Marketing lessons from my mom’s Facebook page

Group Gordon’s Jordan Miller finds Facebook inspiration from a familiar source.

My mom is the best. Pretty much everything I know about being a competent adult, I learned from her – as she reminds me at every possible opportunity.

She continues to be a constant source of inspiration, and not just for life lessons. I realized recently that even though we have entirely different approaches to using the platform, and even though some of her posts are designed specifically to embarrass me, from a marketing perspective, she knows what she’s doing on Facebook. In fact, there are a few things we could all learn from her Facebook page

1. Know your brand.

If you follow my mom on Facebook, you know three things about her: she loves coffee, she loves cats, and she loves being a teacher. You know this because she shares photos and memes about each of these topics multiple times per week on Facebook. She knows her messages, they’re consistent, and they get through to her audiences. Deciding on a few key messages and delivering them over and over is the most effective way to make them stick.

2. Understand your audience.

When my mom wants to rack up the likes and comments on Facebook, she knows her go-to options: pictures of family and anything that taps into nostalgia. And if it embarrasses her children, even better! So when she surprised me on my birthday by driving to my apartment and standing outside with a homemade sign (an A+ move), you’d better believe the first thing she did when she got home was post about it on Facebook – and the likes poured in. Understanding what your audiences want and what will drive them to action makes marketing decisions easier – and leads to greater payoffs.

3. Be creative with what you have.

Good marketing isn’t always about creating something from scratch, especially when you have limited resources. In our work with clients, we often look for opportunities to package existing content in new ways or give new life to materials that didn’t get the attention they deserved the first time around. My mom, an active user of Facebook’s “memories” tool, does the same. Content is content!

Unfortunately, my mom isn’t currently offering lessons in social media or marketing strategy. But hopefully these tips are a good starting point for anyone looking for a little inspiration for their Facebook page. Her newest obsession is TikTok, so I’ll be back once she figures out how to go viral. Until then, good luck!