Drill Tip: Fighting “Facebook Fatigue” With Post Performance Insights
Recent reports suggest that despite the slowing of Facebook’s growth, on average, users are spending 16 percent more time on Facebook than they did one year ago. This is welcome news for brands wondering if Facebook is still a viable communications platform given its recent stock fluctuations and negative press. It also presents a serious challenge in the form of what is known as “Facebook Fatigue.”
Although Facebook remains the dominant social network platform “Facebook Fatigue” can occur when users become worn out with the constant stream of news, information and brand updates. To combat this trend, brands should regularly look at their insights page to determine which kinds of post are the most engaging.
Specifically, ask yourself if there are types of posts that tend to engage better than others – measured by the number of likes and comments they generate . For instance, posts with a human interest or historical angle usually out-perform product-related posts, which can come across as self-serving:
Take a look at your top five performing messages versus your bottom five performing messages and see if there are any similarities that might lead to fans ignoring certain posts and engaging with others.
By continually optimizing your message strategy to focus on posts that fans engage with, you can reduce “Facebook Fatigue.” Give your fans more reasons to pay attention and get excited about your brand.
Promises, Promises
As a general rule, we’ve always believed that prudent PR professionals should never, ever guarantee media coverage. Given the variables of news cycles (hello Hurricane Isaac) and ever-changing editorial approaches, too many uncertainties are in play. What may have worked in the past doesn’t necessarily dictate what will work today, much less tomorrow or next week.
“Under-promise and over-deliver” has been our time-tested mantra.
For a Reality Check, Tap into Teen Think
I just spent a few days with my 14-year old niece. I felt like Faith Popcorn, shadowing her in various malls and outlet stores, observing her shopping and communication patterns, digging into brand and information preferences and trying to determine what influenced this young consumer to choose a particular product.
Drill Tip: Monitoring Hashtags on Instagram
With over 300 million pictures posted per day, Instagram is an amazing way to find user-generated content about your brand. The challenge is that Instagram lacks a native search function, making it difficult to pull a stream of topic-specific conversation that can help identify those photos like you can on Twitter.
When Planning PR, Don’t Forget the “Inside Info”
Public relations people are usually always focused on that next big media hit. What interview can we land for our newest client? Which lifestyle journalist is the right match for a product loan?
In fact, most PR pros are so addicted to the rush of scoring coverage that they often overlook other, equally important audiences. Today, I’d like to call your attention to the fraternal twin of media relations: internal communications. It may be the less exciting sibling, but its role shouldn’t be discounted.
