Facebook’s Pay To Play Model: It’s Time For Businesses To Re-Invest

Anyone who has managed a Facebook business page has seen the organic reach dwindle. As a matter of fact you don’t even have to be a business page admin to have seen this happen. As a Facebook user I see less and less of businesses that I like on Facebook on my timeline. That gets us to the pay to play model that Facebook’s edgeranker algorithms has migrated towards.

What Facebook’s Pay to Play means to local business

As a local business trying to reach a local or regional audience, the cost to play on Facebook is pretty small in comparison to local radio, TV or print ads. For the cost of $200 to $500 a month you can make a very successful marketing campaign on Facebook. Increasing your ‘likes’ as well as exposing people who don’t like your page to your posts, or by running ads to individuals who already like your page so that they see your posts.

Now I know what you’re thinking. I worked my tail off to get all those ‘likes’ and now I have to pay to have those ‘likes’ see my posts? You also worked your tail off to get those customers but it’s still good marketing philosophy to run radio, tv and print ads to keep in touch with those customers. This isn’t much difference, just more efficient.

Facebook’s Pay to Play Ads Have Improved

As a marketing company, Paradux Media Group we took it upon ourselves years ago to delve into running Facebook ads for our clients. The more that Facebook has cut off organic search, they have improved the tools immensely for us to reach those cut off through ads. As a marketer or business owner that’s all you can ask for, if you’re going to take away ‘A” give me an opportunity to get them with ‘B’ and Facebook has done that.

The Key to Success at Facebook Advertising

photo credit Michael Carian via Flickr

Organic search isn’t going to get better on Facebook, regardless of your content. It’s only going to become increasingly more difficult to reach your ‘likes’ every day, so diving into trying ads now if you haven’t would be a really good idea. Just like with ad creations and ad buying, there is an art to it. I know everyone thinks they’re a marketing experts, but there really is a thought process and a goal that you should have with any and all ads placed.

Here are some quick suggestions for the business owners looking to get their feet wet. Keep it simple. Create a Facebook ad account. Choose to boost your post through an ad or to promote your page. Select the criteria you would like.  Select the geographical area, gender, and age that you would like to target.  Do you want to promote the post to those who already like your page, or broaden it to all those in the geographical area that you had selected? Choose a small amount to advertise for the day. Then monitor the progress daily as well as switch up the posts being advertised as well as the other parameters that you have set.

For the best results contact a marketing/advertising professional to run your Facebook ad campaign. You’ll be more efficient right out of the gate, rather than relying on a learning curve, and you’ve minimized the potential for mistakes to happen to your page.

For most local business owners and marketing departments you’ve invested a lot of time, effort and money into your Facebook page, and for most it’s been worth it. Now it’s time to re-invest with a little different strategy.

If you would like a free consultation of Facebook managements as well as Facebook ad management contact Paradux Media Group today.