifully filtered pictures, it is often the hashtags on the caption of a post that generates likes and helps it reach star status.

Tags on this platform serve as buckets for posts. Once a certain tag is put on a post, Instagram will group that post with all the other posts with that tag, creating an enormous gallery. Users can search any hashtag with Instagram’s Discover tab and see all the buzz on that topic.

This has shaped a community feel on the platform, letting foodies and travel enthusiasts alike share their posts with specific niche communities. Any brand has the chance to reach out to an exact market and share content with people that are interested in a certain topic.

Over time, certain hashtags have developed into industry standards, generating millions of posts. If you are a travel enthusiast, it may seem like a good idea to throw “#adventure” on your post, but at the time I wrote this article, that hashtag had almost 64 million posts. Remember that if you decide to use the more popular hashtags, your post could be lost a lot quicker due to the amount of activity!

However, Instagram allows you to insert 30 hashtags in one post, so use as many as you like! Just as a friendly reminder, it’s a good idea to make your hashtags appear lower in your caption so your post does not look cluttered. This can be accomplished by burying them beneath your text with dots, line breaks or whatever symbols you prefer. People will only be able to see the hashtags if they click on your post to see the full caption. On the other hand, tags can also be put into the comment section after a post has been made.

Facebook

Many people aren’t sure if Facebook is the place for hashtags. The original social network has traditionally been a platform for people to connect with close friends or specific users, unlike Twitter which encourages conversation among non-connected users.

Many businesses on Facebook use hashtags and promote campaigns the same way they would on any other platform. However, according to a study done by BuzzSumo in which more than a billion posts from more than 30 million brand pages were analyzed, posts without hashtags garnered more reach than posts with hashtags.

© [momius] / Adobe Stock
The sheer volume of that study makes it hard to argue that one should be using tags, but if your team has created a killer campaign and has found a great way to market it with an inventive hashtag, do it! It is still a good idea to keep the number of tags low to make it more appealing to the eye. We recommend approximately two.

The most important facet of the hashtag process is research! Research your industry leaders, influencers and audience to gauge tags people are using and which ones are resonating with those communities. In order to come up with meaningful hashtags that stick out, you need to know who you are trying to reach. You want to make sure your tag is refreshing and different from another brand’s hashtag!

Do your #research, be #inventive and don’t forget to have fun!

Now that you’re in the groove, check out some other tips on social media strategy!

Cover Photo Credit: © [Michail Petrov] / Adobe Stock

Written by intern Nathan J. McDaniel, a senior at Western Carolina University.

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Real Estate’s Top Three Social Tools

Clairemont InternBlog, Real Estate PR, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Learn how to harness the power of social media visual content on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook to build your real estate brand.

Triangle Real Estate Trends

If real estate in the Triangle was a children’s fable, it would be a beanstalk shooting into the sky to meet the giants.

According to a 2018 report from Capital Compass, the Triangle experienced record growth in commercial real estate last year, leasing more than 1.4 million square feet. Class A space – the crème de la crème of properties – continues to be in highest demand, indicating that buyers will pay more for premier quality and central location. The Dillon – the 18-story mixed-use building that will join the downtown Raleigh skyline – has leased 43 percent of its residential units and nearly 77 percent of its retail space, leaving more room for real estate growth in the near future.

Photo of Hargett Place in Downtown Raleigh.

Residential real estate in the Triangle is also on fire. In Zillow’s 2018 list of hottest housing markets, Raleigh earned the No. 2 spot “based on its rising home values and rental prices, steady income growth, abundant job opportunities and low unemployment rate.” The Triangle remains in the running for Amazon’s HQ2, which would bring 50,000 jobs to residents and accelerate the area’s growth. As the Triangle establishes itself as a technological, health care and financial hub, homebuyers and business owners alike are flocking to the Triangle to set up shop.

Key Social Media Marketing Tools for Real Estate

In layman’s terms, the time to invest in real estate is upon us. As a real estate developer, builder, investor or agent, effective marketing strategies are more crucial than ever to ensure your properties are the ones getting filled. To stay on top of the trends, we have our eyes on these three social media tools that will shine the spotlight on your brand.

  1. Snapchat Geofilters: The real-time visual platform offers so much more than flower crown filters. With 158 million daily users who exchange 2.5 billion Snaps and check the app an average of 18 times a day, Snapchat boasts a freakishly high engagement rate. Snapchat’s on-demand geofilters encourage direct interaction with key publics and broaden your brand’s reach to other people’s networks. The unpolished, real-time content lends authenticity to your brand, which builds trust and familiarity with your key publics, leading to meaningful relationships.
  2. Instagram Stories: Unlike Snapchat, Instagram more easily builds and maintains a steady audience. Stories can expire after 24 hours or be archived as a “highlight” to live forever on your brand’s page. Use a story to document the course of an activity, like a new property tour or community event. Which stories should turn into highlights? Choose the story clips that get the most views and engagement, says Michael Stelzner, host of the Social Media Examiner podcast. You can even separate highlights into different branded categories, like “Blog,” “Homes” or “Events,” which makes it easier for followers to view what interests them. These snippets provide a peek into the daily life of your brand, putting faces and adding personality to your logo.
  3. Facebook Live: The social media giant’s streaming feature marries long-form video content with real-time presence. These videos provide deeper engagement with your followers, since you can respond to a viewer’s questions or comments while live. Facebook Live seems made for the real estate industry; what viewer doesn’t want to hop on an impromptu tour of the newest properties and communities without leaving his or her living room?

Although they have their differences, these three social media tools tap into the power of visual. Videos and photos with intentional, innovative content give viewers a personalized experience when finding their perfect home or office space.

Are you ready to get social? Tap us in to help build your brand with our strategic social media know-how.

Written by intern Elizabeth Comtois, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

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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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