Google versus Facebook – does it matter?
We all knew it was going to happen, and it finally has: in 2010 Facebook overtook Google as the most visited site in the United States, receiving 8.9 percent of all US web traffic versus Google's 7.2 percent.
Does it matter? Do we all need to run out and start optimizing Facebook pages and buying Facebook ads to take advantage of this? Is all of that Search Engine Optimization going to come to nothing?
Let me start by saying that of course it matters. As people who market our businesses online, it's important that we understand the shifting tides of Internet traffic because we need to get some of that traffic to sell our products and earn our advertising revenue. So it's important that you start analyzing Social media to see if it should have a place in your traffic-building efforts.
Read that last sentence again: it's important that you start analyzing Social media to see if it should have a place in your traffic-building efforts. Social media is not the best place to advertise just any kind of product or service.
Think about it this way: would it make sense to advertise your insurance company during a televised football game?
You might be tempted to think, "everybody needs car insurance, including people who watch football, so yes it would be a good place to advertise."
Wrong. You might manage to get one or two people who happen to be in need of car insurance to watch your ad for a few seconds -- and then immediately forget about it. That's about as far as it would go. It might be okay for branding, but if you're looking to make direct sales, forget it.
Why wouldn't it work? Because people at a football game aren't in the "insurance" or "responsibility" frame of mind! They're thinking about the game. The the teams, the score, the action, the fun. It's the wrong time to try and get people to focus on making financial decisions.
You'd be much better off advertising a brand of beer or snack food (and you very often see such commercials during football games).
My point is this: Just because there are a lot of eyeballs watching the game doesn't mean that a football game is the best place to advertise just any kind of business.
The same is true of Social media sites like Facebook. Yes, they are insanely popular. Yes, people spend a huge amount of time on them. But what frame of mind are people in while browsing sites like Facebook? What are they thinking about?
Facebook is called Social media for a reason. People mostly use it to connect with friends and family. There are also some business relationships established there, but those are in the minority. There are other much more established sites for Business connections (like LinkedIn.com).
When people are on Facebook they're either 1) communicating with friends, 2) communicating with family or (and I have to add this) 3) playing games. Because yes, Facebook games are also wildly popular.
Let me give you another example. Let's say you're at a family reunion (or a high school reunion for that matter) and somebody comes walking through the crowd of people trying to peddle that same car insurance. How receptive do you think the people in the crowd would be at that point in time?
Facebook is the family reunion. It is the high school reunion. It's not the right place to advertise just any kind of product or service.
On the other hand, if you're on Facebook posting pictures of your baby to share with your family and you see an ad for a custom scrapbook of your child -- that's a different story. Or if you're messaging your friends to figure out where everybody wants to go for dinner this weekend and you see an ad for a great local Italian restaurant -- alright.
The problem with Facebook ads is that you can't target like that. Facebook ad targeting is not contextual. The content of the page is not used to determine what kind of ads to show. You can only target your ad based on the location, age and interests of the logged in Facebook user. That means it's going to take a lot more eyeballs to hit on a pair that are actually interested in what you're offering at that moment. That can get expensive.
Google, on the other hand, is where people go to research everything they're looking to buy. If somebody is searching for "Dallas, Texas car insurance" then you know exactly where and what they're after at that moment. That's where the guy peddling car insurance is going to find his next customer.
It's that difference in function and purpose that accounts for Google's $24 billion of ad revenue in 2009 versus Facebook's $2 billion in 2010. Even though Facebook gets more traffic, it has a small fraction of the ad revenue.
Does that mean you should ignore Facebook? Not if your business has a social aspect to it. That $2 billion is up from $800 million in 2009, so clearly Facebook is growing, and there's a reason for that. But it's important that you analyze whether or not your business can profit from Facebook right now. Many have, and many will, but yours may not be one of them.
If Facebook eventually adopts a context-based advertising model then it will be a real no-brainer for pretty much everybody. If you can tell Facebook to show your car insurance ad when people are talking with friends and family about car insurance, then you've got a winner. But then that whole privacy issue Facebook is so fond of would come into play...
I've noticed a little bit of contextual targeting with Facebook, but it appears to be far more limited than AdWords and AdSense, and advertisers have a lot less control over where and when their ads get placed.
Even if Facebook does adopt a contextual advertising model, the simple fact is that people aren't on Facebook when they're looking to buy something most of the time. People go to search engines for that, of which Google is King. They go to Facebook to hang out, chat with friends, see what people are up to. Sorry if I'm pounding on this too much, but it's social, not commercial.
So until Facebook improves the advertisers targeting ability, or builds some kind of search engine capability into it, you better stick with Google unless you have a social-centric product to peddle.
Please post your thoughts in a comment below.
Enjoy this article?
March 14th, 2011 - 06:38
Facebook now has nearly 600 million users, that’s amazing however the advertising costs are rising just like Google Adwords costs rose dramatically.
March 7th, 2011 - 11:40
Great article. I think that this facebook wave will end soon.
March 7th, 2011 - 00:56
Thanks for this ‘summing it all up’ blog post Jon. Puts things into context with some very helpful insights.
March 3rd, 2011 - 21:23
Thanks for your objective penetrating analysis in which you compare and contrast the strength and weaknesses of Google and Facebook. I now have a better appreciation and understanding of the strengths of each. I nearly got sucked in by those numbers that some marketers are selling by emphasizing those exciting numbers surging in Facebook. Those numbers have nothing to do with SEO that are relevant in Google.
March 2nd, 2011 - 10:15
i am a beginner in SEO but i feel which the submission of articles in write-up websites is one of the best ways to gain one way links.
March 2nd, 2011 - 09:30
Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?
February 28th, 2011 - 20:55
Most Facebook visits are probably the same person logging in and checking their wall multiple times a day.
February 25th, 2011 - 02:17
Great article mate, thank you for giving me something less to think about. I hate facebook because all my stupid family are on it gossipping and sharing crap. Oh man alive!
February 20th, 2011 - 01:29
Facebook is really just social place where I really do anything with family and friends of mine, so I do not worry about marketing them.
February 18th, 2011 - 11:12
It’s really gotta be the way you approach facebook. Interaction is key but you have to have something interesting enough to interact about. Like IKEA had a facebook campaign that they were giving away a furniture set for a randomly picked person who has tagged themselves in that picture. Thousands of people tagged themselves and hundred of thousands saw their friends tagged in those pictures- what did it cost IKEA? Peanuts!
February 15th, 2011 - 06:49
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good success. If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!
February 15th, 2011 - 08:13
Sure. I’ve used this one a number of times:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/
But to rank well what you really need are links to your blog.
February 13th, 2011 - 13:08
SO true! I’ve heard a lot of people in the Online Marketing world making a big deal of the whole Facebook vs. Google issue and some bloggers are blindly throwing out recommendations like “abandon Adwords” and such. It’s ridiculous! It’s Social vs. Commercial. I’m glad there are folks like you really analyzing these situations.
Also, the idea about contextual ad displays in Facebook is amazing…but I have to agree, people watch their privacy policy too closely to allow for something like that any time in the near future…A bummer for us in the web marketing business!
February 10th, 2011 - 04:56
I am also agreeing with you Jonathan. Facebook is simply a social media site good for friendship networking; but it is not a perfect place for business advertisement where there is Google.
February 9th, 2011 - 11:50
Nice artilce.. clearly pin points the key aspects of both Google and Facebook.. its very true when its comes to shopping online, Google search always wins over Facebook.
February 8th, 2011 - 14:11
As powerful as Facebook can be I don’t think they can ever match up to the power of Google. Google owns the internet, make more money and have been around for much longer!
February 8th, 2011 - 06:37
Good points. Google is still king for search.
February 6th, 2011 - 20:32
I agree – Imk not buying when Im on facebook – but I am interested in information. I think the business on facebook argument really depends on your product or service. Some products i.e. baby products will do well here as this is where a lot of your target market is.
I think all businesses need to be securing their username on FB and finding out about it to see if it could work for their business.
Thanks for the article.
February 5th, 2011 - 04:14
What I have noticed with Facebook advertising is that I had to bid almost $1 per click just to get my ad shown. I got over 100,000 impressions because of it and around 55 clicks a day – but that is expensive. I guess you have to factor in the impressions too though because I look at ads all the time on my FB page and never click on them. But I kind of know what they are about because they are always showing me the same ads for some reason?
February 2nd, 2011 - 19:36
Why these two things are being compared with each other well in fact these two is really a great help. They are both unique in their own ways. These two are very powerful tools indeed.
February 2nd, 2011 - 15:49
Great analogies Jonathan. Social media definitely isn’t right for all businesses. I wouldn’t be surprised if Facebook eventually created their own search engine though. They already created their own webmail system. So a search engine would be a logical next step. They could keep a large percentage of their userbase on their site for even longer. Plus it would open up huge ad income potential.
February 2nd, 2011 - 06:48
well 90% of facebook users are bots. a lot of people spamming facebook nowadays so i dont think facebook will ever reach the status of google.
January 30th, 2011 - 23:04
Indeed these two is a great help in marketing . Most people prefer to use Google than Facebook. In my own point of view, I would definitely choose Google.
January 29th, 2011 - 17:20
Im sure it matters, but Google will still be number 1 when the facebook wave is gone.
January 27th, 2011 - 14:09
Great article, google is going to eventually give way with facebook.
Bing’s new relationship with facebook means they will be doing search VERY soon.
Goodbye google.
January 26th, 2011 - 23:40
Of course it does matter! But i prefer google than facebook at all. Because facebook page is being used to connect with friends, relatives and many other.
January 26th, 2011 - 20:28
Absolutely right Jon, everybody should be aware of the dangers.
Before Facebook tightened up on privacy, out of the blue, a well known IM operator used my Facebook entry without my permission with some real ‘in yer face’ stuff and made me realise that all my private Facebook contacts were potentially exposed to his marketing methods.
I was appalled, disgusted and incensed. Many others must have been in the same position.
I now have nothing to do with either Facebook or that IM operator.
It’s grossly intrusive.
January 26th, 2011 - 20:27
Jon,
I think you are right on the money with this one. I use Facebook for the same reason as everyone else, which is to visit with family and friends. Most of the time I do not even notice the ads. Any ads I have clicked on on were more from interest as a marketer to see what someone else was doing.
January 26th, 2011 - 14:09
this is a very interesting article..i use google for searching anything online and fb for communicating with family and friends…don’t really care if they are earning billions as long as i get what i want from the internet..lol! but anyway, love and need both of them!
January 25th, 2011 - 08:05
Nice article about comparing those two Facebook and Google. In terms of one of the best way to market your self. I like FB it’s the cheapest way for me.
January 24th, 2011 - 04:33
Great article Jon. Its going to be really interesting to see what happens now with the shake up over at google. With Eric being pushed out will they get better at the whole social media stuff?
January 21st, 2011 - 22:26
Alot of people are using Facebook as a medium to not only for meeting friends and family but a way to market. It’s all about the approach when you are using Facebook. Ads are a good way of getting some publicity but Fan Pages are a great way of Advertising your business as well. With 500 million users and rising it shouldn’t be that much of a problem trying to get targeted traffic if you have good sales copy.
Steven Dean
January 20th, 2011 - 15:45
Good article Jon. When i comes to people that are searching and in the “buying mode” the number source for people is always Google. Although many marketers see FB as easy and cheap way for website traffic, I think the most targeted and quality traffic is from Google.
January 20th, 2011 - 12:54
Very good article. I like how you’re breaking down the whole argument. I think it is important to focus on IF it is worth it to focus your time on. With so many ways to increase SEO, it may not be worth the time to focus on Facebook. I think you make a great point, that when people are looking at Facebook (including myself), they are looking to just relax and connect with friends and family. That’s why it may not be best to focus on.
January 19th, 2011 - 21:17
I don’t really bother with Facebook. It just seems like such a low-yield exercise, particularly for me with a B2B business. I don’t imagine many of my potential clients are seeking out my services on Facebook.
January 18th, 2011 - 09:29
I’ve never even thought about this, and had no clue that Facebook is now more “popular” than Google.
I do agree that I rarely even pay attention to the ads when I’m on Facebook, but when I’m on Google, that’s another question, because I’m actively looking for information.
January 13th, 2011 - 07:17
Great post Jon!
I agree with you, Facebook is social and not commercial. I never go to Facebook to buy something. It’s always Google.
January 11th, 2011 - 18:07
We should also try the facebook ads and then see how it will help in our site promotion as compare to google advertising…
Thanks.
January 11th, 2011 - 00:43
Wow – I had no idea that Facebook had become so huge. and i would never have imagined that it had gotten more traffic than Google. This really makes me want to learn more about Facebook marketing. I need to stop procrastinating in relation to creating a Facebook Fan page. Of course we all know that the mindset that people are in when they are on Facebook is one of making friends and socializing . But if we can somehow leverage that kind of traffic that will be awesome!
All the best,
Eren
January 10th, 2011 - 18:26
Nope, doesn’t matter. Just like you say, if it isn’t a social-centered product, Google is still the resource. With that said, any steps taken today to build followers/friends and credibility on twitter/facebook will be very worthwhile a year down the road when they become more viable for the everyday business..
January 10th, 2011 - 05:51
Awesome post john, btw i heard some rumor about facebook closed at march, is that true?? or just a hoax news??
January 9th, 2011 - 00:59
I have tried advertising on Facebook and like you mentioned, there are no conversions. I strongly urge everybody to research properly before jumping into Facebook advertising.
Great post as usual from Jon, thumbs up! =D
January 7th, 2011 - 13:52
Also, I think it’s worth considering how many visits to Facebook are actually just constant repeat visits and whether that was counted in the statistics.
Most Facebook visits are probably the same person logging in and checking their wall multiple times a day.
January 7th, 2011 - 04:59
Some great advice there John. That’s the way I see Facebook traffic as well. Definitely not as good as the traffic from paying customers.
I think it’s easy to get carried away with stats and the whole social media craze. Good to see u putting people straight!
Bill Kang
January 7th, 2011 - 02:30
Nice summary. I think the analogy of the insurance salesman walking through the high school reunion is spot on.
I’ve tried a little bit of Facebook advertising and was frustrated by the inability to advertise in context. The product I was trying to promote, I really couldn’t get very targeted just by demographics, I just went for keywords in people’s profiles and didn’t do so hot.
I don’t want to feel like I”m missing the boat on Facebook advertising, and I would like to stay in front of the curve, but I think it’s a world I still need to understand better.
January 6th, 2011 - 14:31
FB will continue to innovate and grow. Yikes it was sad to see that Goog has been relegated to Microsoft (where does that leave Microsoft – the next AOL?).
I’ll be excited to hear when FB launches a separate search engine with an interface that’s attached to the current FB – it will happen.
January 6th, 2011 - 12:14
I totally agree with you Jon,
I spent USD 495 on facebook advertising (last month) for my website (which is in the weight loss niche and send traffic to a specific URL promoting the best weight loss products of 2010); which were proven best selling weight loss products. But i generated just 02 sales after nearly a month of advertising.
I was told by an advertising expert that my money would have been better spent on PPC if i wanted to generate sales. Facebook is more for brand building.
I was foolish to think like u said since facebook; just coz facebook is being used by millions; i will generate good sales, it’s all about customers mind set while they’re searching for products.
Thanks Jon, (you re-affirmed my thinking)
Great article,
Regards,
Sanih
January 6th, 2011 - 07:03
I’ve got a service based business and have had good returns using FB. I’ve used Adwords with less return, but this isn’t to say that one is better than the other. Use both plus twitter, plus offline marketing strategies.
January 6th, 2011 - 05:31
really refreshing to read such a simple clear analysis of the search and social scene. It is all about mindset – copywriting, sales and marketing.
I’m sticking to SEO – it works and it suits my skills.
January 5th, 2011 - 21:53
Great post, and definitely makes a lot of sense. Surely FB is working on improving their ad intelligence to get to the point that you’re referring to.
However, I think the ONE major chance that Bing has against Google, is that if you search within FB, you get Bing results. As far as I know, 90% of people don’t know this YET.
Once they do, if it’s a relatively good search engine, why would they want to leave FB to search for something?
Only time will tell, should be interesting
January 5th, 2011 - 12:42
We have tried campaigns on Adwords and Facebook for our online originalart gallery with limited success and considerable expense. I think the observations about FB in the article are accurate and that extreme caution should be excercised by any company contemplating advertising there. It is probable that the “winning” formula for building traffic and conversions will require a judicial mix of Adwords, FB and continuous SEO tuning.
I do not have the answer yet!
January 5th, 2011 - 10:19
Many people now get more profits by FB, particulalrly in my country, Indonesia.
January 5th, 2011 - 07:59
Facebook is hot now, but they won’t last forever. The next facebook might emergy any time soon, but Google is most likely to last longer.
January 5th, 2011 - 00:38
Yea i dont think it matters. They’re both used for different things. As the article says FB is a social network site and google is an Search Engine
January 4th, 2011 - 15:41
Another point, people stay on Facebook much longer than they stay on Google.
The whole psychology of Facebook is to get people to keep coming back and to stay.
January 4th, 2011 - 13:47
Hi Johnathan,
I couldn’t agree with you more,alot of people look at Facebook’s numbers and get blown away not thinking how that person is simply communicating with their family and as such isn’t interested in looking at any ads at all.
We have to find out how best to reach this people without being pushy and annoying
Once again thanks for the post
January 4th, 2011 - 12:06
Its all about horses isn’t Jonathan as you so eloquently put it. Having tried to drive traffic through Facebook ads for a client, certainly specific demographics can be targetted but you do not necessarily get the resuilts you want!
Thanks for sharing.
Matt
January 4th, 2011 - 07:02
Absolutely agree Jonathan. The key is contextual ads or not. This is the main advantage of adwords
January 3rd, 2011 - 23:48
it was suppose to happen – FB is a young and very dynamic company.
IT may take another couple of years befor FB will become a slow elephant as Google
January 3rd, 2011 - 23:15
I make money from both Facebook and Google. Google you can sit back and relax and collect money once you do the link building. Facebook you have to always socialize with your fan base. If you do things right with the ads, you can get almost a .5% click through rate to make your clicks a little cheaper.
Google will not die because people can still get what they want with buying keywords.
January 3rd, 2011 - 23:01
With all of the recent Facebook hype it is nice to see a balanced perspective. I do think just about anyone can benefit from having a presence on Facebook, but to get solid results and understand where to best allocate your marketing budget I agree that you have to have the right product or service along with a continued follow up strategy to make the most of facebook advertising. Thanks for sharing!
January 3rd, 2011 - 22:53
Facebook ads seem to get in the way. It really is just about catching up with friends and relatives.
I had no idea facebook was that big. wow.
Rick
January 3rd, 2011 - 19:47
Absolutly right…… adverts in the wrong place can do more harm than good
January 3rd, 2011 - 15:47
Everyone seems to be rushing to the FB bandwagon. The problem I see is very limited advertising space since every ad has a picture there is only room for 3-4 ads. Not to mention the other factors mentioned in the article.
January 3rd, 2011 - 13:18
Jon,
I think you are right on the money with this one. I use Facebook for the same reason as everyone else, which is to visit with family and friends. Most of the time I do not even notice the ads. Any ads I have clicked on on were more from interest as a marketer to see what someone else was doing.
January 3rd, 2011 - 13:16
Excellent point Jonathan, if you are targeting something Facebook viewers are into, like a smart guide to Farmville or something, there is a good chance you might pickup some sales. But if your product is outside the social scene… the chances of success are very limited… ay least at this stage. By the way am loving the Instant Article Wizard.
January 3rd, 2011 - 13:12
Thanks for the info, Jon. Have to admit that your article got me understanding why most of my Facebook Ads campaign didn’t work …
anyway, Facebook and Google are 2 different animals when it comes to advertising as ypu pointed out.
January 3rd, 2011 - 12:47
Thanks Jonathan for your insight and expertise . I’ve been reading your blog for a little while now and appreciate your no nonsense kind of advise. I’m relatively new to online marketing and still trying to figure it out but I appreciate your work and hope to succeed at internet marketing this year.
January 3rd, 2011 - 12:38
Hi Jon, Your approach is truly logical. Google is still preferable for advertising. Face book how much ever big it becomes is still a social media site unfit for ads.
Regards
Madhan.
January 3rd, 2011 - 12:05
I believe i have focused a little too much on google. This article encourages me to strike a balance between the two services at least for traffic generation.
January 3rd, 2011 - 11:41
Great Article Jon, I have done a small test on facebook with like $50 and very narrowly targeted. Ended up with 100s of thousands of impressions and only 2 clicks.
You are correct in what you have said. When marketing you need to thing how you shop. Do you go to facebook or do you go to Google?
January 3rd, 2011 - 11:34
Thanks for sharing Jon, i learn a lot from your thought.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:58
Great article. However, this is just like myspace in 2005, when it surpassed Google in number of visitors. I think Facebook wil die out, just the way myspace has.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:52
Jon, interesting analysis.
I’ll be starting an Internet Biz soon and am trying to figure all this SM stuff out.
Several Questons, if I may, for the readers (who have made some great observations).
1) Why did FB us go from “Fan:” pages (that sound like you are Lady Gaga–which is just stupid for most people) to “Like” pages (which is better but serves a diffferent purpose). Why not Business page? (as opposed to the regular social page)? I mean, if FB wants to encourage business trade etc., why not call it what it is?
2. Could you elaborate a little on what you consider “social” marketing opportunities on FB?
3. I agree that LinkedIn is potentially a great source for marketing. Do people consider it more Biz to Biz than person to person?
4. Also agree that target marketing is far better than just general eyeballs for obvious reasons.
Thanks, for this.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:50
Facebook’s Interruption marketing has it’s value in the market place. Both sites have their merits and strategies to monetize correctly. The internet is a big place.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:43
Watch out, what if FB introduces more and better search facilities?
Google will be integrated in FB and stuff, evolve to a background service.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:40
In summary, traffic without conversion is not effective internet marketing or online advertising. Jonathan’s article does a great job of explaining why social media is less effective than search.
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:36
annoying .. by being intrusive .. a dis-incentive .. a bad feeling that grows into you .. if I correctly surmise the notion of ..branding .. then de-branding sounds like an appropriate term ..
if there is any usefulness ..in advertising .. for the sake of the recipients .. is the (b)ad-vertising .. insanely pursued .. wishing a total ..weed-out
all do know .. that all this advertising .. it is not out for our ..sake .. the usefulness of the products and services advertised .. dilutes to a minimum .. the more advertising reaches a maximum ..
advertising might have a chance .. to thrive .. by totally eclipsing ..as a concept
contextual .. says .. difficult to achieve .. it is not the contextual .. that should be shot out after .. but the marginally contextual .. the less-obvious element .. the distant background .. that leaves people free to enjoy .. what they are doing .. do not splatter your ad messages .. into their awareness field .. pushing them to engage their resolve .. to rid themselves of the annoyance ads create ..
ads .. that brings into mind .. that they are intruding into a place .. that they do not belong in ..
January 3rd, 2011 - 10:10
Jon, I agree 100%. While Facebook is a great site and growing everyday, it is SOCIAL as you said. Not the place for most of us to advertise our business.
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:58
The biggest difference between buying ads on facebook and google (search) is that the former is “interruption marketing”, i.e. people are not actively seraching for something, so your response rates will be lower (comparable to google contextual advertising). The “interests” part of the facebook ad targeting scheme are very powerful in this case.
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:54
Hi,
People use search engines when they are ready to buy, they don’t log into facebook…period.
Just like no one says I need some new shoes, let’s turn on the TV and wait for a shoe ad to come on…lol
I will focus on search engines because that is where people go to “search” for things.
Plus, Google is not the “only” search engine, if you add in Yahoo, and Bing’s share of views – I think SE’s surpass FB in total views.
Thanks for the info John, I believe we both feel the same way about this situation.
Realistically, FB is probably a great place to promote Acne solutions…lol
I look forward to the release of IAW in mid January.
Scott
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:50
Google is still the place to be no matter how big facebook get..yea you see what happen to that site called Myspace..
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:31
Jon, thanks for have the guts to publish an article that doesn’t paint Facebook as the holy grail of online marketing success. When I see websites, blogs and TV commercials telling people to “visit us on Facebook”, I think to myself, “Why? I’m here right now. Don’t make me go somewhere else to view your offer or hear what you have to say!”
Sure, Facebook can be good for branding or social interaction. But at the present time, if I had limited funds in my marketing budget and I *had* to get results, I’d put my money on Google. No question about it.
Mark Brinker
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:21
Your analysis seems to hit the mark logically. I don’t advertise on either google or facebook, but what you’re saying makes good sense. One comment regarding your statement:
“Does that mean you should ignore Facebook? Not if your business has a social aspect to it. That $2 billion is up from $800 million in 2009, so clearly Facebook is growing, and there’s a reason for that.”
At least part of the reason for the big revenue increase may be all the hype about the “power of facebook advertising”…
Enjoy your day
January 3rd, 2011 - 09:17
If Facebook is getting 8.9 percent of visits and Google is getting 7.2 percent of the visits (opertive word visits not UNIQUE visitor) that leaves 83.9 percent of the pie hmmmmmm. I will keep one eye open on Facebook but will not follow the sheep. Deviate from the norm!
January 3rd, 2011 - 08:46
I have been thinking about Facebook for some time now. I am not really the social type and I’m an introvert. Trying to do marketing or building relationships there is something I am definitely not interested in but it can’t be ignored.
SEO is my thing and it has been working for me. I hate Facebook but think to ignore it is a mistake. One of my goals for the year is to create a presence on Facebook as well as many of the other social sites and see how things go but not forget what is working for me now.
January 3rd, 2011 - 08:28
Spot on Jon, we should be watching both very closely.
I advertise on Google and Facebook and it is remarkable how well each performs so differently for different products.
Each one needs a different strategy as I learned very quickly. You can’t just send a Facebook user to an off-site optin… Unless you are happy to settle for expensive clicks and a mediocre optin rate.
Have Fun
Ian McConnell
Western Australia
January 3rd, 2011 - 08:24
Hi Jon,
Excellent blog post and I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to Facebook vs. Google. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m still optimizing my websites for Google and the other search engines first and foremost.
My business model has very little to do with being social at the moment. Maybe once I decide to delve into the teaching aspect of IM I’ll get more social, but as of right now I’m more focused on building my websites and making money for myself.
January 3rd, 2011 - 07:03
Absolutely right Jon, everybody should be aware of the dangers.
Before Facebook tightened up on privacy, out of the blue, a well known IM operator used my Facebook entry without my permission with some real ‘in yer face’ stuff and made me realise that all my private Facebook contacts were potentially exposed to his marketing methods.
I was appalled, disgusted and incensed. Many others must have been in the same position.
I now have nothing to do with either Facebook or that IM operator.
It’s grossly intrusive.
January 3rd, 2011 - 06:23
Great article! So far, my experience with FB ads has been limited, but interesting.
I wrote a novel that is well written and very intriguing, but it doesn’t fit into a particular genre, and therefore has been difficult to promote. I paid for 44,000 impressions on FB which resulted in one copy of the novel. I about broke even in price because I bid low on the FB ad, and ended up paying only $9 for those 44,000 impressions.
Although I was disappointed in the results, still, the book cover and title of the book received a lot of exposure. My next plan is to publish several articles that include passages from the novel itself and publish those via EzineArticles to target google traffic.
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:50
Hi Jonathan
You are absolutely correct, Facebook is just one strand to get clients to your business. facebook might work for CPA offers but if you want to succeed in the long run you need to have multiple strands to get prospects to look at your offer.
Going back to your comment on insurance advertising this is “branding ” in my opinion. every successful bricks and mortar company uses a variety of methods to attract business – sales people, direct mail. tele-sales exhibitions etc etc . If you want to succeed on the internet you need to use every tool available to get eyeballs on your offer.
Regards
Nick Johnson
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:43
i learnt a tactic on facebook from somebody I cannot recall how it showed you can target particular groups/pages on facebook that have already indicated they are part of that group. So for some ads, it would work better. I prefer organic ultimately and google does this well facebook will never do search as well as I see it. However diffferent techniques for different places.
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:19
i recently unlocked my firefox abp ad blocker when i was on facebook and i was shocked by all the adds i found it very irritating and spamm. i realised well there have been so many product lauches about making money with face book, maybe the only ones making real money are the ”make money with facebook” product pimps.
however i think fanpages could be useful for generating leads for cpa or list building. and using facebook ads to promote the fan page.
there has been a big trend over the last year for product pimps to put google down in order to promote their latest new thing. they talk of the good old days before google slapped them. but google had good reason its there to serve its customers with the best quality search so having lots of websites with poor content just to generate adsense revenue deserves to be slapped.
google is not as these guys are saying your enemy. and i dont think its going away any time soon. QUALITY content plus correct seo and you will find that google is your friend.
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:17
That is a very insightful post Jonathan and I agree with you. I tried Facebook ads six months back and came to a very similar conclusion.
I will stick with Adwords for 2011 – I think!
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:17
You couldn’t have put it better. Visiting FB is like attending a party where you meet friends and family. You want to connect and get entertained. In Google people go shopping. So where are they likely to loosen their purse strings?
I’ve been wary of many online tutorials on targeting traffic from FB. The steps of making a fan base are painstaking slow and tedious, almost begging and the results are nothing to write home about. This is not to pound FB because it has a place in the online society. What I am saying is that marketers should not invade FB and expect too much from it.
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:16
Thanks for your awesome post Jonathan. All the “gurus” are rambling about facebook, facebook, but no one ever posted such a detailed comparison between G and F. It seems they still have a long way to go till they reach Google’s performance in terms of advertising options and targeting.
I tried to buy ads for my website on Facebook only to get people visit my website and say hi. They are indeed in a social mood and not buying anything.
However, if your monetization method is CPA and you catch them in that “just do it” mood you can make a lot of cash with similar offers.
Cheers!
January 3rd, 2011 - 05:05
A great post Jon. Certainly answers some questions I had been thinking about.
According to other material I have been reading, now was the time to be using Facebook purely because of the user numbers. Again that is only half the story and you have just filled in the most important other half.
January 3rd, 2011 - 04:22
Great post Jonathan, and it makes sense.
The best targeted traffic you can get is people searching for what you’re selling, and that makes Google a clear winner for most businesses.
January 3rd, 2011 - 04:12
That is a very good point jon even though facebook gets so much traffic that doesn’t mean you can market anything on it. I think i will stick with google.
January 3rd, 2011 - 03:36
You are speaking about just one tranche of Facebook though Jonathon. Facebook is not designed as an advertising platform, whilst advertising is part of Google’s make-up.
As has been said a few times, Facebook is a relationship building platform. Trust and friendship have to precede merchandising.
January 3rd, 2011 - 03:13
For the most part I agree. The problem arises when you are in a niche that Google is no longer willing to acknowledge or post Ads for. Yahoo and Bing PPC just doesnt produce the same results as far as I am concerned, where Facebook does seem to at the moment. Probably because cost per click is still low!
January 3rd, 2011 - 03:12
Once again Jonathon I read good stuff from you.
you seem to have such a balanced outlook on things to do with Internet Marketing.
I have many times over the years been very thankful for reading something you wrote and it helped set my feet on the right track.
This one has too. I have been wondering which way to go Jonathon and now I know which way.
thank you very much.
Many Blessings and I trust you will have a super 2011.
Sincerely,
Dnaella
January 3rd, 2011 - 02:39
Thanks Jon, useful info as ever,
I was about to really dive into facebook ads, thank goodness I read this post when I did, you have saved me a load of time and probably dollars too!! Thanks
January 3rd, 2011 - 02:28
Totally agree Jon and i think there will be a need for search engines for at least the next 5 years, because of the need to find relevant info quickly. though it will be interseting to see if http://www.qwiki.com/ has any impact on this.
FB is for building relationships with clients wich indirectly makes sales but like I said there will be a need for search engines for a while yet!
January 3rd, 2011 - 02:27
Facebook has been an important source of quality traffic to our site. We use our facebook page to inform our fans of new offers and special lastmintue deas to the Maldives.
January 3rd, 2011 - 02:24
You’ve come up with such a very interesting topic. I always admire how you have in-depth understanding and brilliant vision on IM matters.
As a IM newbie, I’ve learned a lot from your blog. Thanks a lot.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:59
As you (and several other people here) rightly infer, there is a lot of chatter about Facebook being the next bandwagon, so it’s good to see a bit of balance in the discussion.
For myself on the one hand I agree with your argument, but on the other with the sheer volume of active people on FB, surely a percentage would buy? It would be interesting to know the demographic/socio breakdown of all the FB users..
Best regards,
Elspeth
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:58
Hi Jonathan, I totally agree, and it makes perfect sense. However targeting a CPA offer for online games, ring-tones or smilies could probably be worth a try.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:53
Very insightful analysis. I will stick with Adwords for now, even though it drives me nuts.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:38
Hi Jon,
This post is an eye opener for many newbies like me. You are one of the very few Internet Markets who is genuine in what they speak and doesn’t look sell in every thing they put on their sites.
Recently, i have seen many promotional mails on Facebook Marketing and i never took one, but when i saw the subject of your mail i was bit surprised and thought to opt for it if you are selling something on it, but wow this is great that you educated us rightly.
Thanks again and keep posting such useful articles so that people like me are not cheated by the so called gurus.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:12
Jon,
Thank you for a great piece of content. The products that are seen on the web are more for marketers in the internet marketing niche it appears to me. These products are bought by and sold mostly those in that niche. Those of us in other markets need to have that brought to our attention by more people who care about marketers trying to get traffic and sales other than the internet marketing niche.
Thanks again the great blog post.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:09
I bounce around FB quite a bit and I have to agree with you… it is just not the place for marketing, especially affiliate marketing, most of the time. In my circles if anyone even tries to sell something they get flamed. I do however see profiles set up that are obviously businesses especially in the pet/ animal market. A friend of mine who has several thousand friends on FB is offering a sorta CPA service to get people to join these types of profiles… he is making a few bucks, but for how long remains to be seen.
January 3rd, 2011 - 01:03
Lately there has been a lot of hype about advertising on Facebook as THE BIG thing to do. I think this is the more balanced approach. For me, Facebook and list building makes much more sense, than Facebook as a source of buyers. Thanks for the post.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:44
Even if Facebook builds some search engine capability, it will not be as popular as Google. I created fan pages for all my site and do see an increase in traffic coming directly from FB!
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:32
Just as in all successful advertising – you’ve GOT to keep is pertinent. I have one FB ‘Friend’ (former co-worker) who spends a lot of time on FB. She also posts comments to ‘friends’ walls which on Friday’s include an invite to the bar she works at. Does it work? Well, people who know and like her are more apt to drop-in – knowing when she’ll be there and THEY may bring others along.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:27
I couldn’t disagree more with what you’ve said.
I guess the best answer if to start a Facebook Fan page and provide value in there. Step 2 start monitoring this traffic with GA, in terms of quality & conversion objectives. Facebook is in my case the nº1 trafic source, not in volumne but in quality, performing far above Google
Writting guest post in blogs with no traffic makes no sense, alright? You’de better be where the people are, get to know your audience, and understand that they don’t need ONLY your products in their life. You’r not selling a product, you’re connecting with people. And business is based on people, be it B2B or B2C.
The best way to make money is to stand in front a continuous flow of people having a comoon need and offer a solution. That’s exactly what Facebook allows you to do.
New times, new model. It’s irrelevant to try to apply Google thinking to Facebook.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:25
It’s a really good article Jonathan. Great info.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:11
Not everyone who uses the internet is a social media participant. I agree that some business will do very well on Facebook (sports, film, music, consumer products) and some companies will not (financial services, business to business, and other markets that people don’t like to talk about at a party).
Google is still king for finding targeted customers.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:08
I always believe in open market where everybody got their cuts of pie. Unless Google is not doing anything but for sure they will become more creative and do not be surprised they would come out with ‘better Google’ version. Each one has their own advantages and disadvantages. Both serve different people and different target market.
January 3rd, 2011 - 00:04
Wow! This is very good to know. I have a couple of niche websites mostly getting traffic through search engines. I created fan pages for all my site and do see an increase in traffic coming directly from FB!
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:55
You make a very good point on the users frame of mind. I guess you really need to know your target market demographics really well when using facebook ads. Ability to target according to users’ “likes” helps too.
Of course creating fan page with valuable info while encouraging you fans to help you “like” the page is another potential viral traffic generation. You do need to balance the resources spent vs return though.
cheers,
Matt
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:54
Thank you John. You’re reading my thoughts.
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:19
Great info. It has been nice to see the swing of advertisers racing to FB lately. My organic and paid traffic in several niches have gone up thanks to some of my competitors shifting their efforts to FB.
The beauty of FB is the number of ad exposures a person gets while just hanging out socially for extended periods of time. I personally have started clicking more FB ads simply because they are targeting ME and seem to be about things I am interested in
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:16
Jonathon,
This indeed is valuable information! Facebook marketing is a different animal and I think few people comprehend the magnitude that it offers in the form of advertising. It’s untapped.
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:08
I like adverstising more for networking and branding….not direct sales.
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:08
A very well written article Jon. Your points are absolutely true.
January 2nd, 2011 - 23:05
Ok, So people are on internet doing chi-chat than searching … and facebook is one loose application based on php always going down.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:54
Very well said indeed. In fact I had been thinking along the same lines and never looked at Facebook to promote my business. On the contrary, as you rightly pointed out, when I because a grandpa a couple of months back, the only place where I circulated the news was on Facebook.
Undoubtedly, both Facebook and Google are giants, but each of them are for a different type of game.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:44
Very well written post. Sums up just about everything. Thanks for pounding in the “mind frameset” thing. I like how you say it’s social not commercial.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:42
Jonathan
You make some very good points about Facebook people not being there to buy things but to socialize. But think about newspaper or TV advertising. People do not normally read the newspaper or watch TV just to look at ads(alright, so do but not most). The challenge here is to nudge the mind reading or watching the doom, defeat, despair of the various news or TV articles/shows to generate a spark of thought onto a different track about some condition or other want the reader will be interest in.
The Facebook challenge is to tickle a thought about your service/product without directly and rather ham-handily referring to it as is done on Google. This is really the essence of all advertising no matter what the medium. We have just gotten use to the smack you in the face, long, long salepages which have become the norm at Google.
No one wants to be sold anything. They wish to buy something after consideration and a presentation of all the facts as to how their life will be lessened if they do not have your product, at least that is how we present the pitch to them.
We have been working Google with its SEO, Page Ranking, CPC, etc. as it was, basically, the 800 lb gorilla; however, Facebook is the new kid on the block and has a following. Yes, things are different in Facebook and require a different approach. But if you play your cards right and have some marketing savvy, you can generate a large amount of interested people; not by them looking for you and your product a la SEO, but by you locating and engaging them.
Wouldn’t you like to have 1/100 of 1 percent of 500 million interested in your product(I think that works out to 50 thousand). Out of that many people who show even the slightest interest in your product, don’t you think you can make a good living? You go to them because they are a friend of a friend of a friend…….
I am changing my marketing strategy so Facebook is my #1 market followed by YouTube, then Google SEO via article writing and back links. I am not a one-trick pony and there is still a place for Google SEO.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:30
Hi Jon, I agree your opinion about facebook, but people will probably always search for things on Google.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:29
I am looking for how to get the traffic and profit from social website like facebook and twitter for long time. And many people have the same point as me. now many people consider facebook will replace google in later five year. So how to market in facebook is very important.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:17
Finally someone nails some sensibility to this whole social media marketing craze. Sometimes it feels like IMers don’t think these things too much. Facebook can offer some marketing opportunities but Google and old fashioned SEO is still the king of the hill. Now, YouTube and Twitter offer much more interesting marketing opportunities than FB does.
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:11
Jon,
Great Post!
I’ve been thinking a lot about Facebook recently because it is growing at such fast pace that you cannot ignore it. I read another post recently that pleaded with Facebook to not involve itself so much in other parts of the Web or our Lives. I don’t believe it will go away anytime soon. It is very powerful.
There are Facebook “Like” buttons everywhere (everywhere but here!)
A good balanced view from a true “Pioneer”.
Yes I said True Pioneer
January 2nd, 2011 - 22:04
Good Point of View. Unbiased and Clear. FB is a cheap way to advertise but I don’t think it would last unlike search engines such as Google. Thanks.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:54
As usual Jon, your article is very clear and to the point. A refreshing read which provides clear guidance. Thank you.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:47
This is the kind of common sense analysis we sometimes need to hear. It’s far too easy to get caught up in all the hype about the newest, shiniest toy to come our way and not think it through properly, especially when it comes to traffic generation. And since you started this topic of conversation, I have learned more about utilizing FB from your readers than I have from any other source.
Thanks and well done!
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:43
This is a very good post. I would definitely agree with your assessment. It seems to be a challenge to market products. There are many network marketing entrepreneurs who seek leads which is a good approach since networking does have a social approach.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:43
Excellent article…and I agree completely. While Facebook is a great meeting place it’s not a great marketplace. And if you are trying to sell products and/or services you need a presence in a marketplace that matches your target market.
It just goes to show, not all traffic is the same.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:40
Facebook is for branding more than anything else.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:36
Very well put. I agree until Facebook can figure out away to base the ads in context thats related. It would not be a good idea to sink a lot of money into Facebook.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:35
Great post Jon. Finally someone sheds some light on the truth about these social media sites. People will probably always search for things on Google, while Facebook maybe so “2010″ in a few years.
I don’t spend much time on facebook, but I don’t believe I’ve ever clicked on an ad. You are right though, context and mind-set are so important
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:23
Facebook acts wonders for marking design and do bring a few good traffic, as you told it has should not be brush off too. Comparing the costs of PPC and Face book ads, Face book is more affordable. The stats on Face book are astonishing.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:10
I have run ads on both Facebook and Google. Facebook wins hands down. In both cases neither did well enough to do more then break even for me. I think both companies are neither sales or shopping focused. Goggle and any other search engines are designed to find information. Information seekers don’t covert to shoppers unless it’s an informational product. Facebook is social and it’s goo for that. It’s good for word of mouth advertising and all the other points you made above. It can sell. It’s a lot easier to target customers by hobby and interest then google. BUT the have to be logged into the website. With smart phones and other segways into facebook you miss a huge audience who will never see you ads.
I will use Facebook ads again and I will keep working on SEO in hopes that someday one or the other will figure out how to create a search engine for selling products.
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:09
My sentiments exactly.
My facebook profile gets battered with messages that I don’t read. I’m there to check on my family as we are a little widespread.
The tried and tested methods of search engines for targeted traffic is here to stay for a long time. When people are looking for something it’s easier to type it in a search box.
Paul
January 2nd, 2011 - 21:06
Like you said, of course it matters (to watch). With anything IM related, test, test, and test some more. How can someone know for sure what will or will not work without testing.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:48
It would have been very easy to have spent a small fortune on Facebook products last year. I’m now glad I didn’t. Thanks Jon, for materialising what I must have felt instinctively.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:46
Very good discussion here…I have been watching this topic for some time now and I’m sure I’ve found a way to use Facebook for my clients.
Question: “How does the small business use social media in my online marketing mix?”
Answer: “Connect them all with your directory listings, Google Place page, and website. On top of that use your social networks in addition to bookmarking to get new content indexed. Finally, and most important, use Facebook as a way to get your current customers talking about their experience with your company.”
Final Thought: “Facebook is the new Word-of-mouth for local small business!”
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:25
Right on Jon! I think in many ways Facebook is over-rated. It’s pretty lame software to actually use.. it has a mind of its own and many times it just stops working altogether.
And, Facebook is constantly sending out spam. How do I know this? DEAD PEOPLE DON’T ASK FOR FRIENDS TO SIGNUP!
I know of a woman who died three months ago and yet we get emails from Facebook that she wants us to sign on as friends. Yeah right Facebook! LOL
I’ve seen it exactly as you stated here.. its not good for everthing. And, I don’t think the majority of people are into a buying mood at all while on Facebook. All those people, and politicians, on the stump for profits and votes? Why would anyone fall for that?
I suspect famous people would do well.. Oprah for example… people the public worship, and who offer some sort of entertainment value vs a hard selling product.
I’m not putting away Google any time soon that’s for sure!
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:25
I would tend to agree. If you’re looking for sales or conversions, Facebook probably won’t benefit you unless you can really drill down your advertising to the specific niche. If you’re like us, though, and you just want plain, old insane levels of TRAFFIC, then Facebook is a gold mine.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:24
Very interesting post. I just wonder if fb can compete in search with Google. Integrating a search engine into their site is a no-brainer if they can deliver good results.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:24
I think there will be new platforms for innovation for Facebook to be used for targetted traffic.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:23
Right on Jon. So many people get bedazzled by the social media numbers that they don’t stop to think whether it’s right for their business. Thanks for the reminder.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:13
I totally agree with your analysis. A lot of people are jumping on marketing their sites on FB , regardless the products they are selling.
I guess it’s all about traffic but in my honest opinion, traffic isn’t all.
Target traffic or showing the add to people they really might be interested in seeing it, is what leads to results.
I don’t think so many people are joining FB for staying in touch with friends and family anymore like it used to be. I think they are joining for playing games on FB. So hey, you develop games or you sell computer games? Great, FB might be a good place for you to advertise.
January 2nd, 2011 - 20:00
Hi John,
Thank you for your analysis over FB versus Google. In the past I have tried to advertise my affiliate programs on Face book without any success. Your analysis opens my mind.
I will share this information with my subscribers on my blog!
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:55
I couldn’t agree more Jon. Traffic means nothing unless it’s targeted and looking to buy.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:49
Now you’ve done it! How can you sell your “Make A Million Off Marketing On Facebook” with an article like this.
You needed to convince us we were missing out on getting all those eyeballs to look at us and convince us you had just the product to garner their gaze.
Not sure you could have priced it at $97 or $197, but now you can’t do that.
Thank you for not doing so.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:45
Hi Jon!
I agree with you and same time if we move our step rightly facebook marketing strategy will work effectively. Facebook works wonders for branding purpose and do bring some good traffic, as you said its shouldn’t be ignore too. My prediction facebook could be full fledged search engine in 2-3 years.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:37
Here is how to make money on Facebook right now.
Create Facebook community pages and run ads to the demographic of people for a bit. Once you have a nice group of people that are passionate about your group topic then you can use this group learn what they want more of and you can also “sponsor” the group an occasionally post promotions your website is running.
Once you have a few hundred fans you can stop running the ads and now you have a passionate group of buyers that you can market to over time.
It’s like running your own forum that allows you to promote your stuff, run surveys, market test products, get testimonials, pictures and all kinds of money making goodies from the tribe.
That’s the mindset you should have for Facebook these days.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:33
Nice post Jon with excellent insights. Statistics do not tell everything until you understand the details between the G and FB numbers.
In terms of the quality of targeted traffic, we cannot can’t do better than SE traffic where the searcher has expressed in the search phrases.
Well, what ads do you think would work on FB?
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:31
Jonathan, your work is legendary and we (my wife and I) have a great deal of respect for your views; however, I think you missed the mark.
We agree that the environment will significantly impact the outcome, and your examples were … let us say … exemplary. Here’s the rub, you substituted outcomes.
It may take many more impressions on Facebook to get a click-through, than on Google (due to social vs. business environment), but a click is a click. Given the argument that you made regarding the difficulty of garnering the attention on Facebook, I would dare say that the clickers there are just plain determined to see what you have.
Our experience (still quite limited) is that we get more clicks for the buck with Facebook (it isn’t even close). Thanks for the perspective and keep us posted.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:27
Thank you Jon for writing an intelligent post on this Google vs. Facebook issue. I have to admit I initially joined FB to divert some traffic to my published articles. But after giving it quite a bit of thought, I decided against it. Why? I’m in multiple unrelated niches & to me doing that would make it pretty obvious that I was ‘marketing’. Besides that, as you pointed out, all niches won’t get traction on FB.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:24
Jonathan, you are spot on. But maybe I think that because I think Facebook, to quote Betty White, is a “monumental waste of time.”
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:13
Very good post. And oh so true. You know Jon, I would be willing to bet that this has not dawned on the majority of people in the biz.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:12
Great article Jonathon,
I agree people use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family and are not looking to buy stuff as they would be on Google. Lately there has been a lot of hype about Facebook being such a great place to advertise but I personally don’t buy into it.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:12
I just started advertising my facebook fan page on google. I think that may be the easiest way to go because you can just target fans of pages similar to yours. I got over 1000 followers for about $15.
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:09
I agree that Google in not going anywhere. Face book is a membership site and that is something to keep in mind if your going to purchase Face book ads. Comparing the costs of PPC and Face book ads, Face book is more affordable. The stats on Face book are astonishing. The average time someone spends on Face book is 20 minutes. The average time someone spends on a website is a few seconds. One can be effective with Face book ads but it is different from Google
January 2nd, 2011 - 19:04
Jon,
This is quite interesting article. I am agree with you because people tend to search for a product through Google instead of Facebook, people are still tending to search about a product using Google. But Facebook from my point of view is also has a strong point since we can market ourselves to bunch of people who might share the same interest as we are.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:56
When I’m on Facebook the only kinds of ads that make me interrupt what I am doing are local ads with broad appeal, such as for a restaurant in my town. I generally have zero interest in looking at ads there, and as long as they are unobtrusive enough to be ignored, ignore them I will!
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:53
Jon
Since sudden emergence of facebook, many time I have confusion about the credibility of google. You put up the topic very nicely to insist that google still hand some upperhand. I will pass it to my friends.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:52
Absolutely right.
On the other hand, I could be lucky wkth FB, because I am making business with my music and singing courses. These can be very welcomed in Facebook.
Thanks, Jonathan! Happy New Year!
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:49
There is really no verdict to which is better than the other.
IMHO, you just got to try both … thoroughly. You never know until you try them out.
I see both the big G and Facebook as different species. Both are good tools for you to deploy.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:41
Interesting article.
I’ve had reserves about using Facebook to post commercial intent.
I feel that you need to develop a persona away from the Family, Friends and Gamers and build a list of followers who are also interested in commercial intent.
I have started a trial and so far I do have a minute list of followers.
Time will tell how responsive that list becomes.
Best Wishes
Reg
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:36
Great article Jonathan and it raises some very good arguments. I have spent the last 4 months on facebook in the IM niche and have had great success both with Fan (Like) Pages and Facebook Ads. As an ex offline business owner I can also see the potential power of facebook for business owners and I truly believe Facebook is for EVERY business out there.
However, the mindset is extremely important and as you point out, Google is a faster and more immediate way of reaching your target market if you simply want to sell to them, however, Facebook is an amazing platform if first you want to build a relationship with your potential customer.
It’s a longer game plan, but from a customer relationship point of view, the lifetime value of each of your customers significantly increases when there is a solid relationship in place and the customer feels a valued member of your community.
If as a business owner in any niche you went into Facebook with that mentality and utilised Facebook Ads as a way to create customers as opposed to make immediate sales then the impact on your business would be tremendous.
Thanks for the inspiration for my next video!
Jo
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January 2nd, 2011 - 18:35
Jon you always look at things in a different way than others but your are damn right. I had the same notion when I got emails about some guys making millions on facebook then I reasoned because I know a lot of people who use it as a means of communication.
There was a time when I met an old friend and asked him how are people socializing and does he go out with our old friends(I have been away in another country for 5 years). He said “The only socializing around now is SEE YOU ON FACEBOOK”
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:33
Hi Jonathan,
Hate to say it, but you have missed out. There is no real comparison to advertising on facebook or google, apples to oranges. Yes, with google you are going after contextual advertising that is a great form of marketing. But with facebook you have so much more information to drill down with when targeting a potential client.
I currently spend about $1500 per year on your products and truly love them, but last year I spent $3000 on products from your facebook ads in the area of internet marketing.
To succeed on Facebook you have to use more of your copywriting skills to grab the attention of your client. When I buy a newspaper or a magazine I am not looking to solve a problem (in most cases), and yet there are thousands of successful ads run in both those mediums daily. Yes, there are also thousands of ads that are unsuccessful as well, but you can still run a great direct response campaign from those mediums if your copywriting skills are good (which we all know yours are great).
I see facebook ads the same as magazine ads, except it is easier to get someone to click than pick up the phone or mail you. If someone runs an ad in facebook and puts that ad on every possible page they can then in most cases that ad will fail unless you have very deep pockets. And just like expensive magazine ads your product has to make enough to justify the costs.
Would I give up google for facebook? No, facebook is just extra.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:29
Well, that’s quite an insight. I hadn’t thought about it that way. May be it’s also time to pay extra attention to linkedin.com
Having said that, I am going to be looking at facebook with a balanced mind than just an excited one. Thanks for the great piece.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:22
Very well said, Jonathan. I have seen some Internet ‘marketing experts’ touting Facebook as THE new ‘cheap’ place to advertise to people based on interest. However, your analysis destroys that concept. I totally agree that if you have something to sell, go where people are looking to buy with keywords that target buyers: Google. And if you’re trying to get new followers for your FB fan page or you have a great way to turn someone’s photo into a ‘fantasy photo’ or other FB related topic, then Facebook is a better choice. Google vs Facebook is definitely an ‘apples vs oranges’ comparison. I don’t see Facebook EVER being able to compete with Google when it comes to ads that sell a specific product.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:20
Good Post Jonathan!
The Picture is everything!
If your picture tells your story then you have a great shot at “interuption Marketing”, on FaceBook!
Also, being able to drill down on the likes- helps out a ton.
You don’t have to get a a-lot of clicks- if you target right to be successful. Also, split test like mad.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:20
John, I am glad to hear for a change that not only has the train not left the station but has not even entered before I got there. With all of the hype on social media – are there any sites beyond linkedin that are worth our attention at this time? (beyond mere observation)
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:19
Thank you for such a balanced article. I am new to marketing and
have been resisting Facebook. I now have a better view of target
markets.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:16
There is a way to make money on Facebook, it just hasn’t materialised yet.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:10
Great article Jon.
You pretty much summed the entire Google Facebook debate.
It will be very interesting to see how Facebook will evolve as I am sure they want a piece of the Google Ad pie.
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:06
Hi Jonathan,
Great post and some good points made but I have to admit that, personally, when I am on facebook I pay absolutely no attention to the adverts.
About a year ago I was a member of a dating site (POF) which also targets users demographically but, again, I ignored the ads unless it was of a particularly gorgeous looking man – but when I found out it was just advertising another dating site I clicked off it immediately.
From an internet marketing point of view it would be good for facebook to allow content based ads but as a user of facebook I don’t really want to be bombarded with more adverts.
Time will tell if the guys at facebook get greedy!!
January 2nd, 2011 - 18:01
Great article Jon ! Interesting and a good solid look at the difference in Google and Facebook traffic. I use facebook to keep in touch with my family and I don’t really pay any attention to the ads because as I am in a different head space . Anyway the revenue speaks for itself $24 billion Google vs Facebook $2 billion
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:58
I personally do not think that we should go out and start optimizing FB pages. Not yet at least. Unlike google, where ads and marketing have been already established, FB still has a long way to go. A much too rapid shift from a social network to a marketing field would bring about confusion in the FB world.
Since FB would provide a higher page rank, why not just get links from it. It would boost your site but still sticking with Google.
Although these days, people are trying to sell gadgets posted on their FB walls and friends are able to view these posts and possibly buy them.
The possibilities seem endless on how internet marketing will be introduced to FB. I’m really excited to know what’s in store for me
Cheers!
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:56
Good analysis Jon. I think FB contextual ads will be a watershed – if it ever happens.
Re social media in general, I have been testing various approaches social media for linking (not FB in particular). Generally speaking social media visitors are not buyers when compared to people who are using search engines.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:53
Right you are, facebook is taking over, but you have to be really careful with what you advertise out there, becase it is just people getting in contact with other people, and they won’t look at most ads.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:53
Jonathan – That is VERY insightful and exactly what needed to be said to help advertising sort out where they should be placing their PPC ads. I’ll be sharing this excellent article. Thank you!
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:53
Great “layman’s” discussion of the difference. I had thought of using Facebook for ads in the past, never did, glad now that I did not. I don’t have any “social” based products that would be of interest. It would have been money down the drain.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:52
In my country, I think about 80 or 85%% of the people have a Facebook account, but I think that if you want to advertise there, you should be promoting something aimed towards younger people, as I believe that older people have an account there mainly to keep track of their kids, lol.
Of course, I’m speaking from my own experience, I only signed up there when I was expecting my first grandchild, and wanted all the updates without having to pester my daughter every single day!
Mainly because of this, I never take a single look at the sidebar ads, or look for information there.
Just my 2 cents……
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:50
Jonathan,
Thanks for your observation and insight that most aren’t talking about. Yes, Facebook does have traffic but for marketing it takes a specific product or service that fits into the social aspect. Some niches are doing well there, but as you mentioned, they are tied in to a social aspect of the site.
I’ve tested ads for many different products (my own and affiliate) on Facebook and have yet to convert one sale. Lots of clicks but no conversions, and this is with proven products that normally convert very well with targeted SEO, paid traffic (Google) or email lists. That was enough to convince me to bypass Facebook unless the ad is something that ties into the social aspect of the site and invest in organic seo and other targeted traffic sources.
I can see many offline businesses where this would fit, and many fewer online businesses.
I would recommend asking yourself how your product ties in socially before spending any money on FB.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:50
Good level headed advice. I tested some Facebook ads for a political candidate and got a decent number of click throughs from Facebook.
The candidate lost the race, but was happy that people got to see their ad and clicked through to their page to read their message.
I guess it worked…
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:50
Great analysis.
I agree that Facebook, from a business perspective, is more about branding than direct selling. I do think it is worthwhile to setup a fan page for your business now and use it for branding and when and if their ad model changes you will be in a better position to jump in.
Thanks again.
Doug
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:44
G’day Jonathon,
Very pertinent post, from my humble point of view..
.Here’s the short take. … I’m old enough to remember people saying “I Hoovered the carpet” … when they possibly did not even use a Hoover vacuum cleaner!
There’s other examples where a product / service name became instilled into the language, but this does for now.
So, whilst folk keep telling me they “Googled” something I’ll hang out there!!
Cheers …….. (Aussie) Doug.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:43
Great attention grabbing question…great answer, succinctly and clearly stated. Thanks. Cleared it up for me.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:39
That was a great post
It made things clearer to me that I hadn’t taken into account before
Thanks for a very informative article
Elizabeth
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:37
Great info Jonathan! Yes, I agree!
I tested out an ad on Facebook over Christmas and it did ok… but not as well as I had hoped.
Happy New Year!
Amy
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:35
Even if Facebook builds some search engine capability, it will not be as popular as Google. Facebook is a social media site whereas on Google you can search anything under the sun.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:27
You have analyzed it well Jonathan. Lets see if the trend continues in 2011 and whether the gap widens between these two in favor of Facebook. If this happens then the seo strategists may have to rethink their plan of actions.
Best Regards
SunSeven
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:27
You are spot on, IMHO. In most cases the guy trying to “sell” on Facebook is viewed in the same light as the telemarketer call
that comes in during dinner. On the other hand there are clever ways to profit from Facebook. Mostly along the lines of app/game development with CPA integration.
Pat
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:25
Hi Jonathan,
Well my take on the Facebook vs the big G and all the other SE’s is simply that as a user of Facebook occasionally I have come to the conclusion that Facebook is Ok for linking back to a website but as far as all the hype about facebook ads are concerened they do not convert very well at all.
I have run several ad campaings with thousands of impressions but abismal sales .. Plus I have noticed that FB are gradually increasing their bid minimum very much the same as google does.
I personally have switched my marketing to SEO, as this is where I appear to have a modicum of success I am able to get rankings from a standing start within 24 hours for mostof the sites I work on.. All totally “Whitehat”.
I am about to start up an SEO business using only Organic Search.
This is my retirement year so I am out to get a passive income running by 2012..
Regards
Simon Harkness
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:25
Great article Jon.
I personally think that as Facebook ads become more prevalent, people will start using various methods to ensure the ads are blocked.
I certainly don’t go onto Facebook in the mindset to view any ads.
Peter
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:22
Hi Jon,
Very well explained about facebook ads. I did use them to advertise an event based on peoples interests and from about 200 clicks I got not even one call. On the other hand from google ads when i have advertised another event, from 100 clicks I got 6 calls. I don’t want to say facebook is not the place to advertise, but you have to find the right thing to advertise. If you want traffic though, it is much more cost effective and you will get a lot of it.
thanks,
Chris
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:22
I agree with you Jon in many aspects. I’m in the IM niche and Facebook was a total lost of time for me. I can make more money with 10 targeted prospects coming from google than with 100 clicks coming from facebook. And it was really hard for me to receive the 100 clicks
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:21
agree with your analysis, Jon. I think FB has become a parallel internet focussing on that high school and family reunion, swapping photos, incessant and pointless “likes” and that constant chat about nothing that teenies and twenties seem to crave for. as you have described, it is not the place to find “Sydney Painter” or “cheapest car insurance”. thanks for the insight
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:20
It is ludicrous to run around like a chicken with your head cut off just because Facebook or Google passes gas. They are not indicators of anything, they are simply regurgitating all over everyone and taking credit for the popularity of the people who, themselves, created the content. Google needs to go bankrupt and die. Facebook needs to get a new user interface (because the one they have is BOOOOORRRRRIIIINNNGG) I hate Facebook, but I am totally impressed with the job that MySpace has done revamping their tool. I think MySpace will eventually get it together and be true to their roots… Music is their game, they just prefer pandering.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:17
Jonathan,
As always, thanks for your insights and help. It’s marketers like you
that do all the heavy lifting for the rest of us.
Your insights on the difference between Google and Facebook are very useful.
Thanks again.
Scott
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:17
This is a great post … it seems that everyone is talking about social media but they don’t know that it is not for every market.
and you hit it dead on … people are not looking for nothing but most people are on there to play games and to keep in touch.
Thanks for the post
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:17
We were just talking about this with two new companies that I’ve just started up.
Your article was most timely.
Facebook is for social while Google means business.
Thanks for a great post.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:17
Great analysis. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of using a new tool. Facebook is “hot”, but it isn’t for everyone. Thanks for the insightful distinction.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:16
I’ve read a lot of people having difficulty advertising on Facebook and making any kind of real money with it.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:15
Don’t keep an eye on facebook! Keep both eyes and ears on facebook. 250million active users a DAY can not be ignored.
Hop on the facebook bus and enjoy the pub crawl.
……bruces……………..
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:15
Hi Jonathan
Great article and spot on regarding how best to market using Social Media.
I’ve seen a lot of people jumping in to Facebook Advertising but its important not just on the demographics , but more importantly on psychgraphics.
I think on Social Media marketing – that is a much more important issue.
Thank you
Hamant
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:15
Happy new year and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I agree with your post. Recently I have tried to sell a product on facebook and linkedin. Linkedin was clear winner.
For bars, restaurant facebook was winner.
Best wishes
Siddique
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:14
Yep, I agree. You do have to look at the frame of mind of your potential prospects when they see your ad.
I do think FB can be effective when you’re marketing to other business owners since there are so many on there; more likely list-building rather than trying to sell a product outright.
Good post Jonathan!
Corrisa
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:14
You have it figured out pretty good.
At the moment, ads on Facebook seem to be targeted to demographic only, similar to television commercials. More or less a “shotgun approach”….and not very effective compared to search engine advertising…..though with that said, unlike television, at least your Facebook ad results are trackable…..I wonder when all these big corporations are going to wise up and stop their t.v campaigns, realizing they can get more bang for their buck on the internet…AND the results are trackable!
Guarranteed they will still do stupid stuff though…like Macdonalds wasting a few million dollars on that Farmville app…..that sure didn’t prompt me to get up out of my chair and run out to get a Big Mac…….you would think that would be the purpose!
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:13
Jonathan, I believe you smack the nail on its head, especially in the field of IM.
Social-and relationship topics may be an better option to promote via FB.
Thanks for your interesting thoughts!
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:13
Good thoughts. I tried some Facebook ads but had no success and this article points out some important things. Facebook is actually the only social site I am on where keeping in touch with family and friends is really all I do so I don’t push marketing on them. The ads are different as they are unobtrusive but I can see why we shouldn’t get too hyped about them.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:12
Hey Jonathan this is a very good topic. I am in agreement with you here on alot of levels. Yes Facebook has crazy amounts of traffic but like you said, what kind of mindset are they in? I guarantee that 95 % are NOT going on to facebook to BUY something. There are ways to develop relationships on facebook that can be profitable, but it is time consuming and requires a totally different approach.
Me, I am an seo guy. I teach and also have clients in which we focus on SEO and PPC. This is were the buyers are. When you discover what the buying keywords are, your time is MUCH better spent getting your client or your site in front of that traffic for higher conversions and sales.
This is much more difficult to do with facebook, and if you take that mindset to facebook you are going to be sadly disappointed.
Great post again Jonathan
DR NET
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:10
Great post. Mindset is incredibly important, and Facebook ads are now the latest “bandwagon”. It may be great for branding. It may be the best demographic targeting ever invented, but there is a reason it is called “social” media like your post states.
Do people go on facebook to look for a solution to a problem? Or to look for a DVD about a topic? Or for a piece of software? Not that I know of.
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:08
Thanks Jon! I for one am (at this point) keeping an eye on Facebook.
Joseph
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:07
Nice information. I think 2011 will be the year for social media marketing
January 2nd, 2011 - 17:06
A very sensible and balanced view on the Facebook vs Google advertising.