Are users taking a break from Facebook? What does that mean for my business?

With the coming of the new year, many companies are asking "are people taking a break from Facebook?". It has been a recent trend in articles and news sites all over, but this is not a very new concept. For years users have come and go from using Facebook regularly. Most return, some do not.

According to a research study by the Pew Research Center, about 61% of Facebook users have taken a Facebook "break" in the past few months. The reasons vary: New Year's resolutions, the coming of Lent, sick of politics or gossip, and just plain don't have any time. According to an article on abc.com, it breaks down as follows:

• 21% said they were too busy
• 10% said it is a waste of time
• 9% said there was too much drama, gossip, and/or negativity
• 4% left due to security or privacy concerns
• 20% quit and never turned back

So what does this mean for you and your business? Honestly, not a whole lot. You will never be able to predict when people are going to leave or why. You cannot control their friends and family and what they post. You cannot control what other businesses post either.

You can control what you post and focus on keeping the users and likes you have though! The main way to maintain regular users is to keep posts relevant, helpful, and informational, time and time again. You have to give the user value or they will not have any reason to keep on "liking" your page. Your goal is to have your page stick out above others; if a user is limiting their time on Facebook you want to make sure they are seeing as much of your content as possible!

To encourage engagement use questions, funny pictures, and useful tips to help people want to stay with your page. You of course want to push your product or service as well, but make sure you have a good balance between interesting and selling.

There is no promise that a user will stay on your page just because they love it that much, but you can always try!

'Till next time!
~Melissa