How Facebook Became Your Mom's Playground...
...And How to Use Mom-booking To Your Advantage
What a tangled web Mark Zuckerberg has woven over the years. Controversy has certainly courted him, with Facemash - a site he started in which his college peers could rate each other’s attractiveness - certainly did not please everyone. Shortly thereafter, “thefacebook” launched, but three people claimed that Zuck stole their ideas, so he ultimately settled with them. But when Facebook finally launched beyond universities, it took off like wildfire. Because it originally started with only college students, it was initially a very young site. I remember just having had my first baby, wondering about this site all the young “whippersnappers” were talking about. Okay, so I wasn’t that old, but as a new mom at 35, I felt that way. I resisted at first but then I thought to myself, “It would be nice to share photos of the cutest baby ever,” and the rest, as they say, is history.
The site has had quite the evolution and, with its tremendous growth has come tremendous responsibility for the Zuck … and more controversy. Facebook has been blamed for election woes, fake news, and favoring certain populations over others. Despite all of this, the popularity of the site only seemingly continues to grow. But a funny thing has happened in all of this. And it’s called your mom. As the younger set has jumped off Facebook in favor of Snapchat and The Gram, many middle aged folks have decided that it’s too political or too much of a time-suck. The one person who has remained? That’s right. Your mom.
How Your Mom is Ruining Your Social Media Reach
Oh, Mom. She loves you unconditionally and is so proud of everything you do, and that apparently extends to even your most mundane Facebook posts. In fact, she probably doesn’t even need to read what you say before deciding to click that “like” button, as it’s a knee-jerk mom reaction. If you’re in social media or rely on social media for your success, this could be your imminent demise. Engineer and website writer Chris Aldrich learned this the hard way. He has been enlisting a process known as POSSE to share his content. What this means is he shares his content to his personal website first and then shares it on social media - in other words, Post on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. The problem with this is Facebook’s algorithm sees the mom likes and assumes this is a family post. It’s then shown to other relatives and, before long, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and the damage is done. The post rarely goes beyond that circle which, if you’re trying to get something to go viral, presents obvious issues. Thankfully, Aldrich has figured a workaround for this. When he’s posting something he wants to go beyond his inner circle, he chooses the “Friends Except” option and puts in his mother. It might sound savage but it’s effective.
The Case For Mom Using Facebook Correctly
Many of us cringe at the idea of our parents on social media, no matter how old we are, but Hootsuite Blog Specialist Evan LePage makes a fair point regarding Mom’s motives for using the platform. Unlike others who are using the site as more of a numbers game or popularity contest, mothers typically keep their number of friends at a pretty low number. Whether it’s because they don’t know how to accept friend requests is up for debate but the end result is a feed filled with pure joy. As LePage notes, “Whatever the reasoning, many moms look through their home feeds and actually see things that matter to them. They see photos and posts from real friends, and this comfort actually makes them more prone to engagement (commenting, share and the like).”
What Does Mom-booking Mean for Marketing?
Of course, some of this is silly but, as with everything, there is something to learn from your mom on Facebook. When you launch a Facebook campaign, you obviously want to consider your target demographic. This also means taking into consideration who is going on Facebook. According to some recent statistics, only half of American teens use Facebook and only 35 percent of Facebook’s ad audience is under 25. On the other hand, the number of American Facebook users over the age of 65 has doubled since 2012. The numbers kind of speak for themselves.
Moral of this story? Your mom might not be as uncool as you thought, at least in regards to Facebook. In fact, she may very well be in your target demo. Oh, and don’t forget to call her on Mother’s Day.
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By Marnie Brodersen