Social Media Advertising

               

Today I read “Why Advertising is Failing on the Internet” and “Advertisers Face Hurdles on Social Networking Sites.”  I see how advertisers can struggle online, but I think that social media opens up advertising opportunities that are nearly unheard of on other platforms.  To begin with, people join social media sites eager to connect and be engaged.  That’s WHY they go there.  It’s up to businesses and their ad departments to capitalize on that.  

I would think one of the more successful ventures has been the Facebook Offers (I say I would think that because I haven’t noticed offers popping up in my own feed recently, but I also can’t find any confirmation that they’re not out there anymore).  Facebook Offers provides a simple way to get product into the hands of potential customers (who doesn’t like free stuff? Or getting a great deal?).  Then they just have to rely on the quality of the product to draw in repeat consumers.  I have to say that I have become a repeat user of several brands that I first tried out through Facebook Offers.  (I have also “one and done” some things, but I still tried out something I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t free.)  

I also think “in-stream” advertisements are going to be a big thing, for a couple of reasons.  First, Facebook is good at targeting ads to particular audiences (it’s all those cookies and privacy invasions- but they work).  I recently have been searching for a work by a particular artist.  The day after I began my search, I had an in-stream mobile ad for a different artist who does similar style work.  I bit- and clicked through.  I also have a feeling the in-stream ads will work because it’s easy to misconstrue them as something a friend has posted, or liked, or had some connection to- which is an immediate endorsement of the brand.  If you don’t look too closely, the in-stream ads look just like any other post in a Facebook news feed, and consumers will naturally be drawn to content that they may already have a connection with through a friend.  

The graph to the left (from Business Insider) shows that ads in mobile news feeds have the highest click-through rate of any ads on Facebook (It’s also got some other interesting data and promising forecasts for the future of social media ads.  Take a look here.)  

In the end, social media users provide some of the most engaged web users out there.  They provide lots of opportunity for brands to promote themselves and create a (hopefully lasting) connection with potential consumers.