THREE FACEBOOK TRENDS TO SHAPE YOUR STRATEGY

Loads of people will try and tell you that Facebook is dead, but honestly, they don’t know what they are talking about!

Yes, if your target audience is probably under 25, it’s not the best place for you to marketing your business, but other than that, it still a fabulous place to market.? And believe me, I would love nothing more than to have Facebook disappear like fairy floss in water, but alas it’s here to stay for now.

In fact, Facebook hit a new milestone in early 2023, reaching 2 billion daily users for the first time. In a constantly changing social media landscape, the world’s largest social network continues to hold its ground.

So, what are the three trending strategies you need to be aware of:

ONE - REELS

Reels are here to stay on Facebook.? They took off like a frog in a sock on Instagram and no one really knew if they were a “Facebook” thing, but now that enough time has passed the verdict is yes, they are a Facebook thing.

Reel plays on Facebook doubled last year and that’s on pace with growth on Instagram.? Now is that humans causing such big growth or the algorithm pushing more Reels in front of us to watch – I’d say it is a big mix of both!

It's no coincidence that if Facebook wants to make something successful, it gives it more algorithmic time and energy and kapow – it seems to work better!? And remember TikTok are stealing their eyeballs – so they need to do something to compete!

And as the platform strives to make more money from Reels content, watch for new opportunities to advertise through short-form Facebook video (aka Reels).

So, on your to-do list given this should be:

• Start thinking about Reels as part of your Facebook strategy, rather than only an Instagram surface.
• Carve out some of your ad budget to test ads on Reels and to create your own paid Reels.
• Keep an eye out for updates on new opportunities to advertise with Reels.

TWO - CHATBOTS

Chatbots will take over front-line customer service. Chatbots have been able to answer the most basic customer service questions for some time now, but conversational AI is taking their capabilities to the next level.? Customers will no longer have to wait for business hours to get their answers.? Messenger is only going to get bigger and better in 2024 for customers.

But for me, it’s not been so much about customer service as trying to find a “do-around” for the fact that Instagram has no clickable links in their captions or comments – it is VERY annoying, and I wish they would change that! So, I have been working on some chatbots that will trigger when someone writes a particular word or phrase on a particular post.? It may or may not be working by the time this goes live!

To give you an example, say I want you to sign up for one of my Marketing Webinars which normally would mean you giving me your email and name to sign up and I post about it on Instagram.? Rather than saying something like ‘link in bio” or “DM me for the link”, I could say something like “comment WEBINAR in the comments and I’ll send you the link” and like magic a DM appears in your Instagram inbox from me saying “here’s the link, you can register now, see you soon” – or something like that.

I have always thought it’s been too hard to get leads, get engagement and to get people from Instagram to an email list (which is the whole purpose of being on social media remember) and Chatbots seem like a pretty good solution right now.? I’ll keep experimenting and let you know what I find out!? But if you tag me in an Instagram Story, you will see my first bot working – give it a try and watch the magic! I know this episode is about Facebook – but this is how I’m using them on Instagram.

So, on your to-do list given this should be:

• Doing some research on Chatbots – I’m using ManyChat – I think they have loads of ads on socials at the moment – so follow them, watch some YouTube videos or reach out if it’s something you want to chat with me about
• Think about the journey of your customers – can a Chatbot help their experiences within your business?
• If you’re not already using Facebook Messenger for customer service, aim to implement a Facebook customer service strategy this year.

THREE – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

AI it is absolutely everywhere right now.? Billions upon billions of dollars is being spent by big companies on AI and Facebook or Meta is no different and probably almost leading the charge in many ways.

AI isn’t new to Facebook or Meta, but keeping a close eye on what changes are coming in this year is a good idea.

AI is helping the algorithm (or is really THE algorithm) to decide what is show in what order and to whom – which we already know, right? But if you think of Facebook like a business, then they need to be getting better at this stuff to make more money – so they are instantly prioritising content that we’ll watch longer, and we will shower with comments and reactions.

So, how can you bet the 2024 algorithm aka AI? Well, the same way you’ve been told to do it in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and so on.

• Have a reach out strategy – spend time on the platform commenting, liking, giving some social love to others (including those who you are target audience – be a bit strategic about it!)
• Reply to those who have comment on your posts (don’t leave them hanging) – especially if your post gets some good comments going straight up – keep the love going by answering them back and when asking more questions to promote more engaging conversations
• Ask open ended questions – like “When it comes to marketing _________, is more important than ever” – or questions in your niche – not mine!
• Look at your insights – post when the best time is for you and your business – your insights tell you that stuff!
• Be consistent
• Have CTAs – calls-to-action on posts so your reader or watcher knows what action to take next after reading or watching your post – don’t leave them hanging
• And don’t do what you’ve always done and expect a different result! Change things up a little.

And lastly – this one isn’t so much a trend as something I’m predicting for this year, and that is that Facebook will continue to move away from being a “news content’ platform and more towards an entertainment platform – which means those CTAs I spoke about above will get less algorithmic love and perhaps a Chatbot and a comment prompt will need to take its place.?

Watch your insights for changes in your reach, it might get to the stage where a Chatbot is now necessary rather than a “nice-to-have”.

But without sending you down a rabbit hole (you might see me down there!), if you are going to invest in Chatbots you need to work out the RIO of them as opposed to the ROI of a Facebook/Meta ad. So you will need to determine which is more profitable and has the best ROI? That’s definitely Something to think about!

Okay, there’s three or actually four trends that will shape your Facebook strategy this year.

And if you’ve read this far and are thinking, Jenn I hardly use Facebook anymore, then I would seriously encourage you to look at your Google Analytics and see what social platforms are pushing traffic to your website and look at your insights and see whether your current social media strategy is actually working before you brush off Facebook again!

If you would like to talk more about Facebook trends (or social media in general!) I would love to hear from you over in my Like Minded Business Owners facebook group – the group is such a valuable place for business owners to be encouraged and supported! And you are welcome to ask any of your other marketing or business questions too!

Or if you want to chat, get in touch.? Email me [email protected] or DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn – I would love to hear from you.

CONTACT JENN:

I would love for you to book a free discovery call with me to talk about how I can help your nail your business goals, planning, strategy, marketing and social media! Simply click the link and grab a spot!

My Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group is also a great community to join – full of awesome people in small business!

Or you can DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn , or send me an email [email protected]

I wish to acknowledge?the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Yorta Yorta People, on which I conduct my business today and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reading this blog post today.

About the Author:

Jenn Donovan of Social Media & Marketing Australia.? Jenn’s an expert marketing coach and mentor from rural NSW. She is all about empowering business owners to earn what they’re worth so they can make a bigger difference in the world.? Not only is she a sought after expert on all things marketing for Small Business, she is a keynote speaker, author of Small Town Big Impact , was the Founder of Buy From a Bush Business and a Co-Founder of Spend With Us e-commerce marketplace, and is the host of the very popular podcast Small Business Made Simple and Stories from the Bush . Jenn is all about community and humans interacting with humans!? H2H Marketing – human to human marketing. Jenn talks the talk but importantly walks the walk!

Get in touch – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au

On Instagram - @jenndonovan_

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Or on LinkedIn as Jenn Donovan