Wednesday 29 May 2013

To Facebook or not to Facebook

I've hit a stumbling block recently.

Those of you who are 'fans' of me on Facebook will know that I run a fairly busy page. I enjoy Facebook for the most part and never really looked at it as a chore. I've met some fantastically funny people whose comments genuinely perk me up via my fanpage as well as some amazing supporters. And I've worked hard to gain new fans by being picky about my content and running giveaways etc. I've even invested in a few paid promotions via Facebook in an effort to get more targeted fans. But is it really worth it? Recently, in spite of a nice influx of 'likes' following the success of one of my titles, interaction has plummeted. For the vast majority of my posts, approximately 5 - 15% of my fans see them. Essentially I'm barely reaching anyone in the vast wilderness that is Facebook.

 Now a lot of this is to do with changes to algorithms and the quantity of pages out there. People 'like' so many pages that its hard to get into their newsfeeds. But also you'll have noticed a rise in the amount of sponsored stories sneaking into your newsfeed. I check my Facebook page constantly. I mean, constantly, and there is always a sponsored story at the top and several cluttering up the rest of my feed. And if you run a fan page you will have noticed that they've replaced the area where you could see all your new fans with a nice big box pushing you to purchase further exposure. And it ain't cheap.

 So here's the thing - do I put my very minuscule advertising budget into Facebook and pray that those 10 likes I gain purchase all my books or do I go elsewhere? In general, Facebook is becoming more and more uncomfortable to use and I can feel my terrible addiction to it waning. Friends getting banned, ads just about everywhere, lack of visibility... I think Facebook need to get over their cocky assumption that they are that amazing that people won't give up and go elsewhere. I've always sworn Facebook was my best marketing tool up until recently. Well, sorry Facebook but I will not be piling money into you anymore. Knowing how easily you could pull the plug on my page and how cannily you hide everything, I am not pouring my money down that drain.

 Fellow authors, I urge you NOT to pay for sponsored stuff. As a consumer I am peeved with each ad and I am spamming them as well as blocking the content of that page. I know others who do the same and I suspect there are many more. Don't allow Facebook to be your only form of advertising and look elsewhere.

And finally - Googleplus sort yourselves out. We need some competition. You are a big, supposedly clever company and yet your 'social network' is the biggest, most confusing mess I've ever seen. You have the money and the power to do something amazing, so please do it. Bring social networking back to what it was originally intended for - making social connections. Oh yes, and with strangers if I want to, thanks very much. Some of my closest friends happen to be people I've never even met. So what's your experience with Facebook? Do the ads bother you? And if you run a fanpage how do you feel about its effectiveness?

6 comments:

  1. I have to agree! As you know, I can't get in to my FB account because I don't have a cell phone to do a verification. It is frustrating as all heck. I understand there are trolls and spammers out there, but to not have an alternative (except giving them my government ID...NO thank you!)is inexcusable. To tell people to build their brand and make a name for themselves on FB fan pages, then restrict those pages so much is cruel and ridiculous. And, worst of it is that I've put my links out there everywhere and now people can't get to me on FB. UGH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think FB is a very risky place to build your brand. It's easy to throw money out of it but you never really know what the end result will be. How many other forms of advertising do that? Most advertising websites at least tell you how much traffic they get a month. Facebook can only estimate how many people will see a post. Apparently there's some kind of 'verified' thing coming out which I suspect will mostly be used by celebrities. I wonder if FB will get turned into a kind of tier systems where those of us who don't want to pay will be put to the bottom of the pile, just so they can still say that 'Yes, they are free'...but...

      Delete
  2. I've always been hesitant about Facebook. I'm there and so is my business. I have fun chatting with old friends, just like everyone else, and sometimes my readers seek me there, but overall I don't find it to be much of a marketing platform. I promote a post now and then just to experiment, but I don't really encourage my fans to go to facebook. Only a tiny amount of marketing budget goes to FB. I worry that if I build an important platform there, then FB will cut me off from it unless I want to pay. I can't even message someone who likes my page unless I pay a $1, last time I tried. I don't really mind the ads, but I imagine most people skip over them. People are there to update with their buddies and comment on funny pictures. Frankly, I don't have a clue how to use it to promote myself except to be visible and interact with the occasional fan who is an FB user. The truth is that there is so much there, that an impression anyone gets of anything is fleeting. Social Media can be fun, but I think I actually liked the web more before it was omnipresent. I prefer websites and blogs. They allow for focus with content much more than some ticker-like stream of random blah, blah, blah by an ever increasing stream of people and spam robots.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must admit I wrote this when I was really frustrated and have calmed down now and explored much better options of marketing. In a way I'm grateful that FB has forced me to explore other options. I'm writing a post as we speak, encouraging others not to discount Facebook but to make sure they consider other things. I see too many businesses putting all their money into it. You have absolutely the right idea by not relying on it.

      I will always continue to use Facebook as long as its a free service. I enjoy interacting with people on my page. But as for the personal side, I'm using it less and less right now. I'll be interested to see if any alternatives start to flourish this year.

      Delete
  3. I just went to my Facebook page, to make sure I "like" you, and I've already done it at some point in my past, but I honestly can't remember seeing any of your posts...That's what I don't like about facebook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That frustrates me as a user too, Anne. There are certain people - author friends or other groups that I WANT to see every post from. Even when I add them to my 'interests' list, I still only see a minor percentage of their posts. Apparently if we interact more on these pages, we are likely to see more but I've yet to see this and I find myself having to actively search for the pages to check on their updates. I do feel Facebook is taking some of the fun out of being social.

      Delete