Dan MoyleLook. It’s not you. It’s us. We just can’t make time for you anymore. It’s not that we don’t enjoy our time together. It’s just… well… there are other options out there.
Oh sorry… not you, reader. We’re talking to Social Media.
Sure, we love Social Media. But the fact is, it’s not the only platform available for marketing.
Impulse Creative certainly has a presence on the usual channels. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube all have our content.
But as we look ahead, it’s clear that what worked five years ago just doesn’t have the same allure today.
Here are a few facts about brand reach on social media:
- The number of internet users worldwide in 2019 measured 4.388 billion, up 9.1% year-over-year
- The number of social media users worldwide in 2019 hit 3.484 billion, up 9% year-over-year
- 39% of Facebook users admit to following a Facebook Business Page to get special offers
- Videos have about three seconds to capture viewer attention before they scroll
- Average cost per click for Facebook ads is $1.72
- Organic reach for Facebook Business Page posts is 6.4%
- 500 million tweets are sent every day
- Twitter growth predicted at 1%
- 75% of B2B businesses market on Twitter
- Brands report 4% engagement with their audience on Instagram
- 400 million users watch Instagram Stories daily
As you can see, social media can be noisy and difficult to find your ideal audience. It doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause— having a professional manage your marketing in social can be beneficial. However, you may find better alternatives for your marketing if you want more bang for your buck.
Here’s an interesting fact that ties to social media, but also our communications habits in general:
- The number of mobile phone users in 2019 is 5.112 billion, up 2% year-over-year
So whether you’re working with social or other marketing tactics, mobile is critical.
Now back to our regularly scheduled content. Why should your 2020 marketing plan include more than social media? Here are five reasons plus some alternatives for you to plan how to grow better in the future.
Social Media is Rented Space
Think of your marketing like your living situation. Renting can be great in the right circumstance. But don’t you want to own where you live?
Social is like that apartment you live in but don’t love. A website, on the other hand, is that house you own and love. You can build it and improve how you want. Building your brand in social is fleeting, but building the best website for your business means longevity.
The right website, with a winning SEO and promotion strategy will help you bring all the customers to your door.
Because of this, you’ll want to make sure your 2020 marketing plan includes more than social media. You don’t have to abandon it, just add other avenues.
Social Media Changes the Rules
How often has Facebook’s algorithm affected your reach? What happened when Twitter stopped allowing the same tweets and you couldn’t schedule a specific promotion like you wanted?
The fact is, social platforms can and will change the rules... and do it often.
The goal of these companies is to keep viewers right there on their own platforms so they can sell space to advertisers. They don’t care about brands who don’t pay to play.
So if it benefits them to change how the platform works in order to keep users engaged in their app or platform, they will. It’s just business.
So this means you need to keep up with changes, or not worry as much about the channel as you once did. Adding other means of communicating with your leads and customers means diversifying your channels. That’s the key to growth in 2020.
Social Media is Supposed to be Social
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok and Snapchat is where people go to be social. They post about themselves, they check in with friends and family, they search for entertainment and they interact with like-minded strangers.
While users also go for research and recommendations, including some buying decisions, they aren’t there for shopping in general.
If you can bring value, entertainment, story or other interesting content to social media users, you’ll build an audience. But it’s not always easy and it’s not a sales channel.
Yes you can get leads and customers from social media. But it’s also about conversations and engagement. Which means it’s not always a direct line to revenue.
So while you should be using social media to build an audience, serving customers and giving them a chance to promote you, you should also look to channels like your website and email newsletters and more to drive revenue.
Social Media is Noisy
The fact is, there’s a lot of noise in social media.
- 6,000 tweets per second (500 million per day)
- 4.2 billion Instagram likes per day
- 1 billion YouTube video views per day
In those three stats alone, you can see there’s a lot of information created and share every day.
The effect this has on how many people see your content means you’re likely either increasing your content to reach more people, or you’ve become accustomed to each piece of content reaching fewer people.
Either way, it’s clear that getting heard in a noisy environment can be difficult.
While this doesn’t mean you have to abandon your business’s social media channels, it might mean thinking differently about your 2020 marketing plan.
Social Media is Less Personal
Finally, taking into account all of the above facts, it’s clear that social media has become less personal over the years. We’ve tuned out brands. We’ve become numb to the noise. Many brands have turned social media into just another broadcast medium. It’s a crowded room.
More personal communications channels like chat, email, texting and others help us reconnect with out customers and potential customers.
A marketing strategy that includes more personal touches will set a business apart from that crowd.
What Can You Do for Success in 2020?
First, don’t give up on social media. It can still be a great place to find a greater audience. And in general, it’s still less expensive than buying ads in major TV shows.
But a social media strategy should be built on human connections, not just brand pages.
You should look to channels like email (no, email isn’t dead!) to offer value to an audience and build an active fan base.
Platforms like podcasts can help find new prospects, partners and fans.
Setting a strategy for your next year’s marketing should include the discussion of what else is available, how you put it to use, and the most effective strategy built within it. It’s like setting a road map for your growth journey.
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