b'MODERN MARKETINGIs Facebook Failing? Taking a Look at Social Media MarketingDigital marketing success is a highly refined mix of pairing the right mes-sage with a receptive, present audience. Smart modern marketers deter-Evannemine where they must be seen, create content that their customers andSchmarder prospects care about, and develop a program to share a singular messageacross the digital platforms theyve carefully selected. Ive heard it on and off for quite some construe this to mean Facebook is on the 2530-year-olds) platform usage. newsmakers. Consider using Twitter only iftime. Word has it that, for a myriad of rea- outs with stagnant multi-year growth. Not so What the future holds is anyones guess. youve mastered other platforms (or if youvesons, social media users are abandoning fast. Users leave the platform for a wide va- But in 2021 your customers and prospects grown an audience there) and are interestedFacebookin droves. Frankly, I was skeptical. riety of reasons. Others join for equally di- are still connecting with friends, family, and in experimenting.When I took a deeper dive, I found this blan- verse reasons. Currently, 69% of U.S. online businesses on Facebook, despite all the chat- The Old Standbyket assumption to be misleading. According adults use Facebook, 255 million monthly ter of its demise. YouTube appears to be the online mar-to a Pew Research Centersurvey, Americans users, with three-quarters logging in daily. My recommendation: Business owners keting platform that just wont quit. In fact,use of the worlds second most widely used Nearly every age demographic except for 13- should continue to spend a large portion of its hardly morphed over the years. Sure,online platform (YouTubeis still No. 1) has to 17-year-olds (51%) and 65-plus year-olds their marketing time and money on this theres now a portion of the platform that isremained steady since 2016. Indeed, you can (46%) have greater than 68% (up to 84% for platform. Even if it is on its way out, its a slow pay-to-view, they pioneered live streaming,death. introduced a music component, and theyveMarketing on More Than One madecelebritiesoutofpopularcontentWhat if youre looking to diversify? What providers but ultimately, its a video sharingplatforms should you turn to? The answer site. Yetseeminglybeforeourveryeyes,lies in the demographics that youre trying to YouTube has become an old friend to all.reach. Weve talked about this in past pieces When you look at YouTube user statistics,written on avatars and target markets. There you find almost an equal amount (70%) ofis a specific relationship between age groups men and women; urban, suburban, andand social media platforms. For example, if rural; income; and education levels. The onlyyour goal is to reach 18- to 24-year-olds, break in those numbers is with users, onlySnapchatis where you should be spending 38% of Americans 65 and older use YouTube. some time. If youre interested in reaching One thing that has changed since its in-those say 18 to 29, add Instagram to the ception in 2005 is the use of mobile de-places you should be seen. Looking to influ- vices. From candy bar and flip phones toence a primarily female audience? Pinterest thepowerfulmicrocomputerseveryoneis where you will find anywhere from 27% to carries in their pocket, YouTube enjoys 38%38% of female online users aged 18-64.of todays mobile traffic and 70% of watchMy recommendation: Understand your time occurs on mobile. Because its consid-audience to choose where to focus your so- ered the worlds second-largest search en-cial media budget. If youve mastered Face- gine, videos with smart SEO have a higherbook, consider adding a new platform to chance of rising to the top of results. Shar-your mix. ing how-tos, tours, and vlogs can captureTikTok, the hot new social video property, the imagination of prospects, putting themhas been getting quite the buzz during the in the picture.pandemic.Itseemseveryoneisusingit My recommendation: Hone your videoeverywhere you look. Upon closer inspec- production skills using your mobile devicetion, we find that of the approximate one bil- and, if you havent already, you must createlion global monthly active users, only 100 a presence for your business on YouTube. Ifmillion are from the U.S. Thats not to say video creation is beyond your scope, con-growth in the United States has not been as- sider partnering with an influencer (even atronomical; it has. Since its global launch in top park guest) who can share your message2018, it has become one of the worlds most on the platform.downloaded apps. Henny PennyBut before you commit to making the Digital marketing success is a highly re-most of TikTok, you need to ask yourself if fined mix of pairing the right message with athe demographics are the decision-makers. receptive, present audience. Smart modernSixty-ninepercentoftheplatformsU.S. marketers determine where they must beusers are between 13 and 24 years old. If seen, create content that their customersthats an important segment for you to reach, and prospects care about, and develop astart boning up on making TikTok videos. program to share a singular message acrossMy recommendation: Due to the family the digital platforms theyve carefully se-camping aspect of our industry, even if the lected. 13- to 24-year-old demographic is a little When considering your online marketingyoung,add TikToktoyoursocialmedia program, think about this: its far less aboutwatchlist. It could be the next big thing (or whats moving THE market and much moremaybe not) and positioning yourself now in tune with whats moving YOUR market. Amay be a smart move. Facebook presence should be, even with theReal Log Park Model Cabins Not Quite Right user churn, your first platform. Build uponOther platforms have captured the pub- your presence with others that meet yourlics attention and, while popular, they arent market. Keep tabs on the up-and-comers.an ideal fit for outdoor hospitality. Theres And for heavens sake, pay little attention to Real Rustic Log Cabins LinkedIn (excellent for B2B), Reddit and those who will have you believe that the skyTumblr (popularforum-stylesites),and is falling. Turn-Key! Flickr(photo sharing), however, Im referring Durable and Appealing to Twitter. As the originator (or at least early EvanneSchmarder,principal Highly Profitable trendsetter) of hashtags, weve learned a lot and founder of the RV industry-spe- Pays Off Within 1-3 Years from it. And yes, there are several camp- cific digital marketing firm Road-Park Model Cabins ground and camping-related accounts on abode Production, has a new bookStarting at $29,900 Twitter, but most people turn to Twitter for to help you do just that. Marketingbreaking news.Your RV Park/Campground OnlineLocated in Lancaster, PA My recommendation: Unless youve sur- is available as an e-book at your fa-veyed your customer base and found a large vorite online bookseller or in print717-445-5522www.LancasterLogCabins.com Twitter audience, this platform is best left to at Amazon.com. WCM10 -March 2021 Woodalls Campground Management'