Why You Have To Be On Facebook, YouTube, Etc. Or Not.
You've heard the argument before: "Facebook is the biggest site on the internet. They get 70 gajillion hits a day. If you're not marketing on Facebook, you're missing out on the biggest traffic opportunity on the internet."
You'll hear the same thing about YouTube -- it's the third biggest site on the internet. Therefore, only an idiot wouldn't be posting on YouTube and cashing in on all that traffic.
But is it true?
Let's do two thought experiments.
First, what's even bigger than Facebook? The entire internet. "The internet gets 100% of the traffic on the internet. If you're not marketing on the internet, you're missing out on the biggest traffic opportunity on the internet."
Okay, that sounds sorta dumb. But it's also a valid analogy. Just like being on the internet doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get any of the internet's traffic, being on Facebook doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get any Facebook traffic. Posting videos on YouTube doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get your share of all that YouTube traffic.
Thought experiment #2: what if one day 99% of all internet traffic went to Facebook. Would that be the day to throw in the towel on your old site and move to Facebook?
Maybe. Maybe not. What if YOUR site got the other 1%? I'd rather have all of 1% than some miniscule share of 99%.
I'm not saying that you should ignore the big sites. Being there is the only way you'll ever have a shot at a slice of their traffic. And the more traffic they have, the more potential for you to get traffic from them.
But it's just that -- potential. Until you figure out how to drive traffic to YOUR profile or page or video, just being there means nothing. And who's to say that you'll have better luck driving traffic to your profile, page or video than you would driving traffic to your own website?
If somebody's got a strategy that works especially well on a particular, high-traffic site, then great. By all means, use it. Just don't be too quick to follow the hype.
Right now, at the end of 2013, it is highly important to be everywhere. Google uses some social signals for ranking as well. The key is to pick the social platforms that are right for your project or company. If you do not have the time or money, t...
November 12th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
I must admit you are completely right in your thoughts. Most of us doesn't get more than 2 to 20 click from these sites at all.
But as we all know the power of these sites comes when people are tolking about your site/brand/product. And this is the actually the power of these sites - the potential more and more people to see what you offer.
November 14th, 2012 at 11:20 am
I think facebook and youtube are fairly essential for sites that have general interest. If you're a cat video site, of course you want to be on youtube and facebook. But if you're say a site with info for lawyers, there might be no reason to do either. It just depends on what type of site you're talking about.
November 21st, 2012 at 2:03 pm
As you say, "Until you figure out how...". You know have to know what you are doing whether it is using Facebook, YouTube, Google, etc. Big problem is trying to do it all, jump from one thing to another, and master very little. Been there, done that. It doesn't work.
December 3rd, 2012 at 1:14 am
I disagree.. I think the internet is starting to revolve around social media... brace yourself for the future of Google when Google+ is VERY tightly integrated with search results....
December 3rd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
The most important are not the sites (facebook, you tube e etc), but the people inside. I put it in my mind and move on. Nice article.
December 10th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Here's an article that underscores why you should be wary of building your online presence on a free service: http://observer.com/2012/09/broken-on-purpose/
I quote: "Facebook acknowledged it as recently as last week: messages now reach, on average, just 15 percent of an account’s fans. In a wonderful coincidence, Facebook has rolled out a solution for this problem: Pay them for better access."
I'm not saying they don't have a right to do it. It's their site, and it costs them money to provide it. I'm just saying that if you're getting something valuable for free, be prepared for the day when you have to start paying, because there's no guarantee it won't come.
The other alternative is to build your core presence on your own website, and use the free services to drive traffic and rankings to it, as long as they're worth the cost.
November 6th, 2013 at 8:46 am
Right now, at the end of 2013, it is highly important to be everywhere. Google uses some social signals for ranking as well. The key is to pick the social platforms that are right for your project or company. If you do not have the time or money, take baby steps. Over the years, your efforts will add up.