The Facebook Roundup: Volume 17

As per usual…

Those that land in our “good” selection are ones which really bring forth best practices, creativity, and effectiveness. The “bad” are ones that had a possibility and potential to be good but weren’t exactly making the cut. For the “worst”, and we mean no hard feelings to those at the bottom of the list, it’s that special feeling you get when your stomach doesn’t settle (like a sudden lump in the back of your throat from being uncomfortable).

So let’s begin with Volume 17.

The Good

Quite an interesting sponsored piece coming off the feed was Roadie App.

What makes this a head-turner…

• Uber changed the way we use taxis; Roadie looks to be a game changer for transit in general which makes it immediately interesting
• The premise is simple “get paid for driving where you’re already going” – it’s punchy and immediately conveys value
• The image is crisp and showing the app (along with the tasks and earnings) there’s no way you can’t help but notice it
• Quite a lot of people are using it already so there’s definitely an interest in learning more about it

This one jumped out at me because it seems like it would be an extremely useful app to maximize your everyday activities. You find someone that needs an item transported, you’re already going that direction, and you get paid to drop it off. It’s an Uber for inanimate objects – very cool!

The Bad

This one was originally going at the bottom of the list but you’ll see why it found its way in the middle since it does have a few redeeming qualities – this one is by PLR.Me.

What makes this fall in the middle?

• PLR is private label rights so when the pitch is about membership sites it seems a little out of place (though membership sites can take advantage of PLR); it just seems like there was a tangent in what was going to be promoted and it doesn’t quite fit what you’d expect
• The claim of creating a membership site and webinar (5 and 7 minutes) seems way too far-fetched; maybe the basic installation can go up or the webinar is just some off-the-cuff recording without editing but when it’s that fast you think sloppy
• Ooooh, so there it is – they are done ‘in under 15 minutes’ through the use of PLR content; shouldn’t that be right up there as your pitch rather than leaving if vague?

It’s not that bad of a sponsored post but it does seem a little all over the place. This may have been better if it was a short video that pitched the idea rather than trying to make a grand claim in just a few short words. The time restriction is nice so that it gets people clicking but it’s a common marketer tactic that you’d see through if you’re already doing something similar in the industry.

The Hashtag Happy

Is it an article? Is it software? What’s going on with this one by Zenedge?

Why is this one just… ugh?

• Who is the target audience on this one where you need to include so many exclamation marks? If you’re any bit into security you would know this information and even if you weren’t it’s not exactly the most thrilling way to pitch the topic
• That’s some saturation on the hashtags don’t you think? It really detracts from the pitch
• The stock image couldn’t get any more generic (unless they went with the ol’ guy in ski mask hovering behind someone on their laptop)
• Repeat of the copy that could have been used to drum up actual excitement (wasted potential)

I’m sure this article would have been informative but there really isn’t anything about this sponsored story that makes me want to give it a look. The hashtags overdo it, stock photo looks out of place, and even though I do some IT it seems quite odd to see this in the feed (they must have went very generic on the Facebook targeting).

Conclusion

What did we learn this week?

A. When you have an interesting product; get it out there, make it look good, and get right to the point of why it has value.

B. You can take your business in a new direction but if you do just simply make sure that you’re explaining the relationship up-front rather than burying it in the image.

C. Don’t go overboard with hashtags because they’re distracting and they’re just wasting valuable copy.

Seen any good, bad, or down-right ugly ads this week? Have thoughts about these ones? Share your experiences with FB ads and sponsored posts with a comment below.