Lately my inbox has been bursting with offers from Internet Marketers who are claiming that FaceBook is the new Google and THEY have found to key to making oodles of money with it. Of course, they are willing to share this opportunity with you… for a token fee.

Riiiiight.

On the face of it, it seems feasible. After all, Facebook is – depending on who you consult - one of the top 3 most visited web sites in the world. Visitors spend more time there than at the sites of any of the other big players-almost 7 hours a month, according to recent statistics.

And, when you factor in the power of social networking, where vast numbers of people are linked together in “islands of trust”, you can’t help but drool at the opportunities.

But it’s not that simple, despite the assurances of the Net Marketers who have apparently unlocked the code. Especially considering FaceBook itself hasn’t mastered the art of making their business profitable; up to as recently as a year ago, their ability to survive long-term was being questioned.

The problem-for marketers and the owners of Facebook-is the way people use the service. My girlfriend and I were sitting around the supper table the other night talking about this, and I asked her, “what’s the main difference between the ways you use Google and FaceBook?”

“Well”, she said, “when I go on FaceBook, I go there to see what Jenn or Tina or Suzanne are doing, to check out new pictures, do a little chatting, and so on.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. “And have you ever noticed or clicked on an ad in FaceBook?”

“No”, she replied.

“And so when you go to Google, what are you doing?”

“I’m searching for something.”

“Uh-huh. And have you ever clicked on an ad at Google?”

“Yep. Lots of times.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m often investigating a possible purchase, and the advertisements are highly targeted – sometimes moreso than the listings themselves.”

EXACTLY.

And that’s the big problem for FaceBook; it is a place where people go to interact with others, stay in touch with the comings and goings of their contacts, and view videos and pictures, play games, etc, etc.

In short, it is a social media tool.

People don’t go to Facebook to buy stuff, or even to research the stuff they want to buy. For that, they go to Google. This, in a nutshell, is why Facebook has been a monetization nightmare for its owners. And that’s why you need to be extremely skeptical of offers from those who have mastered the “Facebook code.”

With its legions of visitors, Facebook does offer HUGE opportunities to the right businesses; the ones who leverage their presence by creating cool, “viral” apps which can be shared between users.

But it’s no alternative to Google, nor will it likely ever be.

However, if advertising on FaceBook sounds like something you’d like to experiment with, you can do it quite easily on your own – it’s not rocket science.

No related posts.