Facebook: Social or Content Site?

As I was lying in bed just before, hoping to drift off into the land of dreams, I play out my usual routine – flipping through Facebook to see what my friends have been up to, and to check out the latest in news and product offerings. Up pops the link to the following article; so a quick copy / paste / email later, and yippee, I have a copy.

It must have been serendipity, as I went to download the email into my computer to share with my team, and the very portal hosting said article had emailed it to me too! Yep, a sign from the cloud – I must add my two cents worth in too.

Source - Pixabay.com

So, the question at hand is: Is Facebook a social media site, or has it evolved to a content site?

I see points for both sides of this fence, even through my own usage of Facebook. But, if I’m going to answer the question from a perspective different to the article which follows; it all depends on how you use it. It is not whether Facebook has become a content site; it is whether you have changed your habits to allow it to do so! Therefore, the answer is most likely (at least in my case) a yes. And it’s all your fault (kidding).

I still have friends who’s sole purpose on Facebook is to keep in touch with friends who have scattered across the world, share family photos, and be reminded of birthdays as they systematically haunt us each year. But then there are others, myself included, who use it as a platform to share, discuss, analyse, and even deconstruct news events. And then there are those who are strongly content-oriented – a brand’s dream by sharing products, “top ten lists” of places to eat, and creating mash-ups of the perfect ensemble for them based on various stimuli they have momentarily engaged with.

Does this make it wrong? Well, no, it doesn’t. It just means that as Facebook evolves, as we evolve, so to do the opportunities for brands to hijack the channel for their marketing effort. Nothing wrong with that – after all, business is in the business of seeking new opportunities.

Take a look at the article by Brian Hughes, and let us know your thoughts – be it from a consumer perspective, a brand or PR perspective, or just a damn good social commentary perspective.

Over and out, Craig!

Is Facebook Really A Content Network?

Source - socialmediaweek.org

“Facebook has undergone a fundamental shift in the last few years from a social network to connect with friends to a content network to share information that’s meaningful, relevant and exciting.”

Earlier in April, Mark Zuckerberg stood before the eager crowd at Facebook’s annual F8 conference and declared, “We’ve gone from a world of isolated communities to a global community, and we are all the better off for it… I hope that we have the courage to see that the path forward is to bring people together, not tearing them apart.”

Sounding more like an aspiring politician than the CEO of a social network, Zuckerberg laid out a bold vision for Facebook. He envisions Facebook evolving in three stages: from technology to product to ecosystem. Facebook already dominates the messaging app market with Messenger and WhatsApp. The company is getting a jumpstart in the augmented reality and virtual reality race, developing Oculus Rift, Gear, and AR Glasses.

These different apps and technologies aside, perhaps the biggest change to Facebook is that it’s no longer a social network: it’s a content network for brands.

“Facebook has undergone a fundamental shift in the last few years from a social network to connect with friends to a content network to share information that’s meaningful, relevant and exciting,” says Rand Marketing CEO Seth Rand. “For brands to succeed on Facebook, they need to understand the new rules of the game.”

What started as a network for people to post about themselves has evolved into a network dominated by brand sharing, not personal sharing. Contently’s Dillon Baker called Facebook a “giant digital store where brands buy our attention.”

This shift has some big implications for small businesses. Here’s what yours needs to know:

Source - Kaboompics.com

People don’t share personal information anymore: they share content.

Despite recent tactics to boost sharing (like the “On This Day” feature), people just aren’t sharing on Facebook the way they once did. Bloomberg reports personal sharing has dropped by 50 percent since mid-2015. With connections ranging from former bosses to distant relatives, Facebook has simply become “too public” for most people, who opt for more private sharing with Snapchat. Facebook is no longer a place to keep up with friends. It’s a place to find and share content.

Scroll through your Facebook feed and you’ll notice far fewer “overshare” posts whining about long commutes or bad customer service. From check-ins to baby photos, personal activity on Facebook is down. What people are sharing is content they find relevant, meaningful and interesting.

The psychology of social sharing: why people share branded content

People share branded content to define themselves to others and to get the word out about causes or issues they care about. Note I wrote “causes or issues” and not “brands” in the previous sentence. By and far, today’s consumers don’t identify with specific brand names.

They identify with a lifestyle image that brands sell, or a cause or issue that’s important to them. That’s why 84 percent of Facebook users say they share because doing so “is a way to support causes or issues they care about.” Self-image matters, too. Sixty-eight percent report sharing to give people a better sense of who they are and what they care about.

What does this mean for your brand? If you want your content to be shared more frequently on Facebook, you need to create content for the Facebook content network ecosystem. For starters, that means no blatant advertising or promotional posts. (Facebook had already announced in November 2014 they’d be cracking down on overly promotional posts that have little context or relevancy for brand fans.)

“With sharing, you define who you are by what matters to you,” says Mike Bundrant, the founder of iNLP Training Center, which uses social media to promote its online sales training. “We’ve found that the best way to raise awareness about our services is through informational posts that educate, rather than promote. These posts are far more likely to be shared than blatant sales copy.”

You may also need a fresh approach to measure content sharing effectiveness, too. Three Facebook metrics tend to get all the attention: likes, comments, and shares. But the real metrics that matter are engagement metrics and referral traffic.

Top Facebook performers like Buzzfeed have perfected a recipe for engaging headlines that drive click-throughs. Competing with publishing giants like Buzzfeed, however, can be a challenge for smaller brands. Brands may also struggle with Facebook’s new Instant Article feature. For greater visibility and less reliance on Facebook’s algorithm, consider buying paid distribution.

Bottom line:

Facebook has transformed from a social network to a content network and currently ranks as the world’s top content distribution platform. For your brand to be successful on Facebook in 2016 and beyond, you need a smart content creation and distribution strategy that leverages the power of Facebook to reach, connect, and engage with your target audience.