Brand managers who maintain certain levels of sobriety are more likely to initiate prospective partnerships with influencers. In the era of Facebook ads and in time of social media marketing, can influencer marketing win prospective clients? Digital ads are good but believe me, influencer marketing is great. Facebook ads are steady but industry influencers’ opinions are spectacular. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Nike generated nearly $500M in value for Nike. Influencers serve as brand ambassadors by skillfully conveying the message and purpose of brands. In this blog post, we would like to focus on influencer marketing strategy and Facebook ads for eCommerce.
People vs. Ads:
Whatever the past and future may hold for us, the truth is that people trust people. Be it a B2B or a B2C e-commerce business, influencers have totally re-defined what it means to be people’s confidantes’ par extraordinaire, some sort of messiahs, completely dependable and responsive. Influencers promote brands and fashion themselves to liaison with people and connect with clients. On the other hand, Facebook ads, just like digital ads, are avenues to facilitate cash-driven transactions. Digital ads are a passé. Facebook ads are no first class exceptions.
Ad-blockers:
Do users enjoy stumbling upon ads? International Advertising Bureau asserts that more than 26 percent of desktop users leverage ad-blockers to do away with ads. It would be gravely erroneous to dismiss this significant percentage. In the first place, 26 percent of conversion rates have floundered. If users stumble upon unnecessary ads, it only results in dissatisfaction. No doubt, digital ads are a part of actionable strategies, but the rough spots simply outdo the perceived benefits.
Facebook is known for its Focused Targeting:
Facebook has become a potent means of targeting customers based on certain parameters such as location, demographics such as gender, age etc. Facebook allows e-commerce businesses to target customers based on the pages audiences they like, their interests, behaviours etc. No doubt, Facebook is known for its focused targeting. That Facebook classic ads invite criticism can be underlined by an example- My elder brother recently visited Manchester to help his friend with a few errands. It was never meant to be a pleasure trip. Facebook started displaying ads pertaining to exotic vacations. It seems to be a minor snag. But just imagine the huge number of people who are being wrongly targeted. If Facebook cannot fix this snag, there is no point for content marketers chasing high budgets. Facebook uses highly complicated algorithms to catch the pulse of the reality of users. When it comes to uber complicated algorithms vs. influencers, influencers have an edge.
Millennials- Market is not restricted to Social Media:
As far as the notion of television is concerned, there seems to be a new defensive-minded philosophy at work. Millennials have ditched television due to annoying and intolerable commercials. With commercials making frequent activist-like interventions, millennials have turned to the internet for information and entertainment. Studies reveal that this generation spends more than 85% of the time on mobile phones. This is a very good omen for marketing teams. However, this is a bad omen for paid advertisers. One of the best and greatest platforms for paid advertising was television. World Wide Web is known for its natural ways of marketing.
The number of impulse purchases has decreased over a period of a decade. More and more people are taking the opinions of friends, family and influencers before making any purchases. I agree Facebook has the highest number of users. However, there is no denying that Facebook doesn’t enjoy a monopoly in social networking. Twitter, Instagram, Reddit etc. are catching up. It would be erroneous to dismiss Snapchat as Zuckerberg’s penchant for Snapchat is a common knowledge to know all social media pundits.
Facebook ads are limited to Facebook alone. Influencers are not limited to Facebook. Their fascinating recommendations and valuable suggestions have a wide outreach. Influencer marketing relies on robust collaboration between influencers and marketing teams. On the other hand, Facebook ads rely on the culture of brands and promotional schemes.
To wrap it up, Facebook advertising doesn’t disrupt digital ads industry. Nor does it disrupt e-commerce industry. It has certain rough spots. Influencer marketing is divine. That being said, a consistent combination of Facebook ads for eCommerce and influencer marketing strategy should keep your eCommerce business in good stead.
If you have any doubts or concerns, feel free to drop a line or two in the comments section. I shall reply in a day or two. Keep watching this space for insights on eCommerce Facebook ads. My best wishes are with you and your eCommerce venture. Cheers!