Facebook messenger hasn’t been around for that long but it has definitely made an impression. With 1.2 billion active users, ⅙ of the global population is using this app!

Messaging apps have become extremely popular overtime, with a lot of the younger generation spending more time socialising through text messages, than face-to-face conversations. There are many different platforms, vying for users, in the messaging app ecosystem. In the battlefield of messaging apps, Facebook Messenger even leads Whatsapp for memberships, while WeChat is dominant in China, with over 90% using the app. Even though geographic locations play a role in determining the popularity of messaging apps, the rise in usage of Facebook Messenger remains undeterred, with 1.2 billion active users that make ⅙ of the global population. 88% of online adults are a member of at least one of Facebook’s four main services: Facebook, Facebook Messenger,…

The social media giant is finally listening. Facebook has recently been switching things up to “better” suit its users - or has it really?

A while ago, Facebook announced changes to its algorithm, showing users less public content, like posts from businesses, brands etc., and more personal content shared by friends and family. And now, they’ve come up with yet another change, this time, specifically aimed for marketers.

To give businesses more of an insight into how the impact of their advertisements is calculated, Facebook has introduced new labels on some of its metrics. “We’ve heard that businesses want more insight into our measurement tools and metrics. So today, we’re introducing new labels on some of our metrics to clearly show how they are calculated”, the social channel stated in its latest blog post on Thursday.

Facebook has been on the receiving…

26+ features for a successful Facebook social strategy

Facebook dominates social media use with an extensive base of 2 billion users who can be reached by organic or paid advertising tools and targeting options. But, it's easy to get lost in the various tools which are available and you can be left uncertain where to start. Having a holistic Facebook marketing approach that incorporates many of Facebook's features will help shape a larger and more targeted social strategy or campaign. Remember, you need to know what your target audience is doing on Facebook to peak their interest in your company/product/service. In Q3 of 2016, Global Web Index found that over a third of 16-64-year-olds answered that they had visited a company's page within the last month. And, over 20% stated that they had shared content (post, article, photo and video)…

Is the rise of online bullying and hate / fake news putting the younger generation off interacting on Facebook?

Recent figures have shown that Facebook's monthly active users between 12-24-years old have decreased, but why are the younger generations moving away from Facebook in preference for other social platforms available? Whilst Facebook constantly dominates global statistics on active users worldwide, I've never been their biggest advocate. Reaching past 2 billion monthly active users in 2017, Facebook has always looked impressive on paper with its high user figures - but who are these users, what do they use Facebook for and why should we all care? 2 billion users does not mean 2 billion brand interactions, it does not mean 2 billion conversions and it does not mean 2 billion people are going to see your post and you'll become a social media influencer overnight. So why do we all hype about their…

Chart of the day: According to research by Salesforce, over half of ad spend is allocated to Facebook (including Instagram) or search marketing (Including Google search)

In the previous year, 30% of ad budget was allocated to Facebook and Instagram and 28% was allocated to Google and Bing paid search ads. Facebook budget is expected to increase slightly by 1% to 31% and search budget allocation is expected to stay the same at 28%. Compared to other channels such as youTube, Display, and Linkedin, Pinterest and Snapchat etc. Facebook and Google are dominating the ad space with most ad budget allocated to them. Next year, 66% of digital ad spend will go to Google, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Over the last year, 65% of businesses have increased their video advertising budget, with more money going on video on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. …

Engaging eCommerce consumers during Q1 - one of the most challenging quarters of the year - is no easy feat

With shoppers now in post-holiday hibernation and product return rates at their highest, increasing engagement and retention may seem like an uphill battle. So what’s a retailer to do when the road to a strong Q1 suddenly derails? Tap into one of the most profitable channels for communicating with your customers: social media. It’s no surprise that social media rules the eCommerce playground. With Facebook greeting approximately 1.37 billion global users per day, social advertising is an obvious win to maximize profit in Q1 and beyond. In fact, about 3 million businesses globally are currently dipping their toes and wallets in the Facebook ad pond. But many find themselves quickly sinking to the bottom because they fail to recognize one cardinal fact when building a successful ad campaign: Facebook advertising will only…

Chart of the day: Most shared Facebook content 2017 

Even though there isn’t one single formula for what makes content go viral on social media, it’s crucial for content creators to understand which type of content tends to work well online and therefore, should be pushed across their social channels. Recently, BuzzSumo analyzed two billion articles and posts that were published on Facebook in 2017, and established the top content over the year. Although these viral posts can hardly ever be replicated, such analyses provide insights into viral content creation, through gaining as much positive attention, as quickly as possible, while also engaging with your audience. In the analysis, experts at BuzzSumo found out most of the top posts that went viral were videos, with the exception of only 3 out of 20 top post. The most popular topics in video were: Practical hacks …

How three very different brands gained social success by creating Facebook campaigns that engaged users and got them talking

In our Facebook marketing guide we share lots of examples of practical techniques for businesses to achieve their goals. We're always on the lookout for new examples to share, so we 'put our heads together' in our team to share those we liked best from this year. We'd be interested to know which campaigns you rate from this year, please share to Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. The examples we have chosen are all remarkable for getting cut-through and engagement to support the goals of the organisation. Thinking of our RACE planning framework,  Facebook (and other social networks) can support all the parts of the customer lifecycle goals from achieving reach, encouraging interactions, generating conversion and customer engagement. We have chosen these three examples since they achieve these across very different categories.

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How to integrate Email and Facebook to achieve marketing success

Despite the infamous belief that email is dead, any other marketing channel is unable to boast of the tremendous 3800% ROI that email keeps bringing to those who practice this marketing channel in a proper way. Analyzing from where the rumors about the dying email usually arrive, the social media come to mind as a logical assumption. Indeed, many may recognize the social media as a direct and more powerful competitor of email. Such a misconception is grounded in the fundamental confusion of different roles both channels play in communication with customers. Is the effective fusion instead of confusion possible in order to benefit from both marketing tools? Yes, it is definitely possible after the “labor division” of email and socials is comprehended.

Email and Facebook - not twins but brothers

Comparing email with Facebook, for instance, every marketer should clearly understand that…

Facebook video ads really could be the silver bullet that creates a huge bottom-line impact

For as long as I can remember, marketing professionals have been proclaiming that Facebook is dead. A little extreme, right? Well, continually declining reach, boosted posts and ads that deliver untargeted fans and traffic, and the need to throw big money to generate any meaningful ROI have all contributed to this frustration.

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To be fair, as social networks go, Facebook is harder to crack than some of the others. There are some Facebook marketing hacks you can test that will certainly help, including: Tagging contributors, fans, and experts in posts to extend reach Commenting and liking as your page, not your personal account The use of visual…