It’s true that over the past decade-and-a-half, the demographic that uses Facebook has changed, Orange County. It’s no longer seen as the cool place to be by the younger generation that is coming up. If you were to poll some teenagers and individuals in their early 20s, many of them would tell you that they don’t use it, or else they have a profile that they rarely update.

With that being the case, should businesses interested in social media marketing ignore Facebook entirely and move on to options like Pinterest and Instagram? Not at all. Just because the demographic that uses Facebook has changed, it does not mean that the platform has become defunct. Even after privacy issues and other negative press in the past couple of years, Facebook still marches on, and the sheer number of users worldwide means that you ignore it at your peril as part of your social media marketing strategy.

In some ways, it is even to your benefit that the median age of those who use Facebook has changed. The average 17-year-old is going to have far less money than the average 35-year old, and it’s the second of these two who is likely to be checking their Facebook feed multiple times a week or several times per day.

With that being said, let’s look at some of the things that you can do as an Orange County business to best take advantage of social media marketing via Facebook.

Videos

You should already be creating videos for your company and posting them to your YouTube channel. Unlike Facebook, younger people still gravitate toward YouTube, with the subscriber numbers growing every day. You can display the same videos from your YouTube channel on your Facebook channel though, or you can create video content that is exclusive to each if you have the budget and the creative energy to do so.

You can put features in your videos like updates as to what’s happening with your business. You can answer questions that fans submitted. You can use your videos to create buzz around upcoming sales and promotions. The only limit to what you can do with these videos is your imagination.

Events

Facebook can be about more than posting things, Orange County. There are relatively new features there which you can utilize to draw attention to your brand which also encourage direct, real-time interaction between yourself and your admirers.

Facebook Events is a prime example of this. You can use the platform as a way of informing your followers that you’re hosting a gathering at one of your brick-and-mortar locations, or perhaps you’re going to be sponsoring a booth at a street fair. Maybe you’re going to have a presence at a charity event, or you’re going to be cleaning up a playground or some other socially responsible act.

You can get people talking by promoting your event on Facebook. It’s a way for you to take social media marketing outside of cyberspace so that you can meet some of your customers face-to-face. If someone is completely enamored with your brand, they might be willing to drive hundreds of miles just for an event that you are sponsoring. For that to be the case, though, you need to have a robust brand presence. Getting there should be one of your goals.

Create Ads

The creation of ads for Facebook is going to cost you money, Orange County, so this method isn’t going to be for everyone. But if it is in your budget, then you might want to at least consider it, because an effective Facebook ad campaign can bring you a lot closer to hitting your quarterly or monthly sales goals.

Targeted leads which lead to sales are much easier with paid ads on Facebook, and they’re a way to introduce a new audience to your brand and what you have to offer. As long as you do the market research necessary to make sure that your ads are reaching the right people, then you should be in good shape.

For optimum results, create the copy for your ads very carefully. Be sure that each one of them features an enticing call to action and visuals that capture the imagination and forge an emotional connection.

Start a Group

For some Orange County businesses, starting a group on Facebook is a viable option as well. The best business model for you to do it is if you company has to do with networking. For instance, if your business offers an exclusive membership or has a referral program, a group can be a place where you can share insider tips with your members. You can lure people with the promise of additional lessons or special deals.

In this environment, you can learn more about your clients. You can make use of the data they’re giving you and the market research that being close to them allows. Make sure that they get something worthwhile in return, though. Social media marketing only works if it’s a value proposition for your customers.

Facebook is still going to be valuable for your Orange County company if you use it the right way. Because it still sees such high engagement numbers, it’s unlikely that you should stop focusing on it, at least for now. You might not be reaching the young and impressionable, but you’re communicating with a group that has more disposable income, and that’s a notion that most businesses will have no trouble getting behind.   

Also, don’t forget to monitor your Facebook profile to see if anyone is making comments or asking questions. When they do, respond to them. You want to have a reputation as a company that is eager to interface with your followers. If someone says something negative about one of your services or products, be sure to reach out to them. See if you can do anything to rectify the situation.