Just in case someone isn’t informed about why companies, from the home-based operation, up to the multi-national corporation, use Facebook to monetize their online efforts to promote products & services – check out a few well researched facts:
1. 950 million Facebook usersinform us that it should not be ignored if you have something to sell or to say! (Source: Facebook )
2. Everyday 500 million people sign into Facebook and that represents 48% more users than were using Facebook in 2011. (Source: The Social Skinny 2012) Because these users are consistent and active in their Facebook posting, sharing, networking, they are a promising and captive audience that should be monetized in your marketing plan. There is a proven ‘video feeding frenzy’ so it’s a smart choice for someone who wants to engage viewers.
3. 223 million European Facebook users open up a worldwide market place for the savvy online marketer; (Source: Search Engine Journal) Facebook is not just that phenomenon that birthed in the USA; it’s a worldwide arena, online, all day, all night, and they are ‘conversation ready’. One recent study proves that now the Europeans also will watch videos rather than read blogs or posts! Video production that entertains while it informs is to say the least, ‘top shelf’.
4. The 25-34 age group comprises 29.9% of Facebook users and continues to remain it’s most vital demographic. (Source: Emarketer 2012) Wisdom’s bidding would then dictate that your marketing efforts need to engage this prime target audience. These are, without a doubt the most accessible key consumers anywhere.
5. During every second of every day 5 people somewhere, either near or far away, creates a ‘profile page’ on Facebook. (Source: ALL Facebook 2012)
6. 53% of the Facebook users are female – 47% are male. (Source: Emarketer ) This nearly split gender usage is such good news. When you can more or less, aim your marketing efforts ‘straight down the middle’ you save more money & make more money. A good way to engage both genders at the same time is by posting videos.
7. Mid-week, between 1-3 p.m. records the highest traffic. (Source: Bit.ly blog) Knowing this helps you because you can monetize it by putting to work a strategize to connect and drive more traffic to your website. It’s a very good time to make a special offer, publish a coupon code, promote an event, ask for a donation, etc.
8. A key window of time to never miss is Thursdays & Fridays because engaging users is 18% more available. (Source: Bit.ly blog) Occupy that opening and treat it as if you have 18% of your prospects in your online store! Video is known to pull more traffic to your site during that time slot. The fact that you can monitor all of this is so useful; try doing that with any other form of advertising.
9. Facebook has flaws as does everything else! There are at least 83 million bogus profiles on Facebook. Having said that, it’s good to know that many of these fake profiles exist to test markets. Many of them are generated by advertising professionals doing their R&D in a new market place!
10. 300 million photos / images are uploaded to Facebook each day! (Source: Gizmodo) This is evidence of engaged viewers / users. That’s the ‘good news’ and you could say the bad news is it’s stiff competition! You really need to ‘make a splash to get noticed. When it comes to competition, NFL football has it easy by comparison. Do something that sets you apart and here video production is king of content. Video will be viewed and shared more than photos and images.
11. Facebook users stay on the page for an average of 20 minutes; (Source: Infodocket) Think of that compared to a 27 sec TV commercial! Make an impression on these users while you have them online.
12. Every 60 seconds, 510 comments are posted, 136,000 photos are uploaded & 293,000 statuses are updated. (Source: The Social Skinny ) Before you post, upload, or update your status, think of establishing a strategy that is most likely to hook the attention of the Facebook users. You have some stiff competition…BUT, you are unique. Publish that! Even if you’re selling the same product that someone else in town is, find a way to uniquely present it.
13. When a Facebook user is within the ages of 18-24, 50% of them hop onto Facebook when they wake up. Have you ever, in the history of marketing and advertising, with all of it’s efforts, seen statistics like that? Facebook is essential to that age range and honing your product or service to meet and greet them is as money in the bank.
14. Out of every 5 page views on Facebook, 1 of them happens in the United States. Knowing this and utilizing it could greatly increase your sales. The internet is the most successful and developed market place in the worlds history. Most of us are still dizzy and working to monetize this. Video production frequently uploaded to Facebook has been proven to be the most cost effective marketing tool in the world.
15. An impressive 42% of marketing professionals report that Facebook has now become a critical to their success. (Source: State Of Inbound Marketing 2012)
In conclusion, your takeaway is probably now obvious:
– there is a huge market place that you can access BUT it’s a crowded one too!
– you will need to distill what you do and who you are THEN work it! Do something to stand out in the crowd – I can think of no better way than to frequently publish videos;
– video production needs to do two things: entertain & inform
– the best strategy to follow when putting video production to work is to stay on point – the subject and purpose of the video, but like the skilled sales rep, weave it into the conversation – tell a story. Your clients and your prospects want to know why you do what you do and when and how did you decide to do it!
– have fun with video production it’s sexy! Formally produced corporate videos have their place but that territory is rapidly diminishing. Even those that produced corporate videos are now moving into methods best described as ‘out of the box’ approaches.
– invite your viewers to upload their videos shot on flip cams and smart phones and tablets – they will!
– use Facebook strategically, flying by the seat of your pants in a hectic, sporadic fashion never locates, much less hits a target!
And finally, for now anyway (LOL), never publish anything, be it comment, image, video, or socially sensitive content to Facebook. It can and will come back to haunt you.
It’s odd, in my opinion, that something that began as a ‘friendly’ way to communicate on a street level, has become so political volatile and dangerous in the wrong hands. I’m not sure anyone saw the impact that FB would grow to have in the political, religious, and world of commerce arenas.
A final note on video production:
Consider the many types of video productions that can monetize your company. Some of these videos you can produce yourself and some you should hire done or better yet, buy off the shelf ready made videos that you can customize to best showcase what you’re selling.
Generic video productions can even be tailored to serve you as a ‘branding video’. You can ask the video producer to add specific text, images, photos, posters, etc to the video. Think of this like an apartment building with every unit measuring exactly the same; kitchen in same place as unit next door, bathrooms, maybe, back to back, and so on. It’s the decorating of those units that will distinguishes them and when it’s done to suit the needs and preferences of the occupier, then they stand out as unique.
Generic video productions are like that. Identical in the framework of the subject, industry, etc. but distinguished by virtue of decor and final dressing.