Is Google dead, now that Facebook gets so much traffic? I loved the answer in a recent blog post on AttorneySync.com. Author Jeff Berman makes very good points about the importance of intent and “interruption marketing”:
“People are on Facebook to be social, interact with friends, check out interesting stories, post updates, etc. People are on Google seeking information to help them answer questions, perform research, locate services, etc.”
When – and whether – Google or Facebook is more important to you when you’re seeking new business is highly dependent on that distinction.
When someone visits Facebook they’re looking to connect, to hang out, to talk to friends, to see what’s going on with the people and businesses they know and like.
When someone searches for “Columbia plumber” their intent is quite different – they’re not looking to chat, they’ve got a toilet that’s leaking or need plumbing installed, and want to find a reputable plumber.
In my opinion, putting your website or ad or offer in front of your prospect THEN – when they’re actively looking for your product or service – is what’s going to give you the greatest ROI. Search engine optimization (SEO) – the art of making your website easy to find in Google – is a good way to make sure people find you when they’re looking.
Yes, Facebook offers ads, and because of the demographic information Facebook collects, you can really target your offers/ads. Some businesses do very well with this approach. But as Berman also points out:
“In my mind, this makes Facebook a more targeted version of television-style advertising. You are blasting out your message to a certain demographic of users (or viewers in the case of television advertising) in the hopes that you catch a certain number of them at just the right time.
The advertising is interruption marketing. You are “interrupting” the users from their socializing in order to present them with your offer. They were not actively seeking it out at the time. The result is that many, many more people need to see your message at just the right time in order for you to convert those people into new clients. “
I couldn’t have said it better, myself! There are certainly sound reasons to add social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to your marketing mix.
But as Berman asserts “… doing so at the expense of marketing dollars devoted to the search channel would be a mistake.”