What’s the Value of a Facebook “Like?”

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The answer on Facebook is $0 if you don’t have a strategic plan to monetize it or otherwise leverage social media in a way that creates revenue.

Internet coffee shops are rife with “social media experts” who sip lattes and brandish the word “engagement” about as if business were as simple as chatting with friends. Engagement for engagement’s sake often results in a whole lot of yakking with little or no regard to whether or not the conversation is consistent, on brand, on target, or, most importantly, leading somewhere. In short, these “experts” can do a lot of talking and not much for the bottom line.

Almost every brand can benefit from unique and specific marketing initiatives that can be employed to drive revenue using social media.

However, if your social media strategy begins and ends with the word “engagement,” or worse, you have no strategy at all, you are missing out on the huge and essential opportunity to drive your business forward in a quantifiable way.

The truth about employing social media marketing is that it is challenging work. It requires great focus and skill. But when it’s done properly, social media will establish credibility for your brand, expose you to a social reach far beyond your current network of followers, and allow you to significantly impact the bottom line

This requires a unique and comprehensive brand strategy that is informed by specific goals for the brand, deployed with proven tactics and creative that is in-line with the strategy, and validated with a variety of simple measurement tools to ensure a worthwhile return on investment.

And most importantly, there are a variety of specific metrics that will determine the value of a “Like.” You will know and you will like it!

How to Get Your Social Media on Track

• Restart with a solid strategy.
• Avoid BS. Get qualified help.
• Develop a unique plan that addresses revenue.
• Formally define rules for social deployment.
• Monitor all activity for consistency.
• Measure. Adjust. Repeat.

What’s The Value Of A Like?

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What Happened To Kashi Could Happen To Your Brand

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…if it stands for something you can’t stand behind.

The image appearing on social feeds across the globe is one that is still hard to erase.

The shock is still palpable to masses of Kashi cereal lovers, including myself, who woke up over the past few months to the fact that the all “natural” breakfast food they loved and trusted was found by the USDA to contain genetically modified soy, and that certain grains contained pesticides that are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors.

Undoubtedly consumers everywhere need to wake up to how our food is grown and processed and to take responsibility for what we put on our family’s tables. That’s a matter for another article.

But, from a marketing perspective, why was there such a massive consumer backlash on social media?

Kelloggs – the corporate parent of Kashi – maintained it did nothing wrong. Finally, on Facebook, they blamed food supply and then the USDA for not regulating the term “natural.”

Kashi clearly missed the point. They did not understand and value the true connection they had enjoyed with consumers all this time.

Consumers felt betrayed because they believed Kashi shared their values. The products were being marketed as “natural” at a premium price point ($5-$8.00) through reputable health food and organic retailers. Health professionals touted the benefits of switching to Kashi cereals to their patients. Friends told their friends, and so on. Kashi was a company you could trust to help you live a healthier life.

Instead of understanding the power of this connection with their followers, Kashi remained silent for days. When they did speak, Kashi went on the defensive and denied wrongdoing instead of taking responsibility in a head-on approach crisis as a “partner in nutrition.”

Kashi missed a priceless opportunity to share the values – even in a time of crisis- with the one group of people with whom they had an opportunity to build consensus; people who are relatively aware of and are concerned about the presence of unhealthy ingredients in the food chain; people who were already putting money where their mouths are.

What can be learned: It is so important to take stock in what makes your brand tick. Are you fortunate enough to share certain beliefs with those who use your product? Do you fully appreciate how your consumers view your brand? Does your brand live up to its actual or perceived brand promise? Have you reviewed every aspect of your operation to ensure all the elements are in alignment and you can stand behind what you stand for? And are you prepared with a proper social media crisis plan when the unthinkable happens?

If you answered “no” to any of the afore mentioned questions, you had better get ready or risk getting “Kashi-ed!”

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Why Tourism & Travel Should Pay for Facebook Advertising

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With gas prices on the decline and the American dollar travelling further than ever (especially in Canada) the tourism and travel season is shaping up to be a great one.

If you couple this with the ultra low cost of Facebook advertising at the moment, virtually every tourism and travel oriented business can reach their exact target market.

You should be paying for Facebook advertising. Here’s why…

The free ride for brands on Facebook is over.

As the social giant transforms into a media company and not simply another social platform, the hard reality is coming to light with regard to organic (unpaid) posting placement, specifically posting to brand pages, and the depth of which users will now see brand posts.

The organic reach of posts is in serious decline. (Organic reach being how often the post will be seen without the assistance of Facebook’s algorithm or via paid placement.) Although no one can provide definitive numbers in terms of the current reach of unpaid posting, the majority of online sources report numbers as low as 6% and declining. This is no accident.

Facebook derives all of its current revenue from paid placement. This is their model and this is how the platform will further shape itself into being the most powerful ad spend any organization can harness today. The reach of Facebook’s advertising model is far more powerful than any other platform currently available on the marketplace. It’s a fact. Advertisers have never had the power to harness deep seeded demographic information at the scale now provided by Facebook – all with a very limited ad spend. The type of data now available to the advertiser, within the platform, not only drives granular campaigns but also provides statistical information that allows reactive changes in strategy based on those metrics. This data illuminates the most effective conversion paths allowing marketers to quickly abandon those paths that are not showing returns.




At present, the cost to the advertiser is the lowest it has been in the history of the platform. The average cost per 1000 people (CPM) reached can be as low as $0.25. This type of cost is well below all other platforms, both digital and traditional. With a minimum spend of $1.00 per day there is essentially no excuse to not be paying for advertising on a platform that will provide, at the very least, brand exposure, at a scale that most businesses would have only hoped to achieve just 3 years ago. Many organizations will find themselves wrapped up in the ROI debate. But in all seriousness, 30 dollars a month for simple brand exposure is unheard of. Wrapping your brand into a well conceived and well tracked campaign will provide effective lead generation, deep seeded brand awareness, and put your organization far ahead of your competitors. All with very minimal financial commitment.

If you are still spending the lions share of your advertising budget in television, radio, and print, the following infographic should be all the impetus you need to carve out a healthy portion from traditional to digital, for Facebook, today.

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It was a wild and free ride. But it’s time to pay the piper his paltry sum. And do it while its still the best kept secret in marketing. Your digital marketing agency will help your local business or large-scale organization design the correct Facebook strategies and campaigns for your brand.

Thinking About Facebook Advertising?

Let’s chat about the most cost effective advertising available online today.