Search and social marketers may be interested to learn that Facebook was not only the major social site of the year, but also the most-searched phrase. New data from Hitwise reveals that Facebook dominated web queries for the second year in a row, and marketers may take this as a sign to ramp up social marketing on the platform in 2011.
Hitwise says "Facebook" was the leading search query for 2010. Moreover, four variations of the term made it into the top ten list. "Facebook login" moved up from ninth place to become the second-leading query. "Facebook.com" and "www.facebook.com" also made the list.
The Facebook frenzy didn't stop there. Hitwise says Facebook-related phrases made up 4.18 percent of the top 50 search terms of 2010.
Facebook was also the most visited website of the year, accounting for 8.93 percent of all U.S. web visits. The social site succeeded Google, last year's top site. The search giant ranked second, representing 7.19 percent of all web visits.
For marketers, this means it will be more important than ever to prepare thoughtful social media marketing campaigns next year. Brands should note that creating a Facebook profile is not enough to benefit from the site. Instead, they must consider creating unique content for social sites to engage audiences – a competitive necessity as Brafton has reported that 73 percent of businesses seed their social profiles with original, branded content. Plus, a report from Inc. magazine suggests social users are 67 percent more likely to make purchases than general searchers.
