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Episode 12, explores what went down “behind the scenes” when the team at Social Media Examiner canceled three Facebook shows. What do they discover? How do they react? Watch as the team rapidly makes change.
The show opens with Mike sharing the troubling results of some Facebook Live video watch pattern analysis; only 4 to 6 people watch 50% or more of Social Media Examiner’s Live video content.
He reflects that it can take 4 to 6 staff to create and broadcast the content. Is the result worth the drain on resources?
He calls Social Media Manager, Erik Fisher, to discuss the future of the company’s Live AMA and Tuesday Tools shows. The goals of the shows are reviewed and Erik agrees they aren’t getting enough views to move the team toward those goals. Mike cancels both shows.
The next morning brings new concerns about the company’s Facebook Live content. This time, The Journey’s performance is under review. During a call with Erik, Mike says numbers for the show are dismal; only 1% to 2% of people who see the video posts click to watch the show.
Mike realizes no one watches The Journey on Facebook. Erik echoes this; he believes YouTube is where people are demonstrably more likely to watch an entire episode.
While Mike is weighing his options, he calls in Marketing Manager Jen Ballard to let her know The Journey isn’t working and that he’s put the next episode’s release on hold.
Because views on YouTube average 60% of each episode, Mike is confident the issue isn’t with the show itself. The decision is made. The Journey will no longer publish on Facebook and is officially moved solely to YouTube.
The next day, Mike takes a deep breath and posts a PSA video on Facebook to publicly share why he’s decided to stop publishing long-form video content on Facebook.
Later, he discusses the decision with his mastermind group and considers canceling the show outright. Leslie Samuel counsels caution, and Ray Edwards believes the potential of the show has barely been tapped. The show’s future is yet to be determined.
Further into the same call, the topic shifts to Social Media Marketing World. A possible change to the YouTube track content is under discussion. Based on Cliff Ravenscraft’s suggestion, the conference will now offer a track called Youtube for Business.
Next, Mike calls Erik with some stats on his PSA video. 73% of viewers have viewed at least half of the video. What’s most surprising is the number of people commenting that this is the first Social Media Examiner page post they’ve seen in a while.
When Mike realizes the message of the PSA is resonating with people, he decides to parlay his decision into a strategic story.
In quick order, he’s tasked Jennifer Ballard with sending an email (titled Is Facebook Video Dead?) that will link to the Facebook video PSA to the full subscriber list (450k+ people.) Just a few hours later, he alerts Erik that the email is sending and his team needs to be ready to respond to more comments.
During the same call, Mike visualizes a host of opportunities to discuss his decision in the public eye.
It’s finally Friday and Mike’s been up since 4am. Already, he’s crafted and delivered an email to his subscribers that further explains his decision to move The Journey to YouTube, and in a few hours he’s joining the Social Media Marketing Talk Show to explain his decision to those who tune in.
It’s been a fast-paced week and the show closes with Mike prepping Jennifer for some bad news…
Do you agree with Michael’s decision to pull long-form video from Facebook? Let us know in the comments below.
Key Mentions:
- Mike’s PSA video post on Facebook
- Leslie Samuel
- Ray Edwards
- Cliff Ravenscraft
- Mike’s appearance on the Social Media Marketing Talk Show
- Social Media Marketing World 2019
- AI Media
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