In this article, we’ll help businesses answer the question “Is Facebook marketing dead?”

The answer, in short, is no - but some recent Facebook updates have altered the way businesses should do Facebook marketing.

At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience, and we want to share what we’ve learned with you. So, let’s get started now!

Is Facebook Marketing Dead?

No - But It Has Changed.

A lot of businesses are wondering “Is Facebook marketing dead? Should I spend my marketing budget on social media ads?”

Businesses often wonder this because they have heard that “organic reach is dead,” or they’ve heard that changes to the Facebook algorithm have affected advertisements.

In order to answer the big question about Facebook marketing, we first need to dive into “organic reach” and the “Facebook algorithm.”

What Are Organic Reach and the facebook algorithm?

Organic reach is simply the term used to describe any unpaid content you put out - such as pictures, videos, and status updates.

For example, if you have a business page and you post a few pictures of a recent project, all of the people who see that content on their news feed or visit your page and see it - that’s organic reach.

So, let’s say 45 people saw your posted pictures. Your organic reach would be 45 for that post.

Example of an organic (not paid/sponsored) post

Now, the Facebook algorithm is how Facebook chooses what content each Facebook user sees on their News Feed.

Facebook recently made big changes to their algorithm. From Tinuiti:

“The new Facebook algorithm is a process that ranks all available posts that can display on a user’s News Feed based on how likely that user will have a positive reaction."

Due to this change, organic content from businesses no longer reaches the same number of users that it used to.

Organic content from businesses was not considered “meaningful” for users, and because of this, it would not show up on News Feeds frequently.

Because of this change, organic reach is considered “dead.” However, this change also made way for businesses to embrace paid advertisements.

Organic reach may not get you very far, but paid advertisements can have a huge impact now.

So, is organic reach dead? Pretty much. But Facebook marketing is definitely not!

what can I do with this information?

Businesses are now shifting their focus from organic posts to paid advertisements.

You can still post non-paid content for your existing followers, but don’t expect it to gain a lot of traction or get you new followers or leads.

For most businesses, your best bet is to come up with a new Facebook marketing strategy - one that includes paid advertisements.

Example of a paid/sponsored advertisement

One of the best things about paid advertisements is that you can spend as much or as little as you like.

You can start off small, and as you become more comfortable with Facebook ads and consider your budget, you may choose to spend more as you see positive results.

Although this may seem like an intimidating shift, there are actually lots of benefits to Facebook advertising. When done correctly, businesses will quickly recoup the expenses they put into ads.

The Benefits Of Facebook Advertising

Still not sure if Facebook marketing is right for your business? Learn about the many benefits below!

1. You Can Reach Thousands Of Potential Customers

Facebook marketing isn’t dead because Facebook isn’t dead. Facebook has over 2 billion active monthly users!

In Canada, there are approximately 23 million Facebook users. With a population of 37 million, that means 85% of Canadians use Facebook!

If you want to reach a greater audience, your Facebook ads have the potential to reach thousands of users in a short period of time even on a small budget.

Take a look at the example above. We ran an ad for a small business that resulted in over 2,600 landing page views and reached over 29,000 people in their service area! The ad only had a budget of $200.00 and ran for one day.

2. facebook marketing is cost-effective

Facebook marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available today. Let’s take a look at another example below.

This example ad has a lifetime budget of $600.00. That’s actually quite low - the average small business spends between $1,000 - $2,000 a month on Facebook ads!

As you can see on the right sidebar, Facebook estimates daily results for each advertisement you set up.

If we look at the higher end of 549 daily clicks, that comes to 16,470 visitors in a single month. If we take a look at daily reach, this ad could reach over 100,000 users.

All for $600.00 in total - that comes out to just $20 per day!

Not only that, but you can save time by choosing paid advertising. With organic posts, even in the past, it would take a lot of time and energy to reach your target audience.

Most experts suggested you post at least 1-3 times per day in order to reach the customers you wanted!

Now, you can create a single ad, set it to run for a whole week, and you won’t have to worry about it getting ‘buried’ in anyone’s News Feed.

3. the option to retarget/remarket

Remarketing is when you continue to seek out leads you previously got - for example, someone visited your website, browsed around, but didn’t buy anything.

Facebook remarketing options easily allow you to target these potential customers with your ads. Since you know these users have already shown interest in your product or services, they’re more likely to buy from you!

4. facebook ads help you get sales quickly

Not only is Facebook marketing cost-effective and allows you to reach thousands of new customers, but it also helps you do all that quickly!

According to Entrepreneur, it’s one of the fastest ways to make money. If you are just beginning to create ads on Facebook, this is pretty good news.

With high-quality ads and a great strategy, you won’t have to wait long before you see results!

5. increases engagement on your posts

As we mentioned above, organic reach is pretty much dead. That means that you won’t have the opportunity to engage with users like in the past, because you won’t get as many likes or comments.

However, users are much more likely to engage with ads - since they actually see them! You’ll see a spike in engagements when you create Facebook ads.

This allows you to interact with Facebook users. It also creates the opportunity for users to share your ad, which helps to spread your advertisement without the extra cost!

Get The Most Out Of Your Facebook
Marketing Strategy

“Stop the scroll” with effective Facebook advertisements! At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience.

We stay up-to-date on all the latest changes and trends in social media marketing - so you don’t have to!

Let us worry about algorithm changes, updates, and analytics while you get back to what’s most important.

We are based out of Waterloo, Ontario, but serve clients all across Southern Ontario, Canada, and North America! Contact us today to learn more.

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