This is Why Facebook is Treating Us as Fools

Ever walked past a shop with people lining up? Wanted to choose a restaurant to grab a bite to eat?

Empty is for losers and seeing evidence of popularity is vital in how we play the marketing game.

It’s called social proof.

And that is why renting a crowd can be useful.

It is also one of the quickest ways to build credibility online. But we all have very limited time.

Social proof

Creating social proof with a quick glimpse of numbers like shares, followers and views are part of that game. We need to make sure that the metrics are seen with a passing glance and made front and center.

So that is why we get excited when we see an online video with millions of views. It grabs our attention. Success attracts more success.

But here is the thing.

Facebook technically counts a view as “When one pixel is seen by a user on any screen for three seconds with sound off” according to marketing academic Professor Mark Ritson.

How excited are you now?

Metrics that matter

Creating online videos is important for engagement and building credibility and trust in a brand. You can record yourself to send out to your viewers later or you can do it “live” for that real authentic experience.

So be careful what you focus on as the shiny new media toy’s data may be look good on the outside, but it may be just a waste of time.

Sure…..we need to measure, but the metrics the platforms are telling us maybe a little on the side of hope and optimism.

Just focusing on views as the only metric of success is dangerous.

It may not be fake news but it’s sounding a lot like the traditional media impressions metrics. Inflated and somewhat superficial…..and not worth getting out of bed for.

It is just an “impression.”

Spending time on marketing that matters can be the difference between success and failure. Make sure the activity, tactics and metrics we place a priority on are where we place our efforts.

Is Facebook treating us as fools so they can keep us addicted and coming back and pulling out the credit card?