What Social Networks Mean To You As A Business Owner

In recent months, we have seen a rush by various social networks to monetize their user base, and though we understand that they can hardly provide their services for free, we are seeing a rather disturbing trend evolve. For example, YouTube will now play pre-roll videos before the sports clips that they host, and Facebook created the Edgerank algorithm, which monitors what is offered, displayed and placed on your News Feed. On top of that, Twitter has started to add content to your timelines, content that has nothing to do with you.

On their own, these things are not necessarily alarming, but the issue is that with this clutter showing up on our social networks, we are seeing a decrease in the presence of original content. Now it needs to fight with the ads that the social networks really want to show. So how can you get your content, carefully created, curated and designed to bring people to you, out there?

The answer comes from the late Jim Henson, who famously said, "If you can't beat them, join them!"

This is a lot easier than you think, so let's talk about the facts.

Check out these statistics. There are a lot of people who are surviving and thriving on these social networks, and as the social networks push in, people are pushing back and learning to work within the rules that are provided.

* There are 500,000 Facebook pages that promote posts.

* A whopping 59% of Facebook's revenue comes from mobile users.

* There are 1 million small and medium sized businesses with pages on Facebook.

* Facebook holds a terrifying 21.7%of the worldwide mobile Internet ad revenue in 2014.

* Samsung is estimated to spend 100 million dollars on advertising on Facebook every year. This might explain some of the Samsung Galaxy phone's popularity.

* YouTube sells 850 million dollars worth of advertising to the United States alone on video advertisements.

* In 2016, YouTube is predicted to generate 5.6 billion dollars.

* 81% of Twitter's ad revenue comes through mobile use.

* 45% of the ads in the 2013 Superbowl included Twitter hashtags.

* It costs 200,000 dollars to get a 24-hour promoted trend on Twitter.

With those sky-high figures in mind, it makes sense that you want to advertise on the big three. The yearly data that is coming out is shocking, but many people are not surprised. Social media is something that you cannot ignore. Whether you are a powerful company like Samsung or one of the 1 million small or medium sized business that have a Facebook page, social networking is important.

Buying advertising on these sites only makes sense; they have the data and the algorithms to get your work to the people who need to see it.

However, it is also worth your while to consider some of the other new social networks as well, ones that do not have the same kind of advertising presence.

For example, Instagram has many people placing bets that it is the new big thing. Tech Crunch speculates that the focus of the program along with the lack of advertisements is exactly what is making it so popular right now.

At this point, if you want to make sure that your compelling original content gets the recognition it deserves, talk to Instagram. If you are ready to join the marketing craze, which has profited many people even as it has cluttered up the feeds, consider the Big Three.

As a business owner competing with other businesses and firms online, you need to determine what strategy is going to work for you. It's hard to tell whether Instagram's dedication to original content will win out or whether the mass trend towards advertising will come out on top. Make your choice, and plan your strategy accordingly.

Some people choose to do both, but that can be a difficult horse to ride if your resources are limited. Take a moment to consider what your path should be!