The Great Wall of Facebook

Not being on Facebook gives me a new perspective on companies using Facebook for marketing. (And no, my perspective is not that I miss the marketing.)

The thing is that marketing doesn’t reach people who are not on Facebook. Now, most social-media users are on Facebook, so if I were a marketer I wouldn’t care about not reaching the few people in my target market who don’t use it.

But as a marketer, I might start finding that a slowly increasing number of the people I reach out to directly (bloggers, influencers, etc.), are not on Facebook. After all, isn’t it the early adopters who are the first ones to jump ship? And aren’t early adopters often the same people a marketer wants on their side to influence their following?

First hand, I’m noticing more and more that I have to reply to people reaching out to me by saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t see the photos you linked to because I’m not on Facebook.” Or “I’d love to learn more about your event, but I’m not on Facebook.” I’m not sure the marketers I say this to have any idea what to do with my response.

Now, I’m certainly no trailblazer in leaving Facebook. I heard many a cheer from people when I finally pulled the plug. I anticipate Facebook will start to bleed a certain kind of user (nay, is already bleeding this kind of user), and that this will continue over time, regardless of whether their overall membership continues to grow or begins to decline.

So. I’ll ask the rhetorical question (it’s rhetorical because I’m assuming you know I already know the answer): What does a Facebook-based (or -focused) marketing campaign do when peripheral influencers are on the other side of the wall?

(This is a revision of an email I initially sent to Sister Diane.)