Some bracing new numbers for Facebook as a new SEC filing reveals that a fifth of the social media company’s eleventy zillion registered users never go to Facebook.com, experiencing the site instead on mobile apps. No word how many still use Facebook in the old print form like we used to have when we were kids.
This matters because of advertising, which is how money flows in the door at Facebook. You may have noticed that there are more ads than ever at Facebook.com. That strategy won’t work on mobile, though, and frankly that’s a reason that a lot of folks are down on Facebook’s business prospects.
In the filing, Zuckerberg sounded optimistic that the success of the mobile app will translate to more visitors desiring the deeper experience of the ad-laden web site. Good luck with that.
From Venture Beat:
Zuckerberg also referred to the company’s efforts to generate revenue on mobile as “an encouraging start.” The statement, along with several others made by Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg on the call, seems to paint a picture of a mobile Promised Land where advertisers and the company can reap the rewards of an active audience that’s blossoming with each day.
The reality, however, is a bit gloomier when you consider that 23 percent more mobile users chose not to visit Facebook’s website than in the previous quarter. Facebook can’t inundate the mobile user with as many ads as it can on its website, which means the company is essentially losing money on every user that goes mobile-only.
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