Why Pay-to-Play on Facebook Is a Good Thing for Your Local Business

By Sarah Giometti | Facebook

Mar 15
Why Pay-to-Play on Facebook Is a Good Thing for Your Local Business

2018 has been called the year of the “Facebook Apocalypse” due to algorithm changes that emphasize interactions with friends– not businesses. While this makes it easier for you to find out about pregnancies and weddings of people in your network, it also means that you’re less likely to see the latest posts of the businesses you follow. Many companies have complained that this essentially eliminates the organic reach of Facebook business pages, essentially making connecting with customers on Facebook purely pay-to-play. Few people would ever assume a change to pay-to-play on Facebook is a good thing for your local business, but the reality is that the change hasn’t been all bad for small business owners.

Now that we’re about six months from the big change, it’s turned out to be less of a disaster for brands– or at least the brands of small local businesses. Sure, you probably have to buy more ads to gain traction for your posts, but if you have a local following, pay-to-play on Facebook can actually have a positive impact on local businesses, especially within small towns or specific neighborhoods.

Here’s three simple reasons why:

  1. Conversations among friends, not strangers are key to getting your posts seen– and local businesses are more likely to serve friends. If a bunch of strangers actively comment on one of your posts the new algorithm does not considered it a conversation anymore, even if the post racks up thousands of interactive comments. That all changes, however, if several friends all comment on one of your posts. Suddenly, your post does have organic reach because it is connecting real-life friends. As a local business, you have an advantage over a chain or competitor with hundreds of locations. Your posts are more likely to contain comments of people with many overlapping networks rather than a few links. Your business gets more exposure– all targeted in your community.
  2. Highly targeted Facebook ads have better ROI. Now that all companies need to buy ads to ensure their posts reach more people, the most targeted ads have the most impact. As a local business, you’ll be targeting a specific area, which means each dollar you invest in these posts can have a better ROI.
  3. Fewer companies will be competing for your customers’ attention. Facebook ads are going to be more expensive now that competition in a pay-to-play environment has intensified. Companies that need to reach a larger community or have a wider demographic will eventually be priced out. As a local business, you can target more carefully, keeping costs down. Ultimately, fewer companies will be targeting the customers you want, helping your local business grow.

Whether we like it or not, the organic reach of company Facebook posts has been dramatically cut. It’s important to recognize the benefits and the pitfalls of the new system. If you want to ensure pay-to-play on Facebook is a good thing for your local business, you’ve got to embrace  a winning strategy that works the new algorithm. Don’t stress yourself out trying to do this alone. Come talk to us at Provaro Marketing to find out how we can help your local business grow post- Facebook apocalypse.

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