The Facebook Bridge

Value-Added Content

By Erica Rascón on May 5, 2015 in Marketing

Pretty much everybody (and their mommas) is on Facebook. With 1.44 billion monthly active users at th end of Q1 2015, you can’t afford to not be on Facebook. But you can’t afford to waste your time on the platform, either. In 2013, Facebook changed its algorithm so that your content will only reach 3– 5 percent of your fans. To reach more people immediately, you must pay. To reach more people organically, you must build a long and reliable bridge to your fans using value-driven content.

Value-driven or value-added content is an age-old approach that has received a fresh breath of life in the social realm. In the past, when we were told to add value, we took the request quite literally. We immediately wanted to ask, “How can we make their lives more simple?” “How can we save them money?” We’d offer coupons and discounts. When we became more in-the-know, we’d offer subtle goodies like life hacks. While these tactics are all great in their own right, there are more substantial ways to offer value-driven content while taking advantage of Facebook’s unique social media mega-status.

But first, let me tell you a story.

Super Bowl 2002. I only watched the game to spend time with my dad. When the half-time ads came on, I prepared to turn off my brain and settle into a bean dip- induced coma, but a certain image caught me by surprise: solemn townsfolk watched as eight Clydesdale horses marched from their perspective towns in America’s heartlands, and then through city streets. The horses stopped upon icy, isolated land overlooking the city of New York. In unison, they bowed to the recently altered skyline.

My entire body shook until I burst into tears. My father nodded slowly in silence. My sister wiped her cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt. My mother said it best, with a small smile through her tears. “I don’t even like beer.” Within seconds, the room exploded into conversation.

Budweiser’s epic 9-11 tribute aired before social media made its way into most American households. There was no way to share this conversation with the world. Had this happened post 2004, Budweiser would’ve broken the Internet.

The ad and the conversations that it sparked are at the heart of modern value-added content on social media. It’s not great sales or even helpful tutorials. It’s building a bridge between fans’ personal experiences and your brand. Modern marketers should never underestimate the value of an emotional response, nor underestimate how social interaction can define and promote a brand without ever mentioning a product.

When we create content for Facebook (be it videos, images, or text) we can add value by appealing to consumers’ emotions and experiences. How can we make them smile on a rough day? How can we show that we’re aware of a challenging social situation that has risen, without making a political statement? Emotionally triggering content is value-driven content. It can spark conversation and motivate action—liking, sharing, commenting—that brings exposure to our brands and builds loyalty.

Modern value added content is also in-the-moment content. Ask how you can add a highlight to this casual yet glorious experience called “today?” Such content can help your fans feel alive in the moment, connected to others, and connected to your brand simultaneously.

This is why live social media coverage of an event can be so priceless. Your brand becomes part of a unique experience in participants’ lives. When they think of that experience, they will also think of you. In 2002, Budweiser had the idea without the means. Every brand in America now has the means through Facebook.

Next time you create a Facebook post, think of value-added content in a new light. Provide content that makes your audience feel like you understand them, their likes, dislikes, interests, and goals. Once they’ve connected with you through that content, they can make a personal connection with what you’re selling. Those two bridges are the most valuable assets that you have as a Marketing Genius. They’re tools that are invaluable to your brand and they cannot be bought.