July 31, 2017
A recent survey compiled by Statista showed that Facebook is still reigning supreme over the social media-sphere – with its monthly views sitting comfortably ahead of the competition. 706 million view’s worth of comfortable to be precise.
And it’s not just Facebook. Whatsapp and Messenger are also taking spaces in the top 5, with only China’s WeChat getting in the way of an all Facebook Top spots. Sorry Instagram. Try harder.
Look at the number of active users, and it’s a similar story, with Facebook far ahead of the crowd, with Whatsapp and Messenger close behind again (although YouTube has snuck into third place).
With the social giant holding such a monopoly, do the other channels have a chance of catching up? And more importantly, what does it mean for marketers?
In my opinion, the reason why Facebook is so far ahead is threefold, and fits neatly into:
- Innovation
- Customer experience
- Marketer experience
With all three of the above feeding into each other. Now, innovation in this case doesn’t necessarily mean their own. Facebook is excellent at spotting the trends consumers are jumping on, and either buying them up, or copying them.
With everything they want in the same place (i.e. the best bit of all the other channels), customer experience is excellent. Yes, there are some annoying notifications, but it’s hard to argue with the range of functionality Facebook can offer, and how convenient it is to have it all connected.
Which feeds into the marketing goldmine of Facebook targeting. Having all these interconnected parts of the digital journey gives Facebook unparalleled access into our lives. Which gives marketers unparalleled data to work with. Hard as they try, the other networks just don’t really come close.
Of course, the other ad platforms have their own merits, and I’m by no means suggesting you sweep the table and put all your money on Zuckerberg. It’s just, if you’re playing with small budgets, I know what I’d prioritise (most of the time, again, there are exceptions).
It’s easy to see why they’re so far ahead. And hard to see anyone who’s in any position to take them on. Yet.