I was quite surprised to find out the truth behind statistics that Facebook provides for its believers and avid users of the social media platform. I really found Julio’s lecture interesting this past class in regards to it, and what he had to share from the information he had learned from one of the conferences he had attended was astonishing. Only 12-16% of the people who really follow you as a business on Facebook are seeing the posts you put on the website. Is it just me or is that not insane? If I have 100 people following me why shouldn’t all 100 followers be able to see my posts? If only 12-16 people out of every 100 followers I have are able to observe the status updates I provide or videos I post…then what do I do? The obvious…providing Facebook with my credit card in order for it to allow my other viewers to view the postings I have made.

From a business standpoint I couldn’t agree more that is smart on the company’s part and it is simply trying to capitalize on a huge opportunity. The social media giant understands that businesses are aware of how strong the product is, and by promoting one’s product via social media is becoming a powerful tool these days…however is is truly ethical to charge users for a service that should have already been provided? How about this for a solution…For every 1,000 followers a business gains, customers will be charged $X per month in order for the website to continue providing excellent services and allowing businesses to reach 100% of its market.

Had I not heard about this in class I’m not sure if I ever would have, but it was a very interesting piece of information to know at the least. I was surprised by the move Facebook made, but in the end I concluded that business is simply business after all; and if one knows its product is highly favoured over others and people will continue to use it then why not?

I have found through our discussions as a class and in other group projects that giving the demographics statistics importance will help companies stay relevant. A loyal consumer base is of the utmost importance for the sustainability and survival of any business, but in order to flourish and evolve into something else we must refer to the market research that provides relevance. Before carrying out marketing or advertising campaigns one must know exactly where they should be targeting. Unfortunately no one will ever know for sure where to go, but there are studies that can indicate areas in the right direction.

For instance, data may suggest that a cafe’s consumer base consists of young adults between the ages of 18-25 who have a spending threshold of $5-$10 on the average snack/food/beverage item. By utilizing information of this nature it enables a company to understand that it should be advertising on university campuses for instance, opposed to grocery stores where many students may not even go to begin. This could be because of the fact that young adolescents may still be living with their parents; or rely on campus food services to provide them their meals.

Either way, if one does not take advantage of statistics available through users that visit its website or social media platforms it is pointless in running them. I found it interesting to see apps such as Demographics Pro provide such detailed information in a matter of seconds when we observed how it operated during class time. If businesses are able to seize opportunities like this the potential seems infinite in terms of growing the awareness of a product.