The author doesn't seem to understand WHY companies want to advertise on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. (Facebook makes $4B a year on advertising, so we're not talking about an insignificant amount of money here.)
That's really the most important part. These are the companies spending their money. Why do they want to "waste" their money on those sites if as the author states nobody goes there to buy things.
Two reasons:
1) That's where people are. People spend 8 hours a month[1] on Facebook out of an average of 32 total hours a month[2] online - 25%. A company would be stupid not to want to be seen there. I'm sorry, but if your business is selling things to the average consumer, the average consumer is on Facebook. They go there to be social with their customers, friend, like, share, and follow. That leads me to my second point...
2) It's not about selling (right now). The OP makes a huge assumption that ads lead to clicks lead to sales. Ever seen a TV ad? Do you think TV viewers stop watching the program to run to the store to buy Tide? No. It's about branding, having a marketing message and making sure everyone sees it. The 30-second elevator pitch. Then when they ARE in the mood to buy, when they ARE in the store, they think about your product. "Hey, I need a new X soon, maybe I should check out product Y I've been hearing about."
I can certainly see how people can think "there's no intent to buy" on Facebook and Twitter and maybe that's often true, but that's not even the point. And ad-supported businesses will always always exist although it might not be the best model for you.
That's really the most important part. These are the companies spending their money. Why do they want to "waste" their money on those sites if as the author states nobody goes there to buy things.
Two reasons: 1) That's where people are. People spend 8 hours a month[1] on Facebook out of an average of 32 total hours a month[2] online - 25%. A company would be stupid not to want to be seen there. I'm sorry, but if your business is selling things to the average consumer, the average consumer is on Facebook. They go there to be social with their customers, friend, like, share, and follow. That leads me to my second point...
2) It's not about selling (right now). The OP makes a huge assumption that ads lead to clicks lead to sales. Ever seen a TV ad? Do you think TV viewers stop watching the program to run to the store to buy Tide? No. It's about branding, having a marketing message and making sure everyone sees it. The 30-second elevator pitch. Then when they ARE in the mood to buy, when they ARE in the store, they think about your product. "Hey, I need a new X soon, maybe I should check out product Y I've been hearing about."
I can certainly see how people can think "there's no intent to buy" on Facebook and Twitter and maybe that's often true, but that's not even the point. And ad-supported businesses will always always exist although it might not be the best model for you.
[1] http://mashable.com/2011/09/30/wasting-time-on-facebook/ [2] http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/online-time