Christine Charlemagne

SAMPLE EDUCATIONAL/INFORMATIVE ARTICLE written for ECCO ECCO Learning corner: FACING the FACEBOOK MARKETING and ADVERTISING FACTS! Social Media! If you’re anything like us, pinpointing exactly when this medium became the most powerful means of marketing and advertising may be an impossible task. Even so, there is no denying the monumental impact of social media. In the music circles, we always hear that now-a-days because of technology, it is so much easier for a music industry professional to be successful. Due to the fact that technology, including social media, has put at our finger tips the ability to communicate in real time with the entire world. Not to mention the fact the cost of doing so is relatively little. According to Statista.com, Facebook currently ranks as the most popular social network, with 1.49 billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2015! Can you imagine what it would be like to ACTIVELY engage even as little as one-hundredth of these active users? It is for this reason we at ECCO felt that our very first ECCO learning corner article should zone in on some Facebook marketing, which can position you to take greater advantage of the potential to reach millions. In our research we came across this amazing book, “Cyber PR for Musicians: Tools, Tricks & Tactics for Building Your Social Media House,” written by Ariel Hyatt—a recognized thought leader in the digital PR world. In this book Ariel provides extensive insight into social media marketing, and how music professionals can utilize the various social media platforms to increase their audience reach. In the chapter dedicated to Facebook, Ariel offers what she deems “Fan-tastic Facebook Facts,” such as the fact that: “Over 600 million Facebook user log in daily” “Facebook is the 2nd most popular site on the internet, following Google” “There are over 680 million mobile Facebook users.” First off, Ariel recommends that music professionals have and maintain a professional Facebook page. Ariel then goes on to present several ways to NOT achieve success on Facebook! It goes without saying, that with an understanding of how to NOT achieve success on Facebook, you can in turn, do the opposite and maximize the successful your Facebook marketing! So here are a few Facebook Sabotage Marketing Antics, offered by Ariel.  “You Don’t Pay! Period!” Ariel explains this by highlighting the fact that “Facebook uses an algorithm that works in favour of advertisers.” This means; if you don’t spend money to connect with others, your content will have limited reach. So how do you work around this? Utilize FaceBook’s promoted page, or boost post options. And the good news is, you don’t have to spend hundreds or even thousands, to get your post to reach thousands of users. From our experiences, US$20.00 (roughly EC$54.00) can allow you to boost a post for as much as two weeks, and offer a reach within the hundred thousand range. What is even better is that Facebook boosted posts and promotions allow you to specify your target audience—from location, to age, to gender, to interests.  “You don’t post consistent, compelling, content (CCC)” Suffice it to say, if your posts aren’t interesting, users won’t gravitate to it! Ariel recommends that “a well run Facebook fan page should have one post per day and that the content should be varied enough to keep it interesting but similar enough that it helps to develop your overall brand.”  “You don’t use Mixed Media” Ok so you may be wondering, ‘Ummm what does this even mean????’ This point draws on the fact that some of us only post text related content, and not enough video and pictures. According to Ariel, “Text isn’t the answer to success on Facebook.” Rather, she points out that “Facebook itself acknowledges that people are more likely to engage with photos, videos, and links that simple, standard text updates.”  “You don’t pay attention to Analytics!” A visual of a dog chasing its tail comes to mind, when we think of this Do not from Ariel. By not paying attention to analytics, it could mean that you are busy putting time, energy and money into campaigns, and posts that just won’t maximize your results! By paying attention and using analytics, we are able to work smart and not just hard! Ariel advises that you take the time to review statistics related to your page and posts to decipher who your fan base is, where they live, and what content they are most willing to engage with. Constantly paying attention to these trends, Ariel further advises that you should “shape-shift” as you find out more about who your fans are and what their needs are. Are you guilty of any of these Facebook Sabotage Marketing antics?!? Now is the time to review your strategies, bearing in mind these ways you could be limiting the success of your Facebook marketing! For more even more insight considering getting yourself a copy of Cyber PR FOR MUSICIANS, by Ariel Hyatt! References: Hyatt, Ariel (2012). Cyber PR For Musicians: Tools Tricks & Tactics for Building Your Social Media House. Huntercat Press. New York. Statista (n.d.). Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 2nd quarter 2015 (in millions). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/