Only 43% of businesses believe their Facebook campaigns are effective

The true power of data is that it demonstrates what brands should keep doing and what needs to be revised. The more complicated web marketing becomes, the more difficult it is for businesses to get a sense of what’s working and what isn’t.

Perhaps that’s the reason for the findings of Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report – only 43 percent of marketers consider their companies’ Facebook efforts to be effective. B2C organizations are a bit more optimistic, as half are satisfied with what they’ve been able to accomplish on the network. Conversely, 34 percent of B2B brands believe they’re performing adequately on Facebook.

Facebook by the numbers

The perception that Facebook isn’t providing all the results it could may also be related to recent upheavals within Facebook’s social environment. As Brafton reported, News Feed visibility has plummeted over the past year. The network seems to be pushing its paid advertisements on businesses as hard as it can, but apparently many of them aren’t convinced there is true ROI down that path.

With high-quality and in-depth content tailored for a small audience, some companies have reached as many as 82 percent of their followers.

As if in response, Facebook just announced a strategic partnership with Publicis Groupe, the world’s third-largest advertising company. According to AdAge, the deal is worth at least $500 million and is expected to result in a data-sharing plan that will help Facebook study and assess the effectiveness of its internal ad campaigns.

Tipping the social scales

For the time being, brands that are skittish about heavily investing in Facebook ads should consider how they can be successful by  achieving organic visibility. In fact, with high-quality and in-depth content tailored for a small audience, some companies have reached as many as 82 percent of their followers. However, that requires a dedicated push to focus on Facebook, so brands should decide if they’d rather devote money or time to the social giant – or diversify onto other social marketing channels. 

Alex Butzbach is a Marketing Writer at Brafton. He studied Communications at Boston College, and after a brief stint teaching English in Japan, he entered the world of content marketing. When he isn't writing and researching, he can be found on a bike somewhere in Metro Boston.