Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is making headlines with his recent $19 billion acquisition of mobile messaging application WhatsApp. Critics question Zuckerberg’s enthusiasm to purchase WhatsApp, “a company with at most $300 million revenues and 55 employees,” according to Forbes. The acquisition, however, was very smart — and there is a lot marketers can stand to learn from it.
Lesson #1: All Consumers Matter
Underestimating the influence of a particular age group or demographic can be a grave mistake. Zuckerberg purchased WhatsApp to avoid doing just that, or — in other words — he purchased WhatsApp to appeal to younger users. It is not secret that, for the past few years, Facebook has been struggling to retain the interest of young teens. “We did see a decrease in [teenage] daily users [during the quarter], especially younger teens,” Chief Financial Officer, David Ebersman, said. Ebersman’s admission was somewhat understated. In fact, Time magazine reveals that more than 11 million young Facebook users have called it quits since 2011.
How does that apply to search engine marketing strategies? Consider all ages, demographics, and consumers when implementing search marketing strategies. For example, you may want to consider email campaigns and Facebook page to reach generations of twentysomethings and up. Instagram and eye-catching PPC ads, on the other hand, may appeal to young customers. Natural search engine optimization techniques, for the most part, typically engage all ages.
Lesson #2: Stay Immediate and Diversify Tactics
Winning over young teens, however, was not Facebook’s only objective. The social media giant also strives to remain as immediate or relevant as possible — and have a large stake in several, unique services. Right now, for example, Zuckerberg owns Facebook (a social media platform), Instagram (a leading image sharing site), and WhatsApp (a popular messaging service). If one just one of those things fails, Zuckerberg will still be pretty well-off.
Keep that in mind when utilizing search engine marketing software or search engine marketing services. Search engine optimizers are much more likely to be successful if they maintain email, PPC, social media, and/or search campaigns.
Learn from the best. Consider consumers of all ages — and keep efforts diversified — for the best natural search engine optimization. Continue.
