Facebook turns 20. But how relevant is it to marketers today?

Facebook turns 20. But how relevant is it to marketers today?

The image copy reads "alt text. Presented by Methods+Mastery. 02.19.24. Edition 24" atop a black background

In today’s edition:

  • Facebook’s next chapter: Embracing a group mentality
  • The Social Scoop: Meta begins labeling images created with AI, TikTok launches a dedicated search shortcut, Bluesky opens to all
  • Rabbit Hole of the Week: “Make sure it’s on low”


Gold megaphone atop a black background with the headline "Facebook's next chapter: Embracing a group mentality"

Facebook’s next chapter: Embracing a group mentality

It's 2004 and you need to make weekend plans. You're either making calls on your flip phone or landline, T9 texting, or CCing all your besties on a group email. A far cry from today, where most stay connected by sharing moments via social handles instead of phone numbers.

Facebook played a major role in evolving the way we communicate. In recognition of its 20th anniversary, we’re going to use the rearview mirror to help predict what’s next for the platform. Can it undergo a marketing makeover and become a place for brands to authentically connect with audiences and even participate in trends? Or will it continue to fall out of favor with marketers, grapple with ethical issues, and lose younger users?

In honor of taking a look back at Facebook's old days, we'll leave you with a status update:

Status: Did you know Facebook is still the top social media platform overall? Not bad for a dinosaur. Anyway, Alt Text just dropped Edition 24.


Graph with the headline "Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2024, ranked by number of monthly active users." Facebook is leading the way.

What we’re seeing #1: You can count on Facebook to take big bets.?

Facebook has solidified itself in the social lexicon for good reason. It furthered globalization by connecting people in different locations and cultures. It’s easy to take “always-on” consumerism for granted, but the infamous launch of Shops transformed online purchasing overnight. The platform’s algorithms, while a source of controversy, paved the way for social-first news consumption.?

Facebook also has a graveyard filled with features and products that didn’t work out. Some tried-and-killed attempts like Ticker (an updates livestream) and Facebook Moments (a private photo-sharing feature) might ring a bell. Others like a virtual currency system called Facebook Credits and a location-tracking service called Nearby Friends were sizeable gambles.?

Of course, you can’t just judge a social media giant by its failures. Facebook’s investments in AI and VR prove that this platform refuses to fade into the background. The company might be twenty years old, but it still has the risk-taking energy of its younger days.?


What we’re seeing #2: Facebook still offers significant mileage in terms of reach.

Facebook has become something of a “check the box” platform for many marketers who are distracted with engaging Gen Z on shinier platforms like TikTok. But don’t count it out just yet. It’s an effective platform if you’re looking to reach a cross-section of ages and demographics. In the U.S., nearly 55% are 35+, making it a key place to connect with older millennials as well as Gen Xers and Boomers—who, as we know, are highly active on social and brand loyal.?

Facebook is also still a solid option for reaching global audiences. As of January 2023, India—the most populous country in the world—had the largest number of people on Facebook (314.6M). It’s almost the same number as the U.S. (175M), Indonesia (119.9M), and Brazil (109.1M) combined.?

What has undeniably changed for Facebook in recent years is its reputation as a platform that births and curates trends. Cast your minds back to the early 2010s and the Ice Bucket Challenge, “poke wars” and “30-day photo challenges” all originated on Facebook. Fast-forward to 2024, and very few trends now emerge from the platform (with the exception, perhaps, of Facebook Custom Background Posts).?

With every brand looking to achieve the Holy Grail of marketing, AKA cultural relevancy, it can be easy to dismiss Facebook as increasingly staid. We have a slightly different take, however. We believe there’s one Facebook feature brands should be paying attention to right now… Facebook Groups.


What we’re seeing #3: Facebook Groups are the “internet’s best-kept secret.”?

TikTokers love to discuss their favorite Facebook Groups. Whether it’s for an upcoming trip or fandom, there’s a Group for everything.

"Planning a trip literally anywhere without a Facebook group dedicated to that place? I could never." TikTok user

Each month 1.8B people use Facebook Groups. More than half of all the people using Facebook are members of five or more active groups. This bodes well for marketers since a 2023 Sprout Social Index report found that half of consumers join private communities to engage directly with brands.

Facebook’s aforementioned failed features prove that the platform is open to changing strategies. It’s hard to think they won’t capitalize on an opportunity like this. Groups could be something they continue to own over the next chapter of social, especially given everything we know about how private communities are thriving.


What It Means For You & Your Brand

Ask yourself where Facebook sits within your strategy and marketing efforts. Are you in need of a hard reset? Perhaps now is the time to shift resources or funds back into experimenting on Facebook if you've taken a hiatus, especially as platforms like X undergo so many unpredictable changes.?

Facebook Groups and WhatsApp (another Meta-owned app) are great avenues for brands wanting more local or interpersonal connections. Is there a global or regional audience you're missing by assuming Facebook is dead or irrelevant? We’ve seen many successful private Groups exist for brands that put the serve in customer service. If you aren’t in a place to dedicate resources to sustaining a Facebook Group or WhatsApp community, consider partnering with group owners and moderators, though please keep in mind that authenticity is a must.?

Algorithms are gonna algorithm. Facebook won’t reward or prioritize your organic content if you have the same Facebook strategy you did three years ago. Try different mediums to get your content thriving. If you only post images and videos, try a text-only approach with a simple CTA. Maybe the lowest lift will unleash the highest engagement rate. Check out Facebook’s own ranking signals to help guide your thinking.


Picture of an ice cream cone atop a black background with the headline "The Social Scoop."

The Social Scoop

Get up to speed with the biggest stories on social.

Meta will begin labeling images created with generative AI across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In the coming months, you’ll start to see the “Imagined with AI” labels on images, starting with those created with Meta AI. Eventually, this will roll out to include videos and audio, too. Meta confirmed they are working with industry partners, including OpenAI, Adobe, and others to establish common technical standards that signal when an image is created with this technology.?

Our take: Meta’s President of Global Affairs acknowledged it’s not a coincidence that this is happening during a year of worldwide elections. Knowing that the line between human and synthetic content is going to get blurrier over time, it’s imperative to help people decipher between the two. Meta’s acknowledged it’s not currently possible to identify all AI-generated content, especially if creators remove identification markers (like watermarking and metadata), but they are planning to bring in new approaches like invisible watermarking technology. As generative AI becomes a bigger part of our world, expect to see more transparency practices as a bridge between the mediums, along with a mix of new tools and self-disclosures from creators themselves.


TikTok adds a new search shortcut, prompting the next stage of discovery within the platform. This new dedicated search shortcut would enable people to discover TikTok content without having to tap through to the search area in the app. This will build on existing features in the local Chinese version of TikTok, where people can already search for local businesses, restaurants, and even order takeout from the app.

Our take: TikTok has been building its search capabilities for some time, and this new shortcut is a move to become a more significant search player. According to YPulse, eight out of ten 13 to 39-year-olds have used a social media platform to search for news, content, and other items, and this new shortcut will further reduce the time to get to the final answer or destination. For those looking to capitalize on this update, ensure your brand’s TikTok strategy is incorporating TikTok SEO.


Bluesky is now open to the public, one year after launch. The decentralized social platform, originally funded by former Twitter execs and engineers, was previously only available by invite, but as of February 6th, it is officially out of closed beta and open to all. Before the public launch, the platform had ~3M users. Since the launch, it has already gained an additional 1M users and counting.?

Our take: Bluesky’s unique quality rests on its decentralized system, which allows people (and brands) to customize the app experience and control data. In the coming weeks, Bluesky will add Stackable Moderation Services, enabling people and organizations to develop their own content moderation services (which others can subscribe to). With these additional features and a completely open network, Bluesky has a chance to create the next phase of social networking.


Golden rabbit atop a black background with the headline "Rabbit Hole of the Week."

Rabbit Hole of the Week

We’re obsessed with internet rabbit holes. Here’s one we dug into this week:

??make sure it’s on low??

We’re going to guess that you jumped at the end of reading the above phrase, anticipating the sound of a massive voltage current. While @triadhawk is credited with first posting this sound on TikTok back in 2021, it’s the American magician Hagerman who is the man behind the original video and sound. Hagerman’s eleven-second clip, posted three and a half years ago has 34K views. The TikTok clip now has over 17.9M views, and the sound has been used in over 135.7K different videos.

The sound started making its rotation in January when people began pairing it with various bad habits including lack of sleep, overconsumption of ibuprofen, and eating “expired” foods. Eventually, it morphed into highlighting anything from bad cramps to swearing on a loved one’s life.?

The question is, why did a random skit video with a guy pretending to get electrocuted by a massive volt discharge become the sound to use? You may have noticed that the common theme of the videos is guilty pleasures and death-defying habits. As we covered in our previous edition, Gen Z is tired and burnt out, and these little pleasures are worth the electric shock.

Graph with the headline "Google Search interest for "make sure it's on low," US." Interest spiked in February 2024."

?? Did you find this newsletter useful? If so, share it with someone who's also passionate about social trends, internet culture & brand marketing or drop us feedback at [email protected]. It means a lot to the team of experts who put it together.

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Alt Text is brought to you by Methods+Mastery. Our insatiable curiosity and hunger to understand the world around us is what fuels our mission. We go down cultural rabbit holes to understand how trends form and how people think and behave — all so we can build work that works.

Disclosure: Methods+Mastery serves multiple clients. Those clients and/or their peers and competitors may be included in Alt Text, if we feel they’re relevant to what’s trending in social. We always disclose direct client relationships and affiliations.?

Ian Buck

Co-Founder at BaD Mktg: the right solutions for today’s modern marketer

1 年

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