Fake news. The Cambridge Analytica scandal. Privacy leaks. Unflattering memes.
It been a rough couple of months for the social media giant, with scandals rocking it left, right and centre.
In the ongoing wake of these controversies, a nascent movement has sprung up in response, with calls to #DeleteFacebook picking up traction around the world.
Many users have taken up this call to arms.
But what about the businesses that rely on Facebook to reach their customers? Will they pull the plug on what for many of them is their only digital marketing channel?
And more importantly, can they afford to?
Why is everybody deleting Facebook all of a sudden?
Simply put, because people are creeped out!
Users may have ticked the “I agree” box, but the extent of Facebook’s data-mining and user tracking is extensive, including records of:
- Your phonebook
- Private message you’ve sent
- Every time and place you’ve logged in from
- Posts and page you’ve clicked on
- Your contact information
- Videos you’ve watched
- Location tracking
And it’s putting even the most active users off the platform.
Combine that with the declining usage of Facebook among younger demographics, and it’s not much of a surprise that people are turning against the social media giant.
Deleting Facebook: the case against
It’s cost-effective
Facebook advertising can cost as little as $1 a day, with successful campaigns being executed on budgets of $100 or less.
The cost-per-click for Facebook ads in Australia might come in as the highest in the world coming in at an average of 94c per-click on desktop, 78c on tablet and 68c on mobile.
Compared to traditional platforms like print, billboards and TV, that’s a downright steal.
And for many small businesses, it works.
Combined with its user-friendly ads interface and suite of analytics and reporting tools, and you have a compelling platform that few businesses can afford to part ways with.
There’s a lot of people still using it
Despite the hashtags and angry tweets, people are still using the social media giant.
In fact, many users report not changing their Facebook habits at all, with only 10% of users planning on following through and deleting their profiles.
And with a total active user base of Facebook of over 2 billion accounts (with 15 million Aussie users at the last count), that’s barely a drop in the bucket.
And with that much of your customer base staying on board, it would be unwise to remove the platform from your digital marketing strategy.
Will this scandal impact your ability to target Facebook ads? Possibly – users scrubbing data, unlinking third-party apps and changing to pseudonyms could influence your ability to target ads.
But Facebook’s user data includes information taken over your years of usage. Changing your profile information and un-liking pages isn’t going to change the years worth of user data.
Will I have to change my social media strategy?
Probably.
But this won’t be the first time businesses have had to change their approach to Facebook.
In fact, when all is said and done, this probably won’t even be the most dramatic one either!
Remember back in February, when Facebook changed its algorithm so that organic (unpaid) results from brand and company pages wouldn’t be displayed without paying up first?
Now that was a game-changer!
Facebook has already started making changes. Just recently, Facebook management promised to shutter its Partner Categories program, which combined user data with information provided by third-party data-miners to allow for more specific targeting.
If you ask us however, that program didn’t bring much to the table to begin with.
It’s too early to tell where the axes might fall, but if there’s one lesson to take away from this, it’s to diversify your digital strategy.
Let this be a wakeup call – if your digital strategy can be summed up entirely by Facebook, we have one word: diversify. Build a strategy that uses multiple techniques to build trust and credibility with your customers.
Think about:
- Other social media platforms (including Instagram)
- Adding PPC to your digital strategy
- Focusing on SEO and content marketing
- Giving your site a facelift
If you feel uncomfortable with recent drama at the world’s biggest social media platform, you can delete your personal account. That’s fine… but when it comes to your business pages, it might be a good idea to stick around!
Are you thinking about changing up your digital marketing mix?
Get in touch with the experts at iformat for an assessment of your business needs and a tailor-made digital strategy. Ring us on 1300 88 64 50 or get in touch here.