This week, I looked at analytics as part of an assignment in one of my classes at the University of Florida. The assignment was to study the analytics from one company’s Facebook page and then gather some suggestions. The company’s name shall remain anonymous. For the assignment, we were instructed to call them XYZ Company. Here is a glimpse of the data that I looked at and my overall assessment.
Based on the information provided, XYZ Company is using their Facebook page to announce specials, deals, and coupons. The heating and cooling company, based out of Western Massachusetts, provides installations, maintenance and repair for residential customers. This recently launched company’s Facebook page currently has 167 total likes. That number is growing. In one week’s time, the company received 19 new likes.
It appears as though the company is relying on Facebook ads to drive new likes and interest in the company’s Facebook presence. They also seem to be offering contests to drive more likes. Last week, the company launched a contest to giveaway a free programmable thermostat and, to enter the contest, someone simply had to like the company’s Facebook page. The post received 12 post clicks and 23 likes, comments, or shares.
Here are some of the other key findings:
- The company has slowly grown over time with the number of people who have “liked” the page. The beginning of February saw a jump in net likes, and the beginning of March saw a jump in net likes. This appears to be in conjunction with the paid advertisements that were running during those timeframes. In other words, running a paid ad seems to be garnering more likes for this company than organic efforts.
- The company’s post about a discount on winter gas led to a lot of people leaving the company’s Facebook page and clicking right to the company’s website. This post was a success in driving traffic to the company’s website.
- The company’s fans are mostly women. Women make up 58 percent while men only make up 42 percent. Most of the women are between the ages of 25 and 34.
- It appears as though the company is reaching – with its ads – men (73 percent) who are either between the ages of 25 and 34 (20 percent) or 35 and 44 (22 percent).
- Men in those two age rangers are both engaging with the brand. This is likely because this is where the company is focusing its advertisement efforts.
- The single most popular post was made at the end of March and alluded to a mini split and a heat pump installation (3.5K reach estimate). However, a follow up post (identical to the first) two weeks later did not yield as well (740 reach estimate).
Based on some of these takeaways, I have several recommendations to make:
- Target the audience that has “liked” you. Currently, the company is running ads that target men in two different age groups. (We can see this by the graphic that shows the demographics of people who are being reached). However, it’s women (58 percent) between the ages of 25 and 34 who are top segments “liking” the company.
- Understand your target audience more and develop messages that resonate with them. For instance, if the bulk of your likes are coming from women and men between the ages of 25 and 34, then start to tailor the message to this demographic. This demographic includes young families, working professionals just staring out, new home owners, and the like. These are certainly the people interested in purchasing split units and looking for deals. They also are eager to learn more about homeownership and maintenance and taking care of their units. Since they are starting out in life, there is an opportunity for more education.
- The company is posting too many sales messages and other gimmicky messages. Remember that people go on Facebook, not to find the latest discounts, but to engage with companies. Blasting out the latest price deal or the latest coupon offerings is not good enough. People will become blind to your company’s posts. It is more important to start conversations with your companies. We know that people don’t use Facebook to make purchases. They use Facebook to engage in dialog (comment and participate in conversations, provide feedback about services, and the like). I would encourage the company to ask questions, answer questions, ask for feedback, provide fun tips and consider posting photos. Have fun and people will have fun with your brand.
- Use hashtags. This helps with indexing your posts and can help drive your reach organically. People will find you, especially if you use hashtags that are popular and trending.
- Post more than once a week. According to the Facebook analytics, the company is posting about once a week. To be more effective, the company should be posting at least two to three times a day.
The company is also using other platforms as part of its integrated marketing communications. It has a Twitter page, Google+ page, and Yelp listing. These other channels can be used to boost results on Facebook. For instance, links to the company’s other social media sites should be placed on the Facebook page. Also, the company can post on the other sites information about Facebook. For example, a simple post on Twitter could read: “Like our Facebook page and enter to win a contest.”
Here are some possible posts that could be made in addition to the sales posts that are being made on the Facebook page:
“Man, it’s cold outside. But one thing about this snow is the fact that we get to throw snowballs at each other. Tell us about your most memorable snowball fight.”
“Our service technician Mike loves to eat warm soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on days like this. Tell us your favorite meal to keep warm during these cold months.”
[Photo of a snowman]. “Cold like this guy? We’ve got a solution for you. Try our heat unit.”
“Here’s a recipe that will surely please your kids and keep you nice and warm during these cold months.” (share a recipe)
“Cleaning can be a chore, but it’s important that you clean your vents once a year. Call us and we can take that chore away from you.”
“Meet our office director Samantha [photo of Samantha]. She wants to hear from you. Today she’s offering advice on how to keep your unit from getting too cold during this cold season. Call her today.”
You can see by the above examples that Facebook can be used to create a face to the company and help tell the story of the company. Remember that posts should be meant for your target audience and should encourage responses and comments. Hashtags can also be associated with all of these posts.
An integrated marketing communication plan should also look at all of the other resources available. Does the company have a website? Does the company have an e-newsletter? These are important elements to any plan. Facebook should be used to gather e-newsletter subscribers and visits to the website, as well. Facebook should also be used to showcase photos on Instagram and videos on YouTube.
There is certainly a lot of opportunity for XYZ Company. I wish them the best of luck.
Reportergrl 