Marketing on Social Media

The main reason I downloaded Facebook was to “stalk” my mom’s page to see what photos she was posting of me. Another benefit was that all my extended family seemed to be on there as well. Facebook has been convenient for staying in touch with friends who live across state lines. Additionally, my mom will film or host Facebook Lives during my brother’s sporting events, so I can watch. But I have never purchased a product from any Facebook advertisement.

My experience with Instagram is different. I use Instagram to follow brands, influencers and store-associated pages. On multiple occasions, I have purchased products advertised on Instagram’s platform. This led me to become a rewards member or a loyal email recipient for many brands. 

Some of my hesitations with online shopping come from fake brands, misleading advertisements or influencers promoting products that are not actually that good. I have been persuaded by some influencers to try products that looked better on my feed than when I tried them. As I have experimented with shopping online, I have started to follow the brands directly rather than an array of influencers that promote them. This way, I can see any promotions the brand is hosting and will have a link to their website where I can then search through the reviews, if wanted.

One thing that stood out to me in these chapters was the 80/20 rule on Facebook. Before reading, I did not know that 80% of content should inform, engage, or entertain, while only 20% should promote. This makes sense to me because I would feel overwhelmed if brands were constantly posting advertisements.  

Connecting both brands to the simulation our class is conducting with Stukent’s Buhi Bags Simulation, I  think it could be interesting to apply this rule. The student, as the marketer, could select content that does not promote the bags and could switch up the content types to keep customers engaged.