A key challenge for social media platforms is how to turn the huge number of unlogged visitors into a source of revenue without damaging their experience there.
Behavioral portraits of users who are not logged in
The company is conducting in-depth research on the access patterns of non-logged-in users, and has identified four main scenarios: first, users use external searches to enter an account homepage; second, users see a single tweet page; third, users try to search but fail because they are not logged in; fourth, users see embedded tweets on news websites.
The visitor's passivity and contingency are revealed by these actions. Most of them have no clear intention to use the platform and are just guided in by external links. Understanding these paths is the first step in designing a profit model, and it is also the key to avoiding disturbing users.
Profile Page Traffic Potential
At present, the profile page has become the focus of development and has achieved results. Data shows that the exposure of this page has increased by more than 80%, and the interaction indicators have also increased significantly, which shows that optimizing core touch points can effectively increase user engagement.
These pages are the main channels for visitors to enter, and their commercial value is gradually revealed. However, companies must weigh carefully to prevent excessive advertising in the information flow, which may cause new users to feel disgusted and choose to leave.
Monetization opportunities in search scenarios
Search is another key scenario. When users who are not logged in perform a search, the platform may only display limited results, and may even give a message prompting them to log in. This leads to gaps in the user experience and also means there is churn.
One direction is to carry out precise advertising push by searching keywords. The platform can analyze user intentions and display relevant advertisements on the results page. However, the premise is that the search results themselves must have value, otherwise the advertisement will lack support.
Experience limitations of embedded content
A large number of users access relevant content on news websites and third-party platforms such as this. Such embedded experiences are generally extremely limited, and users cannot start a conversation or view more information.
As a result, user participation is restricted and direct monetization channels are blocked. The platform may cooperate with media to explore richer interactive forms and lightweight advertising units in embedded content.
The art of balancing realization and experience
The key contradiction is that measures to increase revenue may damage the already fragile visitor experience if not careful. The patience of users who are not logged in is limited, and overly intrusive advertising will encourage them to leave.
The platform must create "the feeling of being completely immersed in it" and naturally attract users with content of substantial value, rather than rely on advertising to form a tight containment situation. This puts forward requirements for product design. It is necessary to start the design idea from the needs of the visitors, rather than simply deriving it in reverse based on the goals set by the business.
The far-reaching impact of platform strategy
This attempt may be regarded as a major change in the platform strategy, that is, starting from serving core users who have already logged in, and extending to operating the entire traffic ecological field. It is no longer just regarded as an application, but has gone a step further and become an open Web content network.
This will have an impact on the platform's technical architecture, as well as on content policy. If it succeeds, it will open up an alternative revenue path for the industry; if it fails, it is very likely to cause damage to the brand's reputation and endanger user trust.
In your opinion, for social media platforms, what is the most common mistake that should be avoided when displaying advertisements to visitors who have not logged in? Can you please share your knowledge and experience in the comment area? Full stop here.
