If you paid any attention to the headlines in early 2014, you likely heard something about the demise of Facebook; how teens are abandoning the social media platform in droves and why companies will walk away from promoting their pages due to Facebook’s algorithm, EdgeRank. (By the way, when is the last time a teenager cleaned a cup in the sink much less paid for a kitchen remodel?)
Well, you can totally ignore those headlines … and here’s why: It’s going to take a long time for any social media platform to catch up to Facebook. According to the latest numbers from the Pew Research Center, 71% of adult Internet users are on Facebook. That’s up from the previous year’s 67%.
Think about it: No one just sits around and does nothing anymore. Having a cup of coffee … checking in on Facebook; catching a smoke, checking in of Facebook; waiting in traffic … .You get the idea.
Ours has become a society that must constantly be entertained. We seek out the latest and greatest from our friends; where they are, what they’re doing. Knowing the details has become our national pastime.
No Particular Allegiance
As far as I’m concerned, I’m agnostic about social platforms. I don’t care what’s popular. I’ll go (and will take my clients with me) to where the eyeballs are, and for the time being those eyeballs are still firmly fixed on Facebook.
So how does Facebook extend its reach beyond a single “like”?
Want to know the No.1 reason why you, Mr. Remodeler, are on Facebook? The reason why the platform is so enticing to contractors large and small? It’s the network effect.
According to Pew Research, each 30 to 49 year old has, on average, 200 people in their network. That’s why you use Facebook. Because not only do you have access to Mrs. Jones, but you also have access to her 200-plus friends, something that no other marketing can achieve. Just one like from Mrs. Jones exposes your brand to her entire social graph, and that’s the key to Facebook.
So it’s time to put your personal opinions aside and realize that this social media thing has legs, even if you can’t wrap a value around it or track it with a phone number. People are using these tools many times a day to communicate and you have to be there to be part of the conversation.
