Oh Facebook. What a complicated relationship we have with you. On one hand, we love the personal connections to family, old school friends, new friends, and monitoring our exes. We also love the “free marketing” Facebook Business Pages have given us. But then… there are all the downsides. Arguing on the internet is frustrating (which happens all too often on Facebook). There’s the “I don’t give permission to use my likeness” and “They’re going to start charging” hoaxes. Don’t forget the actual privacy issues. Plus for businesses, the “free” tool comes with a cost. Since we the users are the product (Seth Godin), Facebook is allowed to - and does - change the rules. Facebook Business Pages see less and less engagement, so you end having to “pay to play.” “If you use social media, you are not the customer. You are the product. It is built to manipulate you into using it more, so they can run more ads and make more money.” - Seth Godin on social media And yet, despite all of that, businesses flock to Facebook thinking they’re rocking the marketing in this modern world. After all, more than 2 billion people use Facebook. It’s the online community we’re (almost) all using. But when you put all your eggs in one basket, you put yourself at risk. Social media can be a great tool in your marketing toolkit. But social media marketing should be more than just Facebook. What other channels do your ideal customers use for communication? Where do they “hang out?” Where can you connect, engage, and bring value? In this article I want to show you a few of the other options out there when it comes to social media marketing for small businesses.
