Companies should invest more time and budget to developing marketing plans with these platforms in mind. However, marketing plans still need to keep Google as a focal point. Its market shows no signs of falling from the top of the ranks.

I was trying to read the article but got a lot of popups.  The URL had trouble loading a few different times too. :(

This site can’t be reached

www.tabithanaylor.com took too long to respond.
Try:
Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED

Kyle - can you please check it now?  My apologies, we are doing a lot of server upgrades today.

As for pop-ups, there should only be one that is coming up.  Can you send a screenshot of what you are seeing so that I can troubleshoot it personally?

Thanks for the quick reply!  Yes, I put a screenshot in the previous comment.  See the 'read more' link and it should expand to show you the picture?

edit: I was using an incognito window in Chrome when I saw the popups.

Allie - I never said that companies should completely ignore Google all together.  But what I AM trying to point out is that if a company has a shoestring budget, trying to compete on Google and actually see results can be insanely difficult (not to mention, take a lot more time to see big upticks in rankings because of the way the algorithms are set up, unless someone is going black-hat, which I would never recommend).

At the end of the day, I will take generating a great ROI for a client over how great I make them look in Google (or anywhere else for that matter).  For example, if a B2B client sees better ROI through a very specific LinkedIn campaign, when I am reviewing their numbers at the end of the month, my recommendation is always going to be to place a heavier focus on things that are generating good ROI over those that are generating a mediocre one.  Unless companies have dedicated monthly budgets for SEO purposes, it's hard to get to the highly-coveted top 3 spots... let alone stay there.

Let me look into this for you.  My apologies!

Yes, of course, that makes sense. I was not suggesting you were. I just wanted to point out that while social media is on the rise, Google is still ever- present. Ultimately, it looks like we have similar opinions on this. Glad to have more social media gurus in the community!!

I was able to read the article.  Thank you.  

Social media advertising appears to be doing very well for Facebook, heh =)
https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2017/facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2016-Results/default.aspx
Mobile advertising EXPLODED.

Your advice seems spot on for those on a shoestring budget.
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/201828586525529

Apparently the Russians took full advantage of social media advertising. :o
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/facebook-to-turn-over-thousands-of-russian-ads-to-congress-reversing-decision/2017/09/21/9790b242-9f00-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html?utm_term=.df05777d1bd1

What a wild ride its been this past year.

Kyle - I'm glad you were finally able to read it.  And my apologies again for the issues.  

Social and mobile is exploding right now... and a lot of this is due to all of the targeting options available.  I own a marketing business, so I like targeting small business owners in my ad campaigns.  Social media allows me to do so (because of people's profiles).  Google does not.  If I have a client who sells homeopathic pet products, I can create much more targeted campaigns than I can on Google.  

Again, I'm not saying that there isn't a place for Google.  For the work I do, and the clients I work with, my main focus is on delivering the best results I can as cost-effectively as possible.  I have a sales background and am a numbers girl, what can I say?

Haha yeah, makes sense to me.  That is definitely a great group to target and thrive on.  I believe you!

How did you find Experts Exchange?

Someone had recommended that I check it out.  I answer questions on Quora and LinkedIn, since I think there's way too much bad information floating around out there in the marketing arena, and I like being able to share my insights with people since my background - and approach - is a little different.  I eat, sleep and breathe ROI.  

Plus, I like engaging with people to find out what their biggest challenges are and see if there's any way I can help.  I've learned a lot over the years, and it's all based in practical application instead of theory.  If I tried something that bombed miserably, I'm completely OK telling people that.  And yep, it does happen from time to time.

Cool thanks for sharing!  And welcome to the site!