With Facebook and Twitter growth flattening out and MySpace US traffic falling off a cliff,it is important to remember that social media marketing is not a replacement for search engine optimization (SEO), it is a growing piece of your internet marketing strategy along with pay per click and e-mail.
A Neilsenwire survey estimates that “roughly 18 percent of users see it [social media] as core to finding new information. While still a smaller percentage than those who use search engines or portals like Yahoo! or MSN, it is a significant figure. And as social media usage continues to increase (unique visitors to Twitter.com increased 959% YOY in August) I can only expect this figure to grow.
At the root of the changing nature of content discovery is the sheer amount of information that is available on the Web. If you want to learn more about the latest smartphone released into the market, your favorite search engine is sure to provide you with hundreds, if not thousands, of articles about the device. But with the increasing number of resources available, it’s difficult to know what you should believe or take at face value. Socializers – those who spend 10 percent or more of their online time on social media – feel this effect more than others do. When asked, 26 percent feel that there is too much information available on the Internet, compared to 18 percent of people who predominantly use portals and just 5 percent of people who primarily use search engines.”
Too much information on the Internet. Now there’s a surprise!
Search is still the big dog and I suspect it will to rule for the foreseeable future. I believe that while the Y generation may ask for product/service advice on Facebook, they will still use a search engine to find authoritative websites that support the original influence.
Of course, my wife will claim that I prefer the advice of strangers over hers, so maybe I should stick to social media sites. Could that be a male demographic?