Could Facebook Be a Dying Fad?
Marketing Opinion by Kimberly Crossland
According to recent studies, Facebook struggles to attract and hold the attention of a young demographic. 18 to 30 year olds no longer seem to see the value in logging in to Facebook and using it to connect with their peers and favorite businesses. Instead, a noticeable shift is taking place toward other social networks, such as
Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Snapchat.
The shift comes as a surprise to many, especially small business marketers who thought having a Facebook presence was critical to social media success. Now, it seems that more of the younger generation steers away from Facebook for a new type of content.
Text posts and updates can feel overwhelming, boring, pushy or too self-promotional. As social media networks become more focused on visual stimulation rather than text, 18 to 30 year olds seem more inclined to follow and share pictures, images or videos.
For small businesses with a large Facebook presence, it may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your social media marketing strategy.
Here’s how your wedding business can get to work to keep the attention
of this influential demographic:
1.Make your social media presence about sharing, not bragging – Some teens, when surveyed, said that they prefer the low key social media platforms, such as Instagram and Tumblr, because it feels more like sharing information and photos rather than bragging about accomplishments and competing for the most likes or comments. Take this into consideration when creating your social media strategy and focus more on the value of content you put out on social media. Instead of pushing your products, share ideas. Instead of promoting your service, share new things that people may want to try. This will make it easier to capture and hold the attention of this up and coming generation.
2.Create a presence on Pinterest – Pinterest continues to remain the hot social network among brides to be as they recruit their friends to start pinning ideas and planning for their wedding on Pinterest. Because of the high number of brides to be on Pinterest, this social media platform may be your best resource for finding new clients. Create a variety of boards, optimize your pins with keywords in your descriptions and put price marks on your items to attract the most people to your Pinterest page and business.
3.Give incentive to check in or like your company on Facebook – Although the trend appears to be shifting away from Facebook right now, you still want to maintain a presence on this social media giant. One way to do this is to give incentive for your customers to check in with you on this platform. For example, if you own a gift shop with wedding materials, offer a free unity candle for checking in and sharing your business on Facebook. This will increase your presence to your customer’s followers, show Facebook’s algorithm that your business is relevant and active, and keep your page looking full of activity.
4. Partner up with other wedding businesses – You have known the benefits of networking in the wedding business, and now social media offers another reason to partner with others in your area. By using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or others, you can reach a larger fan base and target prospective customers with minimal investment. Put together a joint promotion and both partners win from the effort.
While the younger generation begins to drift toward other social networks, it is important to note that they still maintain a presence on Facebook. Although this presence is weaker than it once was, marketers still must include Facebook in their social media marketing plan. But as more young people turn to other social networks, the need for social media marketing on other platforms is more important than ever.
Morning Cup of Wedding 