THE PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, PART 1: FACEBOOK

With the plethora of social media channels available today, it can be a tricky landscape to navigate. So how do you know which ones best suit your business’ needs and objectives?

We’ve taken a look at some of the biggest platforms and analysed their advantages and shortcomings. The first in our Pros and Cons of Social Media series? Facebook.

PROS

MICROTARGETING

As the most popular social network, Facebook boasts over a billion users that cover almost every demographic. As such, there’s rich information available to assist in accessing your target market.

Using the information provided by users, Facebook allows you to microtarget specific groups based on everything from location, age, gender, employment status, income, marital status, interests and hobbies. If you have thoughtful and comprehensive buyer personas and goals, microtargeting can work in your favour.

ANALYTICS

The more you use Facebook, the more you’ll start getting better insights into how fans engage with your business, through Facebook’s suite of analytic reporting. This provides information such as the day and time your fans are most likely to be engaging online, how much they interact with your posts (like, share, comment) and visits to your page amongst many other metrics.

INEXPENSIVE

Small budget? No problem. Facebook has one of the lowest cost per 1,000 impressions amongst any online advertising avenue. Provided your campaign has a specific purposes and quantifiable goals, funds should definitely be allocated to Facebook advertising.

HIGH ENGAGEMENT

Facebook has the highest engagements levels, more than 30 billion pieces of content are shared every month. Businesses can use Facebook to start a conversation with individual consumers and generate rapport.

CONS

TIME & RESOURCE COMMITMENT

Allocation of time and resources can be one of the biggest drawbacks. Businesses need to be aware that setting up a page does not mean people will automatically follow you.

Lack of interaction and regular content on Facebook, can reflect poorly on a business. You need to be committed by posting regular updates to fans and useful, relevant content. Participate in the conversation, share images and provide exceptional service that portrays your business as a reputable organisation.

REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

Any Facebook page runs the risk of having negative comments posted, consequently the page will need to be monitored often to ensure the reputation of the business is maintained

It is essential that businesses use any adversity they’re faced with to respond efficiently to problems and ensure an amicable outcome either on the page, or privately via a support email address. To show not just the commenter, but any other users reading, that the business can and will address problems properly.

ADVERTISING BUDGET REQUIRED

As a free marketing tool for businesses, Facebook is moving towards being a paid-only platform. The periodic adjustments made to their algorithm, impacts the visibility of posts, as Facebook begins to optimise towards paid content over organic. 

Look out for the next instalment, where we'll be discussing Instagram.