The Danger of Facebook, Twitter, Google and the iPhone
In today’s business world, possessing a memorable domain name is still considered to be an essential component to a successful business— especially a successful online business. To prove this, play the “billboard test” anywhere in the world: look at a billboard and search for the company’s, or its product’s, domain name. More than likely, it’s glaringly obvious.
In recent months, however, domain names have started to disappear or move into the background of advertisements. Instead, companies who consider themselves trendsetters are advertising their Facebook landing page, Twitter handles or even their iPhone application. Furthermore, these companies’ Web sites and existing communications are being used to promote these new marketing channels.
I recently realized that I’ve been encouraging the very same behavior at my own company. Why shouldn’t we be considering ourselves trendsetters in our respective industry? Other than promoting our Web site, we started advertising our Twitter account and Facebook page. We also advertise on Google, Yahoo and Bing. What’s more, we have an iPhone app that will be announced in the near future. So entrenched have we become in these efforts that we, like most companies out there, have lost sight of what extreme, long-term danger looms on the horizon; namely, the “Navigation Nightmare.”
Here’s the problem: While it’s smart and trendy to use all of the above channels as additional means of advertising and building customer loyalty, it’s inherently wrong and even dangerous to use them as a means of navigation. Why? Because all the power is being put in the hands of the providers. When people start using these different channels to navigate, what occurs is an inherent loss of control, causing potentially massive costs, which can go as far as wiping out an entire company’s profits. In all four examples—Facebook, Twitter, Google and the iPhone—businesses put their entire fate into the control of each of those providers. As a result, the following three things can then happen:
- Providers can kick any business, or even an entire industry, out of its network, with or without reason;
- Providers can go out of business, and there is no regulative environment in place;
- Providers can and will maximize profits, and profitability goals will follow growth goals.
All of the above threats are very real, yet they still seem to be ignored amidst all of the current social media hype. Facebook, Twitter, Google’s Ad Network and iPhone apps are proprietary walled-garden approaches, which are not what the Internet needs. What’s more, they inherently present a danger for any business relying on these channels for navigation- and domain-addressing mechanisms.
Building an online business on top of Facebook, Twitter, Google or iPhone apps is like building a house on rented ground, with the landlord being in complete control. Like many renters, one day you might hear your fees have just skyrocketed in the matter of seconds. Don’t let that happen to you. Otherwise, you can all but hope that history repeats itself and that innovative newcomers will continue to challenge the position of those walled gardens.
In conclusion, while Facebook and Twitter are excellent networking tools that can have a tremendously positive effect on your business, they should not be the central hub of your communications efforts. In order to put the control back in your hands and eliminate any potential threats to your business, your domain should be the one location to which all other channels should link.