The Facebook Roundup: Volume 10

February 15, 2019

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 at potential but weren’t exactly making the cut. For the “worst”, and we mean no hard feelings to those at the bottom of the list, is that special feeling you get when your stomach doesn’t settle (that sudden lump in the back of your throat).

So let’s begin with Volume 10.

The Good

The good coming through this week is done by the marketing team for QuickBooks.

What makes this ad hit the top spot?

The timing is perfect because it’s soon to be tax time
The copy of “don’t wait until it’s too late” gives a real sense of urgency (and some elements of dread in the event taxes aren’t done on time)
It has a fantastic photo that matches what it’s like to be self-employed (in this case working from your laptop though it gives the right impression even if this isn’t the normal setup)
It’s pushing a free trial which gets people accustomed to the service (and likely to make a purchase if they are able to complete the process)

Overall it’s punchy. It gets to the point that taxes are coming up and they provide a solution. If you were a small business owner scrolling through your feed with taxes on your mind this would be one to stop you dead in your tracks and consider giving it a try.

The Bad

The bad of this week is brought to you by CNNMoney (one of the many pages for CNN).

What makes this bad?

It’s an interesting article to share but it really depends if this has been targeted because if it’s just a broad play at gaining views it’s missing that great opportunity to hit those that may have indicated they are ready for a career switch
The short link really doesn’t make much sense in this case; it may have been a better choice to simply use a subdomain link like cnnmoney.cnn.com/top-100-careers
What’s going on with the image? It doesn’t really come across as something “career” as more like “we need an image… eh whatever this will do”
What’s up with the “cYN” under the title (which is rather bland)

This is one of those sponsored posts that’s aiming for the page views rather than fulfilling a higher motive such as selling a service/product. It gives people something to read but the post is so poorly put together that it’s not all that attractive (and would likely be passed over).

The Creepy

Reaching the bottom of our list is a page called Can You Actually.

What makes this the bottom of the barrel for volume 10?

It’s relying on the tired bait-and-switch type of copy that’s increasingly becoming childish
The image is borderline creep-shot which will pull attention but it’s simply uncomfortable
The title is decent (certainly draws your attention) but it’s relying on shock and already feels like it’s a dry article build for page views to deliver ad impressions

Overall, again, it’s simply creepy. It probably does great for this type of page/website but this is certainly not what you’d want to do for your business.