Facebook’s sudden news blackout last week no doubt gave pause to the many Australian businesses that use the platform as part of their marketing and communications strategies. The move has had wide-ranging impacts on businesses, and not just those in the media industry.
Government and health agencies saw their content unceremoniously deleted, and new posts were met with pop-up error messages. Even some of our financial and business advisory clients had posts removed (although they were later reinstated), as Facebook hastily pulled posts with any mention of “news”.
While it now appears that the stoush has reached a reasonable conclusion, the situation raises serious questions for any business using social media to engage with their audiences. Is it time to reduce your reliance on Facebook and focus more energy on email marketing? Or is this just a blip on the unrelenting rise of social media?
Plenty of research has already weighed social media and email against each other in terms of their marketing effectiveness. Results vary across industries, but email almost always comes out ahead in terms of reach, cost efficiency, engagement and targeting. The numbers alone speak volumes, with over 3.8 billion email users worldwide, compared with 2.4 billion social media users.
That said, there are plenty of reasons why social media has become an absolutely crucial ingredient in the marketing mix. Australians are some of the most active social media users in the world, with around 60% of us logging in to Facebook every month, and 50% logging in at least once a day. According to the latest social media report from Yellow.com.au, Facebook is the most used social media platform by Australian businesses, used by a massive 90% of small and medium sized businesses.
At the end of the day, both email and social media will continue to be powerhouse players in the marketing arena. Hence, it’s important to have a balanced approach so you’re not left stranded in situations like the Facebook blackout, and you suddenly find yourself unable to use the platform the way you once did.
At Bold, we use both email and social media strategically to leverage both platforms. Our strategies are underpinned by a commitment to producing authentic, bespoke content that shares our clients’ knowledge and expertise both via email and across social channels, rather than simply sharing the views of other sources.
For the foreseeable future at least, smart marketing plans will continue to include a mix of both email and social media marketing. However, what remains more important than ever is the quality of the content you’re sending out across all platforms. Genuine, authentic communication that connects with your customers and generates quality leads will always transcend medium and maximise return on investment, of both dollars and time.
As your business plans ahead for life on the other side of COVID-19, it is absolutely crucial to develop and implement an effective client communication strategy for recovery. One that demonstrates your awareness of your clients’ needs, and how you can proactively engage and offer assistance.
At Bold, we specialise in helping professionals and business owners to use marketing to grow their businesses. If this is something you’re interested in, it would be our privilege to help. Please accept our invitation to contact us on 07 5477 0197 or email marketing@boldcorp.com.au if you would like to learn more.
