The Fall of Facebook
Facebook has reached 500 million users, with 700 billion minutes spent on the site each month(1). It’s the most visited place on the internet and the undisputed king of socializing online. So with the mad rush to Facebook, why would anyone be inclined to think this ride is ever going to end?
Well there are many reasons. For one, Facebook doesn’t mimic how people naturally socialize and do business. People hang out at coffee shops, sporting events, dog parks, not at Lollapalooza 24/7! Facebook’s framework is built on the idea of inclusivity: “everyone can be my friend”. People typically engage & interact with people of a perceived likeness: age, race, belief, background, passion, sport, hobby, etc…The most popular means of connecting people on Facebook is the amount of friends in common.
Many forum-based websites are now tapping the market of exclusivity, building frameworks with more fraternity-style membership.
The Power of Niche Websites & Forums
In addition to people’s socializing patterns, niche websites can offer unique features that a giant like Facebook simply can’t match. Take for example RideOregonRide.com. This website allows its members to create their favorite trail directly on an interactive map, invite other friends to ride the trail they conquered, display their favorite hangouts along the way, and visually see where to expect the steep inclines. If you were the marketing rep for this organization would you build an advertising campaign to direct visitors to RideOregonRide.com or Facebook.com/TravelOregon?
MyWebsite.com or Facebook.com/MyWebsite?
This really brings up an interesting point; we all see the multi-million dollar campaigns from companies like Toyota spending 28 seconds grabbing the visitor’s attention all for the final clip to direct the viewer to www.facebook.com/Toyota. This currently can make sense. Why? Because of how much time Facebook users spend on sites due to the amount of members and the superior functionality. I believe this gap will shorten in the next few years due to the increased social networking functionality of websites, mobile sites and mobile apps. Your Facebook ID may act as your login, but your time could be spent on the site where your exclusive friends hang out with common interests.
So then what is the next big thing?
Crowdsourcing. There are many definitions out there for crowdsourcing, but in this context, it’s the idea of enabling the ability to vote and weigh-in on the direction of your company. For example, lets say you own a bar and your looking to add a new beer, instead of listening to a bunch of sales reps, analyzing the market and making a choice from your ivory throne, you decide to let the visitors to your website decide. You compose 3-5 options you would be comfortable with, then give your visitors a brief description of each, and let the voting begin!
So what’s the big deal? You have just given a voice to your clients (albeit controlled), advertised your new promotions with a fresh approach and let your customers do your marketing for you. If you seek engagement on your site more than casual surfing, polling may be the right addition. You can then use Facebook as your sharing forum not your destination page. For more on crowdsourcing you can check out this video.
Recently, you can see Facebook’s counter punch to this new trend with the prominently displayed Question feature. It will be fascinating to see if niche businesses can pull user interest to their own sites & forums, or if they will continue to funnel visitors to Facebook
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Disclaimer: this newsletter is intended as an editorial-style article intended to question the current state and encourage conversation. Nobody really knows what will happen years from now (except maybe Biff from Back to the Future 2), but the fortune is often given to those on the leading edge. Happy leading!
