Ten years ago today, thefacebook.com, as it was then known, started its journey to becoming one of the biggest social networks in the world. Today, Facebook has grown to have 1.23 billion active monthly users, 945,000,000 mobile users and 50,000,000 pages, according to The Drum (https://bit.ly/1aoklas).
Facebook, and other social media channels, have become major parts of marketing campaigns for brands across the globe – and today’s savvy consumer expects a social media presence to stay connected to their favourite brands.
When asked why they are fans of a brand on Facebook, 49% of consumers said it was to support the brand they like and 41% said it was to receive updates from them (https://on.mash.to/1fLkWCx). With Facebook, brands have a unique opportunity to build a connection with consumers, so how can they continue this connection in the next ten years of the social network?
Facebook’s focus on mobile has seen an increase in the number of brands choosing mobile advertising over the desktop equivalent. Tailoring advertising to cater for this and ensuring brand websites are mobile optimised will only enhance the experience.
Choosing appropriate images and copy for Facebook advertising is also important. These should be in-line with the brand message and promote something interesting – badly thought-out posts will just waste time and money.
Facebook Paper is the latest addition to the social network. iTunes’ description of Paper says: “Explore and share stories from friends and the world in immersive designs and fullscreen, distraction-free layouts. Paper includes your Facebook News Feed and sections about your favourite topics.”
The app seems to be an early hit since its release on the 3rd of February. Stories, photos and videos from Facebook newsfeeds are pulled into a customisable grid and users can also read content from partner publications. Could the app make the original Facebook app redundant?
In whatever format, Facebook will continue to innovate in the future. No doubt, in months or years to come, Facebook will be able to target advertising even further, connecting with people in time for wedding anniversaries, when it’s sunny outside or before they go on holiday, for example. It has also been said that the increased use of smart TVs will soon be linked to your other devices, meaning that what you have ‘liked’, shared or clicked will influence the adverts you see on your TV.
With these developments come new opportunities for brands to reach consumers – what will your brand do?
Image: theguardian.com