15. July 2012
Facebook has a great grip on the internet and the world; it’s reported that 22% percent of the web links to Facebook and had an estimated 159.8 million unique visitors in June 2012 alone. Facebook lets you reach these millions of potential and current customers for free, but Facebook also offers advertising to target people who fit in the demographics you specify.
AdAge posed the question – “What do you use Facebook ads for?” The answer that came in next to last place was “to generate sales leads”. The most common answer was to build awareness and brand sentiment, and answer which gathered a whopping 45.7% of the first place votes.
This is why I would not recommend Facebook advertisement to all businesses. I believe many businesses would benefit more from other forms of online advertising like Google adWords. But Facebook ads are worth it for reinforcing a brand and targeting demographics.
Facebook ads can work great as part of a smart marketing strategy, here are 4 reasons why:
1) They are CHEAP! – Facebook delivers one of the best deals when it comes to cost per impression.
2) Targeted ads! - Facebook lets you target the audiences you want to advertise, giving you sophisticated, easy-to-understand targeting options. For example you could target people over the age of 21 that like “keeping fit” in a geographical location of your choice.
3) Its Easy! - You can create and target a Facebook ad very quickly. Google and other advertising forms of online advertising networks can take a few weeks to approve a banner ad.
4) Its Social! – People on Facebook aren’t there to buy stuff and will rarely click your ads. But this doesn’t mean they won’t respond to your advertisement, it’s an inexpensive way to reinforce your brand.
What do you think? Are Facebook Ads worth having?
