Why Businesses Can’t Rely On A One Network Social Media Marketing Strategy
We constantly hear about different businesses – large and small alike – shifting their marketing efforts over to Facebook. Normally this would not be big news; however, when these businesses decide to put all their eggs in one basket the news is literally explosive. Is Facebook well established enough to take such a chance? Hardly.
The company is being publicly traded and boasts an impressive 900 million plus users (assuming all users are unique individuals of course). Does this mean the company is here to stay though? Not necessarily. Larger behemoths have fallen over time. With its emergence on the exchange Facebook must now prove its ability to turn a profit for investors or face their wrath which can be frightening to say the least.
Making money to appease investors will require the ability to draw in businesses that are willing to risk valuable advertising dollars in the off-chance that their ads will be viewed in a positive light by Facebook users. If Facebook worked on a similar business model as traditional television where viewers are subjected to regular commercial breaks it would be one thing. This model though is going the way of traditional advertising itself. Consumers are tired of being told when and how they will be exposed to marketing.
Facebook has established a new marketplace where people go to hang out and be social while being softly encouraged to check out different brands. This is all well and good, but many businesses have a difficult time either understanding or adapting to this sort of business model. They continue to push deals, coupons, advertisements and more when people are more interested in what sort of content they have to share.
Now you may be seeing the quandary – a thousand pound gorilla that specializes in tip toeing around the audience while being poked and prodded by thousands of carneys who want the gorilla to beg for money from the audience. If the gorilla gets loud and demands money the audience runs away. If the carneys demand money from the audience they get heckled. Talk about a lose-lose situation.
Any business that simply subscribes to Facebook’s way of doing business is taking one heck of a chance. Is there room for growth within the social networking behemoth? Certainly, as long as you understand the correct way to use content to reach out to potential clients or customers. If you are stuck within the old mindset of how advertising was once done, then you are bound to fail especially if you go all in by sticking with Facebook alone for your social media marketing needs.