Mike Stelzner, CEO of Social Media Examiner and Social Media Marketing World, delivers a state of social media marketing every year. Each year, he pulls together a report on what marketers are doing. This keynote began with a focus on Facebook and its changing platform.
Stelzner provided a year-by-year update on the transformation of Facebook as a platform to reach audiences. At one time, it was quite easy to share organic traffic and have potential clients consume it. But there has been a significant decline in referral traffic from Facebook. The trend will continue to show a decline.
It is also harder and harder to get ads in front of people. The reason is that Facebook is about people connecting not content. If we want to overcome this, we need to build relationships with our audiences instead of simply pushing content. I know this is going to be difficult for me because I am interested in helping people learn new things.
Having bigger audiences is not always better, being better at connecting will be more powerful than creating bigger audiences. We need to get better at influencing people in a positive way.
Stelzner offered suggestions for connecting with your people
Stories
Facebook is transitioning from a feed-only world to a feed-plus-stories world. We need to do more stories. Stelzner pointed out that this is a great place to start because most marketers are not doing Facebook stories.
We need to stay in front of our fans and engage with our fans. The challenge is that the stories only last for 24 hours. We need to show fans experiences they normally will not see. We can save our best stories as highlights.
Stelzner did report that marketers are using Instagram stories. One of the benefits of Instagram Stories is that the conversation on Instagram Stories is private. Real and intimate interaction can take place.
Video
Video is another way to connect with your audience. Stelzner noted that more than half of marketers are not doing live videos. This is something that I know I need to do more of. It helps to humanize the brand. It helps people to get to know, like, and trust you.
Suggestions for video include
- Short expert interviews
- Coffee time in the morning
- Quick breaks to give an update.
Stelzner stressed that Facebook videos need to be short. But to be honest, I have heard mixed advice throughout the conference. He is reporting a lower watch rate on Facebook than on YouTube.
Quick fact: People are spending an average of 44 minutes on social networking.
When people want to watch videos, they typically go to YouTube. I certainly do. But 43% of marketers do not use YouTube. This is an opportunity to build useful content.
Playlists are a great way to keep people watching. You can also use end cards to recommend other videos to watch. You can also encourage people to “ring” the bell so they will be alerted when a new video is posted. I personally will be creating more videos.
Additional Reading
- #SMMW18: State of Social Media
- #SMMW17: Social Media Marketing in 2017: What the Newest Research Reveals
- #SMMW19: How to Create High Quality Videos With Your Smartphone
- #SMMW18: How to Create a Live Video Strategy for More Views Leads and Sales
- Book Review: Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill It Online with Video Blogging
- #SMMW17: YouTube Video Production from Idea to Execution
- Does Your Ideal Customer Know, Like, and Trust You?