Facebook as a Digital Marketing Tool

In very simple terms, one can describe marketing as the practice of advertising goods and services. And again, in very simple terms, digital marketing includes marketing through the use of digital mediums. It would also be wise to note that the rise of the Web 2.0 and social media gave a new tool for the marketers. Namely, they are now capable of leveraging the new features of digital marketing.

For this article, we will explore the pros and cons of using Facebook as a digital marketing platform. We will also discuss the issues that surround the concept of social media marketing.

But before we get to that, we should start by saying that Facebook is an excellent medium of choice for marketers, especially marketers that are in the business of promoting consumer goods and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). That is due to the fact that it offers incredible access to an enormous consumer base.

In fact, Facebook has a user base that exceeds two billion people. By using Facebook, you can easily reach two-thirds of the American population. However, an incredible number of people actually uses Facebook as a platform to help their brands. The noisy media world makes it so that almost half of Facebook’s users are trying to make themselves known to the world.

The Advantages of Using Facebook Advertising

As we have said earlier, Facebook does offer an incredible reach to advertisers. And more importantly, it is an excellent channel of communication for marketers with small budgets. Unlike the traditional media, Facebook offers a very affordable platform that anyone can use. In fact, with just a couple of months of training, almost anyone can develop the basic skills of using Facebook.

Furthermore, Facebook rectifies one of the most prominent flaws of traditional media marketing. Namely, in the traditional media, it is all but impossible to accurately measure the success of a marketing campaign. Instead of directly measuring the effectiveness of a campaign, marketers can only rely on viewership metrics.

On the other hand, Facebook lets you measure the success of your campaigns every step of the way. You can easily check how many clicks you are getting and even what your conversion rate is. Remember, not every view, share, or even a click ends up converting into a purchase.

Moreover, Facebook is a global platform. So that means that marketers finally have the ability to target their audiences from across the globe. Conversely, Facebook also allows marketers to target their audiences locally.

With a bit of effort, a marketing expert can create a global campaign that reaches even the tiniest local audiences on a personal level. It is that conflation of the elements that makes Facebook ideal for marketers. Unlike Twitter or Instagram that focus on reaching the most people, Facebook gets to keep the personal touch.

The next benefit that comes from using Facebook is the removal of the “distance problem.” Namely, with Facebook, you can advertise to your target audience regardless of their position. There are simply no more geographical constraints that can slow a company down. While that won’t matter a lot to smaller local companies, global corporations love that feature. Corporations such as Coca-Cola or L’Oreal are including Facebook in their marketing strategies.

The Disadvantages of Using Facebook Advertising

While Facebook is a powerful tool that marketers of old would kill to have, it isn’t perfect. There are several downsides to using it as the main marketing tool. One of those downsides lies in the fact that negative publicity can travel quickly and go “viral” over a single night. Facebook is open and accessible to everyone. But that leaves companies open to publicity attacks. Namely, your competitors might start posting negative comments or reviews about your brand. And those comments might go viral before you get to address them.

Not seeing a negative comment in time can cause a lot of issues. So when it comes to online marketing, it is very important to always stay on top of the game. Companies should always have alerts for news about them and be ready to offer rebuttals.

Another flaw of using Facebook comes from the fact that the attention span of consumers tends to be very short on social media platforms. Commercials are all about instant gratification instead of extensive engagement. That means that consumers will form their opinions in seconds, and they will do so very superficially. Advertisers should avoid deeper thought when it comes to marketing as consumers aren’t likely to notice it.

Other Things to Consider

There are clearly benefits as well as disadvantages when it comes to using Facebook. However, there are other factors that speak in favour of using Facebook. For starters, it is cheap and easy. Namely, companies don’t have to create new marketing strategies. They simply need to incorporate Facebook campaigns into existing plans. Furthermore, the social media giant is making changes to make the platform more friendly towards e-Commerce and m-Commerce websites.

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