Yes, we are still making the case for Facebook in South Africa

This year, 2022, Facebook reported its first-ever drop in daily user numbers globally resulting in a $230 billion drop in the market value of parent company, Meta (Facebook suffers $230bn wipeout in biggest one-day US stock plunge, 2022). It also saw the resignation of long-time COO, Sheryl Sandberg, who spent the last 14 years building the company alongside Mark Zuckerberg. Despite all of this, as well as the privacy concerns that have emerged since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we are still making the case for Facebook. Here’s why.

1. It is still the best way to get your brand in front of people

Facebook’s targeting capabilities are still the most sophisticated and most successful in the market. Especially in a market like South Africa where internet connection speeds and data costs are a concern, Facebook’s technology has gone furthest in broadening its advertising offerings to cater to third-world circumstances.

Meta, Facebook, and its products (like Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger) are the four biggest social media platforms in South Africa (Digital 2022: South Africa — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, 2022), with the largest audience sitting between the ages of 25 to 34, followed by 18 to 24 and 35 to 44. This solidifies the Facebook products as the best way to speak to your audience in South Africa in 2022.

2. Facebook still focuses on the social in social media

The Lumico Executive Team toured the US in 2019 and from Times Square to downtown Chicago, Facebook OOH ads made it clear that they were pushing their group functionality. Facebook groups have in some ways replaced the district newspaper, as well as the local community hall, functioning as informational hubs and creating niche communities curated for users, by users.

When you start golfing, you’ll be able to join a golf group. Love talking about your favourite show on Netflix? There’s a group for that. New mom and need some advice? Tons of experienced moms are waiting to welcome you to the community. These groups drive massive engagement across the platforms and are prioritised by the algorithm. If brands can find a way to tap into these groups organically, they will see some good returns.

In the same vein, Facebook’s Marketplace function has proven to be wildly popular with users regularly buying and selling products through this application. In 2020, Facebook also launched its Facebook Shop function, amplifying the offering even further and adding additional value to users on the platform. Both these products drive users to the Meta platforms, enabling advertisers to reach users while they are engaging with the content generated by other users.

3. Meta’s multi-platform approach gives flexibility

Meta’s unified business and ads manager are used to drive advertising across all its products, giving advertisers the opportunity to target different age groups across Facebook and Instagram, and reaching them where they are spending the most time. Not only that, it ensures that the creative formats used are optimised to the platform.

This technology makes A/B testing easier than ever, gives advertisers the freedom to streamline and optimise in real-time across multiple platforms, and allows them to report easily and concisely By applying multiple creatives, users can also be reached on more than one platform without compromising their privacy. This makes it easier for marketers to take consumers through the sales funnel.

With 24,2 million reported users in South Africa during 2022 Q1 (Digital 2022: South Africa — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, 2022), Facebook and the Meta products are still among the best ways that you can reach your audience. It is also true that the algorithm no longer caters for a purely organic strategy. You need a dedicated paid strategy to underpin your marketing efforts on social and reach the users where they are spending the most time.

References:

• DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. 2022. Digital 2022: South Africa — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. [online] Available at: Accessed 4 June 2022.
• The Guardian. 2022. Facebook suffers $230bn wipeout in biggest one-day US stock plunge. [online] Available at: Accessed 4 June 2022.