"If You Are Only Drinking Google Juice, It May Be Time to Re-Evaluate Your Online Marketing Plan" was a statement I made the other day while doing a coaching session with a client. I had had asked them why they were not using Facebook to optimize their online marketing and was given the typical responses: "I don't care about someone going on vacation, or that someone's dog just gave puppies," or my personal favorite, "all Facebook is good for is throwing sheep, building farmvilles, and joining mafia wars." While there are many that get sucked into the giant black hole of Mafia Wars, Farmville and the thousands of other meaningless things to do on Facebook, what most people do not realize is the absolute power that lies within the Facebook platform.
As I mentioned in a previous post, we see roughly 1/3 of our revenue right now come from connections on Facebook. This is a strong source of income for our online consulting business. While drinking Google Juice remains king, social network sites like Facebook, Twitter, & Youtube are gaining traction daily. In case you were wondering if Facebook is something you need to begin integrating into your online marketing plan. Take a look at these stats, it might be time to start mixing in another drink as well.
GENERAL FACEBOOK STATS
- More than 400 million active users
- 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day (200 million people!)
- More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
- More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
- More than 3.5 million events created each month (half of those invites come to me!)
FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGES
- More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
- More than 20 million people become fans of Facebook Pages each day
- Facebook Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans
USER STATS
- Average user has 130 friends on the Facebook
- Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
- Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
- Average user becomes a fan of 4 Pages each month
- Average user is invited to 3 events per month
- Average user is a member of 13 groups
These are some very powerful statistics! While Facebook is an internal network that does not bring you the SEO value that you are used to your website or blog bringing, it is powerful. Think about it like this: In 2009 the population of the United States was just over 307 million according to Google. Facebook ads, show that right now there are 112, 291,180 people on Facebook that live in the US and are 18 years or older. In other words, about one out of every three Americans have a Facebook account, and that 1 out of every 6 is on it daily!
There are many other ways to use Facebook in your online marketing plan for your business. Hopefully by now you realize this is something you really need to start doing. If you need help getting started, feel free to ask me for assistance, I love helping clients get their Facebook Business Page set up & optimizing their efforts on Facebook.
So I leave you with this statement: "If You Are Only Drinking Google Juice, It May Be Time to Re-Evaluate Your Online Marketing Plan." Do you agree or disagree with me?
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I am the Co-Founder of 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors. I have traveled the country as a social media speaker. If you would like more information on any of the topics discussed in this blog, please contact me directly. We specialize in social media training, online consulting, and the creation of your own custom WordPress site.
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Jeremy - These are very interesting facts. It is a great time to re-evaluate Facebook, especially with the power of the new "like" feature.
Jeremy,
Those are powerful statistics. I have not been able to figure out facebook or twiter.
I completely agree with you, but with some caution regarding Facebook. They're playing in some murky water with respect to privacy, at some risk of losing the trust of a large number of their active users. Google itself isn't pure, either, but Facebook really seems to be testing limits.
I just don't know where I will find the time. I realize the reach and potential of Facebook so I guess I will have to give it a second look.
Facebook is huge but I see it changing already. Once the businesses all flock to make their millions on FB it will change the enviroment of FaceBook forever. I kinda like it for what it is. I have had fellow agents ask to be friends just to blast me with their listings. I know I can hide them but what is the point hiding someone who cares about nothing more than their advertising. Delete. Just my opinion.
I agree there is always going to be a new, better, faster, smarter platform around the corner likely to be replaced with something else next year...:)
I have been laying back as far as Facebook is concerned, they are putting themselves in a precarious situation and I want to sit on the sidelines until I jump back in. I find myself using Twitter more and more, although I must say I am not leaving, just being cautious
Facebook certainly should be a part on any Realtors social media marketing plan! The business pages are a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
I am active on FB and can easily see that I will get business from it. I do stay away from the games though...not enough time in the day for that.
Jeremy - yet more reasons that I need to increase my facebook activities. Thankfully, I have gone cold turkey off of mafia wars and have never had any inclination to phony farm.
You should never keep all your eggs in one networking basket.
I enjoy Facebook and my fan page -- nice, easy, natural way to stay top of mind with friends, former colleagues, neighbors, sphere, relatives, etc.
Staggering stats...Anyone who is not contemplating or actively using Facebook as a part of their prospecting & marketing arsenal is simply missing the boat...
In fact, they're waiting for their ship to come in...at the airport!
Folks: If you want to stay ahead of the curve...SUBSCRIBE to Jeremy's blog!
All the best!
Brian
Great blog, Jeremy... I am going to reblog, and hope you get a ton of readers. You always have such great information - I need to get more active on my fan page ......
Great post! Excellent and powerful statistics to know!
Thanks for sharing.
Adam