I performed a Facebook experiment recently to find out why I should pay to promote on Facebook.
To conduct my experiment, I decided to actually pay to promote. Yes, I forked over five bucks to Facebook themselves.
{Oh, the horrors!}
As every Blogger who uses Facebook knows, the changes to the Facebook algorythm is not favorable to our species. Many of us rely on Facebook to get our posts in front of potential readers. Yet, if that status update does not get in front of Mary or Jane, they don’t see that we wrote a fabulous blog post on “How to Protect Your Pumpkins from Squirrels.”
No see, no clicks.
No clicks, no stats.
No stats, no brands.
{Insert sad face here.}
So I decided to jump into the new waters by paying to promote a particular status update. The status update I decided to pay Facebook to promote for me? The status update on how to see my Facebook status updates. {Clever, huh?} I have two Facebook pages. One for Charlene Chronicles (hint, hint) and one for a local site I manage, which is called Metrowest Mamas.
This is the picture I put in my status update and paid Facebook to promote. By promoting, this particular status update would be seen by more of my fans. If more of my fans saw it, and actually wanted to see my posts going forward, they may actually take steps to include me in their news feed. (Win, win all around.) I also selected the option of having it be promoted to my fans’ friends too. You’ll see why in a second…
Two things occurred as a result. First, I started seeing a great engagement from that point on. More people put me in their news feed. As a result, they saw my status updates. By seeing my status updates, they commented on them. Facebook loved the additional engagement and rewards me with a higher status in news feeds. Second, it also increased my number of followers. Why? Because my fans’ friends saw the promoted status updates and decided to visit it. Then some of them decided to like it. So for $5 I gained 30 new followers. If you are big into marketing analysis, that converts into an advertising rate of 16 cents per fan.
I did this with my local Facebook page because it is very specific to a targeted audience and the name would have some recognition. In other words, the name alone may trigger interest.
Alternatively, I did this same Facebook Pay-to-Promote experiment on my Charlene Chronicles Facebook Page and did not get any new likes. (Though I did get some love from my friend Kelby Carr of Type-A Parent.)
So it depends, I think, on whether your Facebook page is based on a certain niche or location that may trigger name recognition. If not, then the lesson learned, for me, is that I should have paid to promote an interesting blog post – maybe this one, or a big giveaway – that would get people interested in visiting my Facebook page and maybe “liking’ what they see. Otherwise, using the status update I did, there is no draw to click over since, well, the name “Charlene Chronicles” is a bit, err, un-descriptive. Great for a blog, but bad for stand-alone marketing.
Yes, it is five dollars (or more), but since everything is costing money these days (PicMonkey, Crowdbooster, etc.), it is part of the new Blog world. It is part of our investment in our business. Alternatively, if you are working with Brands or on a campaign, factor in the cost of doing this to boost the posts on their behalf.
All in all, I love the community that I and my fans have built. We do wonderful sharing and supporting. Facebook has its goals, and the goals of a Blogger is not a part of that plan. But here is one way to reach out and re-enage your fans…before Facebook changes the game once again.
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