Many marketers view Facebook ads in the same light as the Google Display Network. These advertising messages are not as accurate as people actively searching for your product or service, but they both target relevant users. Last month Facebook’s online population exceeded a staggering 677 million users. 50% of these Facebook users log on to Facebook daily, have an average of 130 friends and spend around 55 minutes on Facebook per day. An active audience this size is reason enough to consider advertising on Facebook, but let’s go a little further.
Facebook is unique in that it does not target users based on relevant website content or keywords, but user generated profile information. Facebook allows people to “Like” website content, Facebook pages or groups, links and just about anything where there is a “Like” button present. Accompanied to this Facebook knows your location, marital status, education, birth date and demographic details. All this information can be used to target ads to a relevant target audience. In short, Facebook targets people and not website content or keywords. Yes, some people don’t fill in all their profile details, but an IP address can still be used to target based on location and you ultimately want to serve ads to a user who is likely to engage with your message.
You can advertise your website, but lower bounce rates and community development can be achieved when advertising something on Facebook (directing users to a Facebook page, customised app, event or group). Keeping users on Facbeook after they click an ad and getting them to like your brand, means you can remarket to them in the form of status updates, pictures, links and conversation. Facebook serves ads in a social environment and they really have made the most of this by adding social context to ads. If your friend likes what an ad is advertising, this is then displayed on their profile page, the home page and under the ad when you see it. Research has proven that we are more likely to act based on peer recommendation rather than advertisement. Think about it; are you more likely to try a new restaurant based on a friend’s suggestion or an ad you saw on a website? Google has started moving in this direction with the recent release of the +1 button, but Facebook is way ahead of the pack in this regard. With so much time spent on the site, the social influence on ads can result in many people engaging with your brand from just one person clicking through and “Liking”. This is known as social amplification and increases your reach virally.
Ad real estate on Facebook is available on profile pages, in apps, photo albums and a few other areas within the platform. Impressions are free, just like search, with a Pay Per Click pricing model. This means great exposure for your brand from a manageable budget. So where is the ROI or considered conversion? A questionable topic, but Facebook is improving its reporting centre and targeting parameters as the ad platform develops. Recent studies prove that Facebook increases overall conversions, but they are not attributed to a last click conversion. Many people who click a Facebook ad first, eventually end up searching for your brand and convert at a later stage. Business dependant of course, but the above is reason why we believe you should be advertising on Facebook. If you have a question or would like more information, please leave us a comment below or contact us.
