Do social media ads work? (depends who’s writing them)

Facebook, Social Media August 14, 2009 1 Comment




Are we really blind to ads?
Linkshare recently issued a report that a massive 96% of users don’t engage with ads in social networks. Only 4 % claimed to have clicked on them,and 13% claimed they had found them ‘useful tools in assisting their purchasing decisions on the web. As social media marketers, this obviously begs the question of whether ads are really worth it. My answer is yes, but only as part of a wider social media strategy. The benefits of demographically targeted ads on Facebook are too great to be ignored. Yes, the numbers may be small, but they are significant.
These figures are not really surprising, nor are they going to make me less likely to advocate the use of ads on Facebook, Sky Facebook Adif I believe the strategy is right for a particular client. Users on social networks are not there to buy, they’re not even there to search – they’re there to socialise. It stands to reason then, that such a small amount claim to have clicked on ads (though one also has to question the validity of the findings. How ‘usefulness in assisting purchasing decisions’ can be defined is not exactly black and white). The success rate of social network ads depends on the skill of the person writing them. No, an ad for your service or product probably won’t engage them. An ad on Facebook inviting them to take part in a competition on your page, probably will.
You have to remember the consumer demand here, and respond to it. The Facebook tool is a marketers wet dream – target anyone you want, in pretty much any capacity. Now you just have to use it in the best way possible.
You don’t need to see ads as a chance to get the user to your site as quickly as possible. You can direct Facebook ads to go to your page/group, so take advantage of this. If I’m on Facebook and I click on something that takes me away from it, I’ll probably give you a good 2 seconds of my time. If I click on something that keeps me in the space and presents me with good content, the chances are I’ll stick around and may even become a fan.
We have developed banner blindness for a good reason – they are largely untargeted and don’t speak directly to you. Social ads have changed this and it’s up to brands to take advantage of this and not waste an opportunity. Make sure you’re using what you’ve got – Facebook ads allow you to use a picture so  make sure it’s a good one. And one more tip – be sure to go with CPC as instead of CPM.

facebook-logoLinkshare recently issued a report that a massive 96% of users don’t engage with ads in social networks. Only 4 % claimed to have clicked on them,and 13% claimed they had found social ads ‘useful tools in assisting their purchasing decisions on the web’

For social media marketers, this obviously begs the question of whether social ads are really worth it. My answer is yes, but only as part of a wider social media strategy. The benefits of demographically targeted ads on Facebook are too great to be ignored. Yes, the numbers may be small, but do it right and they are significant.

Picture 1

Would You Click on Facebook Adverts like this?

These figures are not  going to make me any less likely to advocate the use of ads on Facebook, nor are they particularly surprising. Users on social networks are not there to buy, they’re not even there to search ; they’re there to socialise. It stands to reason then, that such a small amount claim to have clicked on ads (though one also has to question the validity of the findings. How ‘usefulness in assisting purchasing decisions’ can be defined is not exactly clear). The success rate of social network ads depends on the skill of the person writing them. No, an ad for your service or product probably won’t engage users. An ad on Facebook inviting them to take part in a competition on your page, probably will.

You have to remember the consumer demand here and respond to it. The Facebook ad tool is a marketers wet dream – target any of your markets, in pretty much any capacity. Now you just have to use it in the best way possible.

You don’t need to see social ads as a chance to get the user to your site as quickly as possible. You can direct Facebook ads to go to your page/group, so take advantage of this. If I’m on Facebook and I click on something that takes me away from it, I’ll probably give you a good 2 seconds of my time. If I click on something that keeps me in the space and presents me with good content, the chances are I’ll stick around and may even become a fan.

We as consumers have developed banner blindness for a good reason – they are largely untargeted and don’t speak directly to the individual. Social ads have changed this and it’s up to brands to take advantage of this and not waste an opportunity.

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