Likes or Lies: How Facebook promises you the world and gives you Bengladesh...

[The Chairman]

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As a matter of disclosure, I sell advertisement here on ScubaBoard. I think it's a great value and the audience perfect for any dive related business. As some of you might remember, I have often said that Facebook has ADHD when it comes to Social Media and Marketing. I stand behind that statement because it has no effect on a typical Google search. None, nada and squat. You might not know this, but that's how most of the world finds out how to reach you. Great SEOs and organic factors allow you to shine where others are only dim. Ergo, it's best to get your name out on sites with great SEOs, like ScubaBoard. Their SEO can help people who don't know you even exist to find you. Elena and I were in Curacao this past week and decided to Google "Best Grocery Store in Curacao". The second entry was a thread on ScubaBoard and we ended up going to the overall favorite of that thread: Centrum. Rly, rly. But this youtube video brings out a sordid side of Facebook. Facebook is profiting on people abusing their site. I saw this first hand on SB's Facebook page. We don't advertise much there, but why not? I think we have put $100 into Facebook for a number of months and our likes have soared. Mind you, while I like the Philippines, I was surprised at the amount of users we got from there. Bangladesh and India too. I asked Howard about it and I think he even blocked some of the countries in question from our ads, but they continue to grow. Now I know why and it angers me. I've been had by Facebook. Listen to this guy and see if he doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[mselenaous]

Interesting article helps explain what I was seeing but couldn't grasp how it was happening at the time.

Has Facebook?s ?Suggested Pages? Spawned a New Haven for Spammers?

 

[jonnierowe]

It makes sense. I think using facebook as a sole method to gain new clients is never going to work. Using it to keep in touch with your past clients, add photos to keep them interested, and using it as a secondary method to grab a few extra divers is never going to hurt.

I think the main problem is that a lot of people think of their facebook page as their web page. It will never be your webpage. Facebook will never show up in the searches that you want to be found for and doesn't give a very professional image of your dive shop in the off chance that it does get picked up in google.

---------- Post added March 5th, 2014 at 06:17 AM ----------

I think part of the reason people are so keen to spend their money on facebook is because they can see the "progress" as likes grow. The main question you have to ask yourself is are those likes turning into paying customers? If they aren't you need to rethink your strategy. On a website its not as obvious how well you are doing until you actually begin getting bookings. The problem is many people don't have the patience, the knowledge, or the experience to get it ranking where it needs to in search to get the bookings.

 

[HowardE]

Like most opinions... there's more than one side to the story. This one sided video exposes the automatically optimized advertising, and the flaws of using not-so targeted advertising on Facebook.

More than anything, this video shows why a professional is best at handling advertising campaigns on Facebook to truly reach the audience you need and want.

Here's a carefully thought out response to the viral video posted above: https://www.jonloomer.com/2014/02/11/facebook-fraud-response/

Like any advertising, Facebook, Google, ScubaBoard... The key is to know what you're getting into and how things work. If you're going onto your facebook page and clicking the "Boost Post" button, yeah, you're probably wasting money, and paying someone who knows how to advertise effectively could probably even save you money.

 

[The Chairman]

I think he missed the point of what was being sussed out here and you might have as well. It's not that "ads on Facebook are bad". He never suggests that. Facebook is a viable place to run ads for your business. So is Google. So is ScubaBoard.

So, what was the real message? The video was about the futility of advertising your Facebook page. You tried that with ScubaBoard's Facebook page, Howard and the results were lots of useless likes. It's pointless to advertise your Facebook page. It will most likely never add to your actual bottom line. If you're going to spend money on ads, don't spend them to advertise anything but your business and web site.

Here's what professionals rarely tell you: there is no guaranteed ROI when it comes to ads placed anywhere: even on ScubaBoard. Furthermore, you have to experiment to see what will work and what won't. There is no formula that will allow you to hit a home run with every ad campaign. Some people have a better intuition as to what works and what won't, especially in Social Media. However, they can't hit a home run without a few strike outs along the way. That's the nature of our business.

Advertising works. There are a lot of venues for your advertising and you don't want to advertise in only one place, even if that place is ScubaBoard. Also, ads need to be tailored to each environment. Ads that work on Facebook just might not work here and vice versa. That's why you need a professional on your side, making sure that your ads are targeted and appropriate. We find that home grown ad copy does not perform as well as that done by professionals. They are often missing a compelling call to action, enough verve and have little regard to branding. Sure, it's better than nothing, but the right ad grabs people's attention and compels them to find out more. That's the art of advertising.

 

[HowardE]

Here's what professionals rarely tell you: there is no guaranteed ROI when it comes to ads placed anywhere: even on ScubaBoard. Furthermore, you have to experiment to see what will work and what won't. There is no formula that will allow you to hit a home run with every ad campaign. Some people have a better intuition as to what works and what won't, especially in Social Media. However, they can't hit a home run without a few strike outs along the way. That's the nature of our business.

What professional wouldn't tell someone that there is no guaranteed ROI? That sounds very unprofessional.

I would promise someone that advertising works, and advertising WILL get you noticed. Just how much depends on several factors, including what is being offered, and if people actually want it.

Professionals can help maximize ROI, and help avoid strikes, because they know the pitfalls. This helps to prevent paying for the learning curve, which people is what happens for those who go through the self teaching process.

 

[The Chairman]

What professional wouldn't tell someone that there is no guaranteed ROI? That sounds very unprofessional.

Most "professionals" in Social Marketing have little to no formal training. Many of them don't even have good ethics. Not everyone who claims to be an expert is and they often have the chutzpah to pull the wool over their clients' eyes. The web is filled with them. One of my favorite sites lampoons them: Social Media DoucheBag. These guys give a bad name to people like us.