Here's a stat for you: Organic Facebook reach has declined to 6%, a 49% drop since last October.
In other words, brands can expect about six out of every 100 fans to see the content they post.
Six people.
You can understand why many etailers have all but given up on reaching their fans via Facebook in 2015. It’s getting harder and harder to justify spending time developing high-quality, engaging content.
But is this decline in organic reach really worth dumping Facebook altogether?
I don’t think so. Not yet at least.
Here are three reasons why etailers shouldn’t abandon Facebook in 2015.
1) Facebook User Reach Is Still Astonishing
Facebook has over 1.23 billion monthly active users worldwide.
The last time I checked, our email file doesn’t have 1.23 billion names. Where else can you find so many people all in one place, people that are actually reachable with your message?
Nowhere. Not twitter or Pinterst or Snapchat.
Just because organic reach is declining doesn’t mean there aren’t customers out there still seeking your content. Reaching those customers is just going to take a little more strategy and a few more dollars this year.
2) Ads Are An Option
No one should be surprised that Facebook’s stock price has risen as organic reach has declined.
Many retailers are already using Facebook ads to expand their reach, and they work. There are plenty of success stories related to using Facebook ads.
Facebook gives you a wide range of targeting options that many other marketing platforms do not. Fans willingly give up plenty of usable data.
Want to target fans of a certain sports team? Easy.
eTailers should definitely test these waters before abandoning the platform altogether.
3) Can Complement Other Marketing Efforts
In terms of an organic outreach campaign, Facebook as a standalone marketing channel might not generate a whole heck of a lot of conversions. It definitely doesn’t stand up to channels like email or paid search that are conversion machines.
But you can still get value out of organic Facebook campaigns by integrating them with these other channels to create a consistent brand message. You can also supplement these other channels using Facebook posts.
Holding contests on your Facebook page is a proven way to gain new email addresses for your file.
It’s not time for etailers to abandon Facebook . . . yet. Encourage them to try a few of these strategies before giving up on the platform entirely!
How are you approaching Facebook in 2015?
