Facebook Advertising and Social Networking

Facebook Advertising and Social Networking

One Year Later...

A year ago I posted that I was "dusting off the ol' Facebook page" and making a run at this growing phenomenon called "social networking". I wanted to see if I was simply a cynic, or if there really was some valid Internet marketing capability associated with social networking.

I can easily say that over this one year, I have learned that there is overwhelming potential in the social networks.

Facebook is King

As of this writing, Facebook dominates. Facebook is growing by incredible numbers, up to 175,000,000 as of this writing, with 35 and over being the fastest growing demographic on the network. Twitter, the micro-blogging platform, is a powerful and growing social networking tool as well, but when it comes to complete visitor engagement, Facebook has Twitter by a mile.

Advertising on Facebook

Facebook advertising is similar to Google AdWords in that customers pay for exposure; but Facebook has many unique advantages that really blows the doors off of traditional advertising and offers a glimpse into "what's to come" in the world of online marketing.

• Filters: Facebook advertising allows for advertisers to target their messages to very specific audiences. Example: Men, age 25-32, in Atlanta, Georgia, all of Alabama, and both Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, whom have a college degree and enjoy running, kayaking and/or cycling - cool, huh?
• Images: Facebook ads have images, albiet small ones (110x80), and used creatively can really help the advertiser capture the attention of the target audience.
• CPM or CPC: Facebook allows advertisers to pay by click or per-thousand impressions. My strategy is always to pay by impression first to ensure I am getting decent frequency, before switching to "per click". When paying "per click" Facebook requires a baseline CTR (click-thru rate) to continue showing your ads.

Facebook ROI

Right now, Facebook is inexpensive and companies with modest budgets can achieve some tremendous exposure within very specific demographic groups.

The key is find the right folks to manage your Facebook advertising. Folks that understand the importance in a captivating headline, quality imagery, and compelling copywriting.

I mean, come on, who wouldn't spend 56¢ for 1000 impressions of their message to a pinpointed, laser-targeted audience?

Turn to phatz for Facebook Advertising

We've had some exciting success driving traffic and awareness via Facebook for a handful of clients. It's a lot of fun and reminiscent of the early days of Google AdWords and Yahoo Search looong before they became so crowded and expensive.

Email us if you'd like to explore this avenue for your product or brand. Now's the perfect time - before e'eryone knows.