24 Oct Facebook Isn’t That Good At Facebook: Why the Social Network Fails on its Own Platform
If there is any brand that knows how to properly engage fans on Facebook, you might think it would be Facebook. You would be WRONG. Dead wrong. Where does the giant falter in the use of its own social network? Read on to find out.
A Tale of Two Facebooks
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” Even in social networking, Dickens’ famous words ring true.
Facebook’s Facebook Page has more fans than any other celebrity, movie, or brand. Rihanna is the closest and she still trails by over 15 million fans. Clearly, the social network is incredibly popular within its own ecosystem.
However, in the last four months, the quality of the Page’s content has taken a serious dive. Where did it all go wrong?
Facebook is Losing its Way
In the months leading up to July, Facebook did a decent job with its Facebook marketing. Come July 1 and bam – it’s a totally different story. For everything that Facebook did correctly in the first half of the year, they did something wrong afterwards. You’ll find…
videos that are interesting, but not nearly as good as they used to be,
updates with mountains of text,
and as a result, much lower engagement numbers.
The Not So Social Network
So, why is Facebook so bad at Facebook? It would be the ultimate irony if the much maligned changes to Facebook’s algorithm are the reason the content isn’t performing well. Fortunately, the reasons are much more simple. I use the word “fortunately” for two reasons: 1) I don’t want to come across as someone who takes delight in Facebook failing and 2) It’s much easier to explain (anything that helps me avoid using math is a good thing).
Facebook’s Social Faux Pas
Not Posting Frequently Enough
After July 1st, Facebook posted ten updates… total. You read that correctly. In nearly four months, the Page published just ten updates. Compare that with April which had seven high-quality posts in one month. Even that cadence is a little light, but it makes the second part of the year look like a ghost town by comparison. Ideally, the Page would post 3-4 times per week.
Posting Weak Content
In addition to not posting enough, what the Page did post wasn’t very engaging. The posts were either too wordy or did not provide enough context, and the one image (the royal baby infographic) was a little lackluster.
Where are the engaging visuals? Where is the behind-the-scenes look at the social giant? Facebook has so many metrics and resources at its disposal that it isn’t using, which leads me to my next point.
Not Taking Advantage of Its Existing Assets
It’s one thing to use a designer to create an elaborate infographic with Photoshop or hire a production crew to film a video series. It’s another to take advantage of the resources you have readily available.
Facebook is one of the most fascinating, polarizing entities in the world. Don’t you think people would love a look at its inner workings? That’s where the Facebook Instagram account really shines. Also, Facebook Newsroom has so much data regarding trends. That information would make for unique and engaging content.
So, What Can You Learn From This?
The main goal of this blog post was not to disparage Facebook. It was to emphasize an important point that comes with managing a brand Page: popularity is no excuse for ignoring best practices. No matter what brand you represent, you still need to post interesting, varied content. Otherwise, your engagement levels will drop.
So, if you’re looking to a brand on Facebook for content inspiration, I would look elsewhere… for now anyway. While we have you thinking about Facebook, go ahead and check out our list of the top 50 brands on Facebook.
