On Friday morning, Mari Smith gave an inspirational presentation to 6,000 plus Social Media Marketing World participants. While she also supported what Mike Stelzner said in his keynote, her keynote also refuted some of what he said. Smith also talked about Facebook marketing history and strategies for moving forward.
Smith began by pointing out that Facebook is undergoing significant change. Marketers have been using the newsfeed to increase organic reach. But organic reach has dropped 50% in the last couple of years. Marketers need to change how they stay in front of their audience.
You can expect even more changes in the future. As Smith noted, there is a shakeup at Facebook. Key executives have resigned. They have released a privacy manifesto in response to the recent scandals, antitrust suits, and government regulations.
The Mari Method
Smith has three tactics to use to get and stay in front of your intended audience.
Start with great content: If you are not adding content that anyone will engage with, you are running an uphill battle. Smith recommends sharing video. The video should be 15 seconds to 3 minutes. If you are going live, then the video should be 7-20 minutes.
First work to generate organic reach. If the post is performing well, then promote it with an ad.
Create custom audiences: Smith also recommended creating custom audiences that you can use for retargeting such as those who watch videos, visit your website, lookalike audiences, etc. These are similar to those described in Amanda Bond’s presentation.
Encourage watch parties: This is the first time I have heard someone mention Facebook watch parties. Smith is encouraging building communities in private groups. It is a way to amplify your message. This is something I am planning to try next week.
Reaching Audiences
Smith next discussed four methods in order to reach more people. Let me walk you through those four methods.
Video
We need to start creating more video. Smith encouraged everyone to participate in a 30-day video challenge. I started the challenge, but now I need to connect the days. It is a tough challenge. Smith offered some suggestions for success.
Create videos that are emotional, storytelling, and under 30 seconds. Focus on a return on investment for each video and post. The video should be either square or vertical. Horizontal videos are not appropriate for Facebook. Facebook wants videos that create shared experiences and a sense of belonging.
Smith also recommended creating 15-second videos that you could use as ads in other digital videos.
Stories
Stories allow you to share microcontent. I personally have not figured out how to get the best use out of stories. Smith pointed out that stories are the future. They are experiencing 15x faster growth. You can cut your ad spend by using stories in place of ads. The challenge with stories is their lack of permanence.
Messaging
Messenger, Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, and chatbots are all growing. It is possible to automate some of the routine tasks you are doing on messenger for scheduling appointments, generating leads, sending updates, and some relationship building. Messaging allows you to move to private conversations.
Groups
Another new thing I learned (so much keeps changing) is that you can create groups from your Facebook pages. This is a great way to build meaningful communities.
This was a very inspirational and informative presentation.
Additional Reading
- #SMMW18: From Fans to Friends: How to Create a Loyal Community to Facebook Live
- #SMMW18: How to Create a Live Video Strategy for More Views Leads and Sales
- How to Add the Facebook Messenger Plugin to Your Website
- #SMMW18: Facebook Messenger Bots: An Alternative Future for Marketers and Creators
- #SMMW17: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and the Future of Social Media Marketing
Photo by Michael Drexler on Unsplash
