After Facebook and Snapchat, What's Next for Social Media Marketing? Recent changes to the platforms mean marketers need to adjust their strategies.
By Carlos Gil
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We're in an interesting time, to say the least, for social media marketing.
Today, for most large brands, small businesses and creators, it's hard to stand out from the digital noise on social media without investing large sums of money into advertising and content that includes investing in resources (people) for graphic design and video production.
In spite of the social media landscape continuously evolving through algorithm changes and Snapchat's recent redesign, which has made it harder for users to get views on their content in both cases, there's still value to be had from a sales and marketing standpoint if businesses go back to the basics of 1-to-1 marketing and accept the reality that organic reach is depressed without ad spend.
I was recently at Social Media Marketing World 2018 where I had the chance to record a podcast interview that touched on the following topics which are top of mind for every marketer:
Is Snapchat for business dead?
For the greater part of two years, Instagram has made significant improvements to its platform that have resulted in a mass movement of marketers and creators who once believed that Snapchat would, in fact, be the next Facebook over to Instagram. A recent poll in the Social Media Masterminds group on Facebook indicated that less than 10 percent of professionals are using Snapchat in their business. While Snapchat is not dead completely, the potential reach isn't there for most businesses unless their target demographic is between the ages of 13 and 24 years old.
Facebook ads
Whether you're a florist, a local gardener or a dry-cleaning company, the easiest way to reach local buyers in your city or town is through Facebook ads. Personally, I work with real estate agents and I often recommend setting aside a minimum Facebook ad budget of $300 per month or $10 per day to get their content in front of the right audience versus posting their content to an unknown user base. With such a small percentage of page fans seeing your content these days, running Facebook ads is not an option – it's a requirement.
Chatbots and AI
Bots are a practical tool for businesses that can't invest in hiring a dedicated community or social media manager. Within your own Facebook page you can set up a Messenger bot assistant within a couple of minutes (for free) whereby anytime someone clicks on the "Send Message" button on your page she will receive an auto-reply message whereby you can let your visitor know that you're currently away but to leave you a message and you will get in touch ASAP.
Watch more videos from Carlos Gil on his YouTube channel here.
