It wasn’t that long ago that the world of social media marketing worked this way.

The Facebook algorithm overlords gave their ceremonial blessing over good, authentic content that brought all the feels and gave backdoor opportunities to brands to sneak in subtle advertising.

It’s how we ended up with those awesome Dove campaigns that made you weep in your office and have to minimize your browser and fix your mascara before your boss walked in.

Now?

Facebook doesn’t really work like that anymore. Sure, the algorithm rewards content that sparks conversation, comments and reactions. Fake news. Buzzfeed quizzes. But in this day and age, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for small or growing businesses to capture that great, organic potential that social marketing was once known for.

Now, you have to pay to play.

A lot of business owners I’ve spoken to – smaller businesses and huge corporations alike – don’t know what to do with this information.

They know they need good content. They know they need to put money behind the content to get it noticed. But they lack strategy and the courage to put their business out there.

So what do they do?

They boost content that barely has anything to do with their business because they want to see more likes and shares on their page. And they neglect their overall marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy in the process.

As Julia Roberts says as she’s getting revenge at those snobby store clerks in Pretty Women:

“Big mistake. Huge.”

I get it. I do.

I want all the things I post for my business to draw in the multitudes. I want to be popular. I want to be well-liked. I don’t want to oversell. I don’t want to come across as pushy or annoying.

“Thirsty,” as the kids say these days.

But you know what I also want? I want to grow my dang business. And I want to help other people – women specifically – to imagine their lives and business differently. I want clients and I want to show the followers I have that I have the knowhow to build big strategy around their brand.

That includes buying ads on Facebook.

Let me be clear: there is still space for creative advertising in every sphere of the market. The digital world is exciting – it’s what gets me out of bed at 5 a.m. every morning to be a part of it.

I love it with my whole heart.

But going into your Facebook feed and boosting a post just because it’s near and dear to your heart without any strategy is, frankly, a terrible way to go about building the communications and marketing strategy for your brand.

What’s better (and what actually counts as marketing strategy for your business) is treating Facebook and all of your social channels as a microsite (or “baby landing page”) that interrupts the flow of your follower’s daily (hourly) scroll-athon.

You can still build authentic ads and even regular posts for your business that are informative and give your customers a clear understanding of what it is you do.

You can create a sales funnel using just one direct post showcasing your product or service a week in your Facebook line up. That’s all it takes. One a week.

By all means, be authentic. Be creative. Be free. Be who you are.

But it’s very much okay to also be direct on social media. Show people you believe in what you sell. Show your followers that you have confidence enough in your business to tell them exactly what you do and how you do it.

Don’t make the mistake of being unclear because you’re afraid of being authentic. You can be as authentic and caring as the day is long if you truly believe in what you’re selling.

Don’t let me catch you making that mistake again.

Or I will climb up the metaphorical fire escape into your business faster than Richard Gere with a proclamation of love to make.

Got it?

Want informed and professional insight into content marketing for your business? Book a free consultation with me (Brett, from Valor!) to take the first step in strategic recovery for your company’s content today!