Facebook Promoted Posts have been getting some not so welcoming reviews.
Especially from small business owners without deep pockets to spend in social media.
So, like, I have to pay to reach fans I was already reaching?
Notice, I didn't write I have to pay to reach all of my fans.
No page was ever reaching their entire fan base.
Ever.
So the negative connotation surrounding the major change in the Edgerank algorithm is (a bit) misdirected.
The thing is though, across the board, more legitimate non-spammy businesses have reported major losses in reach. Up to 75% according to the varying reports.
And yes, these reports offer their stats pre this particular Egderank change and after.
So, is Facebook still worth the trouble if your already compartmentalized reach is cut by ¾?
Truth of Facebook Promoted Posts
Okay, there are three sides to this confusing story.
Facebook’s, the Facebook advocates, and the statistical truth.
What you were told happened by Facebook was that the news feed changes were in favor of user experience.
In lieu of users hiding and spamming posts, Edgerank was updated with a more intuitive selection process that does it for them.
All based on user activity of course.
So if you frequently hid or reported certain content from certain brands, now you wouldn't even see the brands posts, ergo no need to hide or spam them.
Makes sense right?
Problem with this logic is if that was the main reason for this news feed change then why separate updates from ALL the liked pages altogether?
Hmmmm….
Now, if you don’t consciously navigate to the “pages feed” in left navigation bar you won’t see updates from (almost) any of the pages you like. Whether you formally hid/spammed their posts or not.
What you were told happened via the affected brands was that Facebook is forcing brands to pay to reach the same amount of fans they were reaching BEFORE the change to news feed was made, via Facebook promoted posts.
Brands like Dangerous Minds publicly made a stink and published their drastic stats proving their point.
The problem here is that Facebook cannot force any page to promote a post.
Facebook promoted posts are a more convenient Facebook ad, essentially. So, just as you’d decide to pay to reach more Facebook users via traditional Facebook advertising, the same opportunity exists now.
The statistical truth is that on a broad perspective organic reach has declined across the board for most pages (that actually keep track).
Statistically only a fraction of all the active pages reported the dip.
So it’s fair to say that the accusation of organic reach drastically declining is only a fraction of the story.
But it is indeed a part of the story.
Getting around Facebook Promoted Posts
A lot of brands are beginning to focus heavily on Twitter and Google +.
Citing that at least their reach, whatever amount, isn’t being held hostage in an ad stunt.
Before I dive into Google + as a solution though, it’s only fair to tell how to get around Facebook Promoted Posts, within Facebook.
Your fans have work to do.
Some savvy Facebook Page owners published how-to’s on their blogs to teach their fans how to tweak news feed settings to get their page updates again.
Here’s the gist of it:
- Visit a page you already liked, hover over the “Liked” button to see the drop-down menu. Choose “Show In News Feed”.Now you can stop here but this feature is glitchy and doesn't usually give you the desired result. So you can move on to step 2.
- Hover back over the “Liked” button again and click New List. On the new screen choose the Pages link in the left-hand side. A list of the pages the user likes will show. Add the page to the new interest list.
- On the next screen name the list. And click done.
- Go back to the “home” page and under the section “Interest”s on the left hand side, choose the little pencil icon to the left of the new list name just created and choose add to favorites.
That’s it. Once your fans do this, they shouldn't miss any more of your page’s posts.
You've got to ask yourself though, are you willing to do this for all the pages you've liked?
If not, why would your fans be so inclined to take the time?
Time to change channels
The more favorable option is to focus your efforts on a different platform altogether.
No you shouldn't abandon Facebook entirely, but, if your reach declined drastically, you may need to cut your losses.
This is how I see it.
Google Plus has a heavy hand in Google’s organic search results.
Coupled with Google Authorship I've personally experienced quality page rankings for my content.
Better results than I've had with my Facebook efforts by far.
I've personally decided to change channels.
SEO, Social Search, Social Media
Facebook doesn't owe anyone anything.
Sure you already invested a ton of time and content into building your fan base. Maybe even some money purchasing social media services/consulting.
But Facebook has to balance out user experience and brand management.
Has the change hurt pages? Surveys say yes.
Has it helped clear the news feed of spammy offers? Surveys also say yes.
So as a brand, you have to decide what’s yielding the best results in reach, awareness and social SEO.
For my money, promoting my posts creates a higher than justifiable cost per acquisition rate for fans that I’ve already acquired.
I can’t justify paying twice.
Have you implemented Facebook Promoted Posts to reach more of your fan base?
How has it worked for you?
Share it in the comments!
Hi, I’m new to your blog but I found your posts like the one I’m commenting on very useful and really much interesting. Thanks for posting such a tech and money saving posts.
after facebook promoted posts my fan page posts reach has reduced and only 6-7% fans are seeing my posts. I used to 10k to 15k likes on my each posts of my gag fan pages and now it is reduced to only 1-2k and promoted posts is also too costly for me. 🙁
Evening Syed,
Yea I’m sorry to hear that. Most pages reported such losses. You’re not alone my friend. I know each network has its perks and its quams…but damn.
Facebook changed the game completely. no, FB isn’t forcing your hand. But you’re paying for fans you genuinely acquired who obviously were engaging with your brand. Seems like they’re forcing it. Just a bit. What network have you been using instead? Any good results?
This is one of the reasons I switched over to focusing on google plus a few months ago. Also I think the search advantage that will likely come to fruition makes time spent on google plus a better investment for a business than facebook. Facebook seems to be where people go to check in on family and friends, not businesses anyway. Of course if your product or service fits right in with that then that is good, but if you have a business like I do (helping people with debt) that is not something they even want friends or family to know about it. So facebook is almost useless from a business marketing standpoint.
Hey Damon.
Right on. I agree. I think Facebook for Brands is tricky because you have to present your posts a certain way. There seems to be a working formula and event hat is being slammed.
Case in point I recently logged in and on my personal timeline I saw a message from a brand giving the instructions to see their posts again.
It’s obvious that reach has declined otherwise brands wouldn’t be begging their fans to come on over and put them in special lists just so they can be seen as much as they used to. Brands are struggling to “break even”.
I never tried FB promote posts but this sentence “So, like, I have to pay to reach fans I was already reaching?” Fb need to add few more features to promoted posts. Anyway it worked for few, but when you compare Fb promoted posts with other services then FB will be behind.
Never knew what`s going to happen in near future but for now I think FB is best than G+ to invest.
~@Khajamoin1
Lol Khaja,
I agree. If they are going to justify promoted posts, it needs to offer more. It’s a bit of a slap in the face. I don’t know may brands who weren’t effected honestly. If it’s worked for you great! It should. You’re reaching highly targeted audiences, oh wait, that’s cus it’s your audience.
I digress. I think with search and seo my money is on G+. And until FB gets back to business I can’t vouch. Great night Khaja!
Hey Mys,
I haven’t tried any paid ad promotion service from Facebook. Though I too noticed that our reach become quite limited and few people are now able to see my shared posts. It’s certainly the right time to focus on other social media sites, especially Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Hiya Aasma,
I’ve tried the regular FB ads in the past. It worked pretty well for a little while. Promoting posts though, is a different proposition. No matter what FB says, promoting a post to fans who already like your page just seems backwards as hell. I agree, time to change channels. Have a great night Aasma!
I have not ventured into this area Mys but I stray toward using good old fashioned content creation, tribes and making connections to grow my blogging and social media following.
If I do spend money to reach a larger audience I do it through solo ads, where I can pop up in 40,000 inboxes quickly.
Thanks!
Hey hey Ryan!
I agree to the 10th power. I’m with ya.
If I pay for reach, I’m not paying to reach whoever is already following me and just so happens to be online. Silly.
I’m gonna pay to reach a bunch of folks that are targeted. Thanks for popping your head in Ryan. Did you enjoy your holiday?
OK, I’m definately not going to go for Facebook promoted posts. looks like something to be worry about. tell the truth before reading your post i was thinking about my facebook fan page promotion. Not anymore) thanks)
Well Marta it’s about performance. If your page has been progressing, promote it and raise those numbers via FB ads. If your reach declined, don’t abandon the page altogether but refocus your major efforts.
Lemme know how it goes if possible. Much luck to ya!
You cannot say that this was unexpected; Facebook’s gone public, and the fact that they now ask you to pay to use one of the things which was free before is just one of the many changes that they will continue to make as we head into 2013. In fact, I think a lot of the ‘free’ Facebook features will become paid-for with the passage of time. As a small business owner, I still wouldn’t switch channels completely, just focus and adjust my efforts towards other social mediums.
Hey Jeff,
Okay, I admit it, it wasn’t unexpected. But I figured they’d implement subscription options for brands. $10/month for up to 3k fans etc…
But really? I find it to be a stunt that they’ll have to be dern creative to overcome. Brands are making noise. and even with big blogs advocating for FB via blog posts the bottom line is they can afford it, it’s no real loss to them.
I agree, don’t switch altogether, just refocus efforts.
Have a happy new year Jeff!
In October, we began advising our clients to reduce their dependence on Facebook and move to Google+. The SEO benefits of using G+ are tremendous, irrespective of the fact that you can reach 100% of your audience free of charge or hassle. In fact Ileane, we have created a Google+ Community specifically for Businesses seeking migration information from Facebook to Google+. I agree that no business should give up their Facebook presence, but there are tools that will send Google+ updates to Facebook automatically.
Hey J.C.,
Actually, Mys here, the fantastic Ileane welcomed my GP ranting about FB promoted posts.
I love that! I agree that G+ SEO is fantastic and i love the group idea. What’s the url?
Here’s the URL..
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/115241981977922042789
I appreciate your overview on Facebook promoted posts. I had wondered whether it was worth getting into but from what you’ve said here, maybe it’s not such a good idea. Thanks for the heads up!
Hey Felix,
Yea I don’t see the value of paying twice. I earned my audience if they didn’t unlike my page I shouldn’t have to pay to reach ’em. Be sure to check out other blog posts on the topic before making your decision.
Have a great day and happy holidays!
Facebook promotional post can be used, as it is one of the ways to reach many audience. But one cannot guarantee the desired results as some may notice while others may not. It can be compared to that of Google Adwords .
Thanks Rajkumar.
Like all advertising nothing’s guaranteed.
BUT, unlike adwords, Promoted Posts are for reaching YOUR audience. People that already like your page. That seems unnecessary.
But great if it worked for you. Awesome!
I use the promoted feature to promote my blog posts. I wonder if targeting the post, then promoting it would garner the same results. has anyone experimented with this tactic?
I LOVE Facebook promoted posts and use it when I have a great post that I want to give a longer legs. It’s very helpful and affordable.
Kimberly
Interesting Kimberly.
I agree that it works. It does what it advertises: helps you reach more of your audience post the big edgerank change. My thing is that’s like paying for my update to reach all of my friends on FB. Their my friends. Now if I’m paying to reach more than I was reaching ever before, cool. But the reach is still compartmentalized. To reach them all you’re gonna pay a pretty penny.
Congrats on the FB success keep up the great work kay?
Hi Mys,
I haven’t used facebook promotional post as I haven’t yet got a big fanbase. I hope facebook bring some changes out there or else people will silently make their way to Google + and Twitter. I have even took my step towards Google Plus today.
Hey Rahul,
People already are migrating. Some light sprinkles of favoritism keeps ’em goin but I think better changes need to come too. Congrats!
I was very close to trying it out once but then stopped because I thought that the price was unreasonable. But perhaps I will try it out, why not as long as it does not cost an arm and a leg. Its worth trying it, you never know it might work for some people.
Hi Shalu,
Definitely give it a whirl. As long as you understand that you’re not paying for advertising I say go for it. I know it’s worked for folks I’m just not sold on paying twice. Pay via content for Fan acquisition and pay monetarily to reach those fans. It’s just not for me.
As long as you’re informed I’m behind ya. Let us all know how it works for you!
Interesting read, thanks. I won’t be spending any money on FB Promoted Posts when (at best) I would only be able to hope for results that I get for free on Twitter and Google+.
Hey! Well, i think the best results would come from only using promoted posts to market guests posts that have affiliate links in them, or posts that have links to your direct products.
Like all advertising it should convert.
The problem I have is that reach is an issue. Period and I don’t think it makes sense to “promote” posts to MY fans. I thought that was the point of the like button?
I’ve been thinking to use FB sponsored post features. I don’t think there is any issue in giving it a try? 😀
Same here, i was looking to use the promoted post feature, but after reading i don’t think it’ll work for me aswell.
Hey Carl,
What’s your niche? I’m interested to know why social media isn’t working for you.
Maybe you’re measuring what isn’t directly quantifyable. Social media is about making connections and developing relationships, that takes time. Once done though it’s a gold mine.
You got the gist of it Ian.
If you’re seeing benefits on your other networks stick with what works. Have a great week!
You too, Mys 🙂
I have already been taking advantage of this awesome feature for my fanpage on Facebook. I recommend spending the extra $5 and get more visibility. The first time I did it, I did the $5 promotion and reached over 4,000 people, brought in 150-some subscribers and made around $250!
Well worth it! I am currently doing a $10 promotion for building my list alone! Hopefully it works just as well!
Evenin’ Wade!
Thanks for your input and yea I’m not surprised you’re reaching more fans. But you’re paying to reach FANS. Your fans.
Fans that liked your page and are therefore clearly interested in your stuff. I dunno, that’s the thing that gets me. I’ll pay to reach FB’s extended audience that i haven’t already done the work to reach.
Promoting to my audience that i should be reaching (to a certain extent) organically, naw, I can’t vouch for that one. But I’m glad you’re getting results. Rock it!
I see what you’re saying, but with the new Edge Rank status, wouldn’t you pay $10 a month or every two weeks to get more visibility? Btw, I did another $10 promotion and got even more readers! I have found that you can use the promotion to get “Likes” too. But for the most part, I’m promoting my email list.
See what I’m saying? If Edge Rank isn’t going to allow you to post to these people then, if you get the results I have been getting, you understand that this is worth it.
One more thing…when you pay to promote, you’re not paying to reach just your fans. $10 will give you visibility to 11k people…I don’t have that many fans. It seems as though you haven’t researched this enough.
Hi Wade,
Actually you can only target fans or friends of fans or both. Unlike the traditional facebook advertising where you can target entire demographics. so of course if you have 400 fans and they have approx 400 friends each 400×400 you have the option to reach 160,000 people if you the high prive to reach them all. If you opt to reach 10,000 then you pay less but are only reaching a fraction of that audience.
So yes, I’ve done the research. I’m also workling on a case study so I’m interested in watching how it unfolds.
Also, again, I never said it was useless. Ever.
I said I don’t see the value in paying to reach the same number of fans I was already reaching. Ergo paying twice.
Now, If I want to reach even more people than I was reaching sure, it’s an option.
The way brands have been hit is ridiculous. Begging their fans to go back to their pages and go through the processes to see their updates again is demeaning.
So the proof of what I’m saying is right on your liked brands FB walls. If they hadn’t been hit they would have no reason to continuously post these sort of updates, yet they do.
In conclusion Wade, yup I see your point. But if you understand Promoted posts, the cause and effect, and analyze that you’re paying for your organic reach FIRST and then to reach more people second you should be able to see what I’m saying.
I’m glad you’re kicking butt and getting new likes that’s great. It’s what advertising is supposed to do. All the best in 2013!
Wade is correct. I have our promoted posts targeting people who do not already like the page.
On my personal news feed, I also see posts from pages that I do not like because they paid to get me to see it.
We have also received comments from users who didn’t like our page.
It all depends on the ROI you are getting by promoting your posts. Mostly ecommerce sites are promoting the facebook posts to get some sales, I haven’t seen any blogger doing that coz it’s not worthy.
Hey Bishwajeet,
Yup you hit the nail on the head. The ONLY way I’d pay to promote to my fans is if the post was selling something. Anything else is beyond justifiable. Thanks for the comment. Happy new year!
What do you mean ‘beyond justifiable’? You would only promote a post that sells to people one time? Lol, why not give something away for free, promote your list, and keep them forever to be sold to over and over?
Is that ‘beyond justifiable’? I’m not trying to be a *%$#, but your missing the point of this feature.
Sure, you can promote posts that sell to people. But wouldn’t you want to promote your site, bring readers to your blog, and keep them around instead of pulling on their wallet (for those that actually do buy) one time and be done with it?
Sorry, but your idea sounds ridiculous.
Wade,
LMBO! You’re not being and asshole but you are being aggressive and discussing everything except what this post addresses. The point of reaching more people is not what is covered. That’s an entirely different post.
Actually you can see my response above to your two comments no need to say it twice. Enjoy your day.
PS if it’s so ridiculous you’re more than welcome to not read the comment thread ya know. I’d hate to waste your time, you seem to be getting wound up.
Very shocking post, now I will never invest my money on facebook. Thanks for revealing.
Hold on Jessica, you should invest only if it’s produce ROI. I personally wouldn’t invest in promoted posts, but FB advertising typically offers more roi than adwords if done properly. Check it out, research the options and choose the best advertising for you. Maybe Sponsored stories are better?
This was very informative and has given a general idea on how to level expectations when going for the initial try-out phase of these promoted post.
Presenting an ROI to my marketing superiors will be very difficult.
I am looking forward to a case study based on Conversion if it is possible to follow up this post.
Hey Shiva,
I was thinking about doing a case study on this. I have an upcoming guest post that has always converted well in the past. I was thinking I’d use promoted posts for it and see if it boosts my conversions. I’ll report back!
Great post Palmer. So nicely you have pointed out the issue with the facebook for promoted posts. In no way its affordable for bloggers, only those who have deep pockets can afford it.
Hey Darryl,
It can be 5 bucks honestly but it’s per post and only for a fraction of your audience so yea it gets costly. ‘Specially if you’re not selling. I feel your point.
Hey:)
I always keeps myself far when it comes for payment without worth. Thanks for pointing it out.
Hi Jamie!!!!
Yea if it doesn’t make dollars it doesn’t make sense! Lol oldie but goodie that fits. Have a great one!
I dabbled with it on 2 retail accounts I manage, no more than $20 total and it got seen by many more but it did not generate anymore likes OR sales. So it did not do anything but create brand awareness. We just need to find a way to get more customers over to G+. Maybe in time they will. I’m not ditching FB altogether but I will not be spending the time (or money) there that I once did.
Yup Lisa,
Sounds bout right. I can see how some people think its a great tool because they are getting views and reach. But again, that’s typically the gist of it. Big brands have reported astronomical costs so it’s, eh, doable at best.
I’m with you though Lisa, not for me!
You have put it right, after all, you cannot ask your fans to go through all the procedure to again start receiving your updates on their home page. And lets face it, people like hundreds of pages, they are not going to do this for every page they like, where is the time for it? So it is better to turn to other options like Twitter and Google+ for free qualitative results.
Hiya Lucy,
Yea that’s my logic on it. Even if you do a post for the subscribers only a fraction will open the email, then only a fraction will read through, and only a fraction will follow through. Too much effort for not much immediate benefit on their part.
Time to change channels? i think so
I am used this features of promote my page in facebook.I am glad to use this type of feature. I am a daily user of facebook . I always use that type of feature to promote my website and pages.It will not spend my lot of time in that such type of use to promote my page facebook help me much.
Hey Mohd,
Hey, if you can justify it, by all means. Glad you’re having success!
Hi, Mys Palmer
I got an interesting information about facebook..
thanks for sharing such ‘must know info’ with us… 🙂
You got it Rahul!
Hi Mys,
It’s good to see you here on Ileane’s blog. I haven’t used Facebook’s promoted post and probably won’t used them in the future too.
I’ve read that article you linked too from Dangerous Minds, and I think he says it best “bait’n’switch”. Because that’s exactly what Facebook is doing, it screws things up and then offers a paid solution for the problem they’ve created on their own.
Great article Mys, people need to be aware of this kind of stuff.
Happy New Year, have a good one.
~Philip
Hey Phillip!!!
Glad to have you commenting! This is my 2nd post here and Ileane invited me back so you know I took the offer.
Ya the bait n switch is surely what it seems like. Like I mentioned in a previous comment I’ll likely do my own case study just to drive home the research ya know. Anyhoo, I’m off to be busy in New York City so enjoy your night okie dokie?
As much as Facebook is acting like a robber baron, if you have the budget for it, Facebook promoted posts are an incredibly good value as a media buy. If you compare the cost of promoted posts to buying banner ads or other marketing vehicles, it is a good value. However, what makes me furious with Facebook is how they have reduced the reach of the your fans that share your posts. They have killed the benefit that a Page gets from its brand evangelists.
Hi Randy,
Yea my argument was never that it costs to much as an advertising tool. My argument is exactly what’s upsetting you. That instead of offering a simple, more cost effective advertising tool they have reduced reach, separated your page from your fans news feed completely and then said “by the way you can pay to reach another 20% of YOUR fans”
Counter-intuitive.
Enjoy your weekend Randy!
Interesting read. I believe Facebook is following in the footsteps of many failed social media platforms before them. I understand that they are just trying to generate revenue, but I believe there is a better way.
hey Cole,
Yea it’s an unfortunate pattern and I hope they fix it. QUICK!
Great tips. I promoted once this past month on Facebook and it did not seem to help. I did update my Facebook business page and then did a contest/giveaway with another small company. I think this contest helped me get new fans by combining with another company who did not know me before this giveaway.
I’m sorry Lisa,
I hope you didn’t spend much on the promotion throughout the month. But hopefully lesson learned?
There’s so much else to do through more transparent avenues. All he best!
Hello,
I have tried Facebook Promotion Posts in Profile and Pages both. It get’s Clicks but the conversion is really very bad. Because one thing you must know the people who mostly surf Facebook looking for free stuff that’s why they are looking for stuff on Facebook instead of any E-Commerce Site or Shop Portal.
Also, Make a thing that you always target above 16 or 18 Years old Guys and Girls because teenagers struggle whole life to get 100 Dollars so how they will get Credit Card or PayPal to buy your promoted product.
So try to take the situation on you and make the strategy.
Thanks
Hi Akshay,
Well clicks are worthless without conversions. In my eyes and my client’s eyes it makes no sense. Unless all you want is brand awareness clicks aren’t really the goal. Or maybe the landing page wasn’t converting? What did the analytics say?
i once tried facebook ads coupon for the promotion of my blog .. But it was hardly able to pull likes for the page, although people say that they get a positive results but i guess i was exception for that
No Ravi, you’re not an exception. you’re the majority and the success stories tend to be the exceptions. It’s subjective but numbers don’t lie so you may need to look into other advertising.
Hi Palmer its take long time to get a post for promotion on FB.
What I noticed that, there is a saturation line begin for FB and and that’s why most of the readers particularly at this post avoid or put negative review for promotion on FB and off-course I am also one of them who never give much attention and for future I am in a fix ! By the way for now, I appreciate J.C. Kendall comment and waiting for next Google update, as you told already “Google Plus has a heavy hand in Google’s organic searches”
Thanks for you tremendous post and sharing.
Hey Ranjan,
Yea JC’s comment is awesome. I’m looking forward to checking the group out. Hope to see ya there! Lata, and happy holidays.
I invested some dollars in promoting some offers but I never had a single sale. I think the success depends on how targeted your audience actually is??
Hey George!
Excellent point!
Another reason why I believe that it isn’t useful. Your audience has to be grown from scratch and be highly targeted and then you still have to pay to reach them? What if your audience is segmented like you refer too? * shrugs shoulders* not worth it.
We just got to our 35th fan on our facebook page. I’m barely getting a handle on how facebook works for small businesses but this concept of promoted pages makes a lot of sense to me. If everyone’s posts were shown on every one of their friends’ main page then it would just seem so spammy. However, a 3/4 cut in reach seems a bit drastic. I’d assume atleast half of our fans want to actually stay in touch with what we’re upto…no?
Evening Karthik,
I agree. I think if you want to pay to reach all of your fans, which was never happening, cool. But paying to reach fans that were already seeing your content? not cool.
I agree, at least 30%-50% is a decent percentage. Most brands reported a cut in reach. So what it only costs $20. It wasn’t costing any extra money before. It’s killing brand evangelists and advocating.
Fans are interested. Now they have to go through a whole process AFTER they like your page????? What a chore
facebook is a great for social network marketing but i prefer use twitter. easier than facebook i think 😀
Cool vanderkriz. Twitter’s awesome!
hey Mys Palmer !
I have not used paid ad services of facebook yet.
But thank you for informing us with this biggest truth.
Nice explanation.
Thanks.
Matt
Thanks Matt!
I’m glad you got something productive out of it.
I love this blog. I am a minority: one of the few who still does not have a Facebook account. After reading this, maybe I should just head over to Google + and bypass Facebook altogether. But, how long until Google starts to do something similar? Thanks.
Hey Steve,
I’m not sure Google will do the same thing. It already has adwords, youtube and search. So as far as I can see, why would they? Now of course they may find ways to monetize but I doubt it’ll be anywhere close to what FB has done. Think about it.
i very nice post, well i haven’t used facebook for paid advert before and honestly, after reading your incredible post i am not sure if i’ll ever do a paid ad with them.
babanature,
I think FB ads actually work. But Promoted Posts are another story. And thanks for the compliment I’m glad you liked it so much. I wrote it for you! Enjoy the weekend!
Okay, okay.
I agree. You gave it a try and se la vie. It didn’t do much. If you try it again be sure to try it with a post that should generate income. Affiliate or your direct products. i’d like to see how that works for you. Enjoy your night!
Lots of info can be picked up on this article plus the comments thread is great. I’m considering now a channel change. Thanks for sharing.
Hiya Alex,
So many brands have been hit I can’t keep count of how many are begging their fans to take the steps above. It’s sad to watch. BUT FB ads do provide value if done properly so you should still consider it as an advertising venue. Just perhaps it’s lost a bit of purpose on the business side. You be the judge.
I have used facebook less this year due to all of their changes. I have just recently started using google plus, but not sure if I like it.
Hey, yea, I get you. Each channel isn’t for everyone but considering the search value, It’s worth a real effort. What do you think?
I think so, these days the avg status update at your page doesn’t even reach the 10% of your fans. Seriously, I feel sad about that, having 100K+ fan page that can reach hardly 10K people is the new Facebook’s sh*t.
Hey Ahmad!
Ya, I know right. 3% to 5% reach of a page that was yeilding 20% to 50% organically, yikes!
It’s sad and I’m not sure it helped all that much with spam.
I’d much rather FB chin-check the “friends” sending bs game requests and constant political and weight loss updates. That’s the stuff I’m hiding from my timeline.
Hi Mys Palmer, thxs for the article. I had hear about this before but your article explain it to me just perfect. I my self was very reluctant about using facebook at all like more G+, then I started useing it (FB) more and made G+ aside. Have a few of FB Pages my self and manage some for few clients. Commenting your post with my wife we agree that Facebook it self is very ‘uncontentable’… meaning most of people just share silly ideas or ‘momentos’ of their live (everyday tiny live experiences) but with no or little message. My wife comment me that actually that’s why she has banned to many people from her FB friends and actually uses FB mostly to participate and the groups she has register. …So here’s where my idea came from, maybe what brands and business should start doing is ‘regroup’ their followers into different concept groups they have already created and start posting through them. It might even increase their engagment rate. …well it’s just an idea, who knows it might work.
Hey Alejandro,
That’s an excellent idea!
I agree that brands have to post differently to get the attention of their fans. Creating content is only a part of the battle. The rest relies on creating sharable content like pictures and videos and quotes and questions of the day. Exhausting. Then you only reach a small percentage after all that hard work? And now you’re required to pay for not only more reach but your original reach as well?
Not for me. Have you or your wife written a post on your advice? I think it rocks.
Well said. It’s maddening. I don’t think Facebook is going to sink anytime soon but I think businesses will be relying on it less and less. I’m giving Google more attention too!
Morning Michelle,
It is driving me crazy lol. I doubt they’ll go annywhere as well. It’s Facebook!
But it’s time to refocus efforts to what you can logically afford to do both organically and in media buys.
Facebook crowd is easily getting filled with local crowd and it is tough to use promoted feature many times. We should be really careful with what kind of crowd we are building. May be good feature for local store offers and promotions.
Very interesting read it is. thanks for the great write up.
Robin.
Hi Robin,
I think so too. Local is probably killing it. I’d like to see the stats on that one!
Thanks for reading Robin, any New years eve plans?
I haven’t paid money to Facebook to promote my posts, but I recently spoke with a good friend of mine who has done so about it. According to him, while his CTR improved, it was a marginal improvement only (but nonetheless, a noticeable one). In addition, the ROI is quite good, since you dont have to pay Facebook a fortune to promote your posts! I’d say business owners, small and large, should give it a go.
Expect a lot more changes like this one in 2013, now that a lot of big and small businesses have started using Facebook to drive sales, it is only logical that Facebook will want its share too!
Oh and have a great new year everyone!
Morning!
I have no doubt. I’ve started my case study and am calculating the results. I see what your friend means.
It’s advertising in a nutshell. The only gripe is organic reach being heavily hit and that instead of paying for my extended reach only, I’m paying for both.
Even at a small cost, that cost is PER post. For most marketers that sell affiliate products as well as their own, it’s costly. According to studies and brand mentions (etc..) it’s not so cheap in the grand scheme of things. But it has usefulness.
I just still can’t justify paying twice.
Oh yea, 2013 will be intriguing in the social media realm. This is only the beginning.
It’s a shame that Facebook is trying to monetize by hurting engagement. I understand their reasoning being a publically traded company and having such a valuable resources, I just don’t like it.
Heya Ryan,
Ya, how they’ve done it sucks! So dishonest and zero accountability.
Getting fans to do all of this is definitely going to be a lot more difficult than just getting them to push the “like” button. I guess I’ll keep fb as long as it brings in traffic, but it is worth it to never rely only on one source of traffic in case something like this happens.
Shaun traffic and engagement on the site isn’t what totally worries me. If you can’t reach your fans how will you convert them? Where’s the ROI? I’ve got to pay twice? AND do it for each post? So if I get more engagement will that reach increase? Or be continually held at the throat til I cough up the dollaz?
Look, we don’t pay Facebook to promote our posts. We believe that if you really have the support of your fans, they will really find a way to get to you. This is why we believe in investing in the right content!
Cool. If you do’t use the feature the advice doesn’t apply. I agree the right content and the right strategies support a brand and engagement develops naturally. Keep doin what you’re doing it seems to work for ya!
I really like this article, and I agree that this is a great help to everyone to promote their sites and be known to the people around the world. I used Facebook as a my promotional tools and I think it works.
Thanks Jules! I appreciate that.
Facebook does work. Promoting the posts works. Is it a long term strategy, no.
Now a days Facebook is concentrating on increasing its revenues. I never tried the promote post feature. A link to promote post is always displayed below every status post. I also heard that Facebook is thinking of charging users on montly basis depending on their interaction…. If something like this happens, I am sure most of the people will prefer to quit Facebook and revert to G Plus rather than paying the subscription fees…
See Naser the thing is at least subscription fees are upfront. Promoted posts were really a rope-a-dope tactic to increase revenues. They should’ve been upfront about where the site is headed and what they’re implementing. If you give people the choice they can make educated decisions.
Now a days Facebook is concentrating on increasing its revenues. I never tried the promote post feature. A link to promote post is always displayed below every status post. I also heard that Facebook is thinking of charging users on monthly basis depending on their interaction…. If something like this happens, I am sure most of the people will prefer to quit Facebook and revert to G Plus rather than paying the subscription fees…
I may not be able to use facebook after reading this, I can’t spend for it. This is bad.
Hey Lia,
It’ll be a change but FB will soon monetize from fruition. Manning, subscription fees to business owners and the like. So you should definitely look into other social media strategies. Good luck!
The internet gatekeepers have returned. I blogged about this not too long ago. Facebook kind-of pulled a bait and switch with Promoted posts. Reminds me of a used car salesman tactic.
Your post gives a good way to try to get around it, but in reality, the game has changed for good. Facebook’s obligation is to make shareholders money… period. Businesses need to pay for the valuable real estate.
Those that chose to focus on “likes” alone are screwed unless they have heavy budgets. The lesson is to use social media to build your email list that YOU control. It’s the one thing Facebook and/or Google cannot take away.
Hey Matthew!
I watched your video and I love the advice.
I don’t think it’s just that people are focusing on likes. Pages that truly counted on engagement still got hit. Big sites with big engagement. So paying the price for the real estate is now the norm. It won’t stop there either, I agree.
Email lists are the way! Making your fans subscribers is what’s going to ultimately bypass the gatekeepers.
My issue is HOW it was done. Completely bait and switch, no accountability, no truthful explanation and folks bought it. Well, Maybe not, since after going public FB has performed poorly for their standards. So we’ll see.
I have often used the chance to promote posts connected with my Facebook fan page, and it can be really useful if the goal is get lots of “likes” to the post. But I have also noticed that most people only see the sponsored post (the thumbnail and the description). If they like it they click like and scroll on, which means that they never really visit the page/article promoted. The exception is if there is a strong call to action in the description text coming with the sponsored post.
It can be costly if did not get much visitors or likes…..
Tried promoted posts and it was good for s while. I would do a $5 plan and reach all my fans plus their friends. Then facebook must’ve changed the algorithm because now even the $10 won’t reach all of my fans, let alone their friends. I just don’t see it as being cost effective. Hopefully more people see this and stop using promoted posts. Then maybe Facebook will do away with it
Yes it’s a good move from facebook having promoted posts features. Nice post thanks for sharing it.
Hey Mys,
Nice post and Thanks for sharing this post with us. Till now, I have not used facebook promoted post and now I am thinking of promoting our blog through other social media sites.