According to the New York Times, a
study done by market research firm Yankelovich revealed that the average American is exposed to up to 5,000 advertisements per day - and they are everywhere. Road signs, newspapers ads and online pop-up ads are constantly targeting consumers. I have found that one of the places where I am exposed to these thousands of ads is Facebook.
Facebook ads have become a powerful tool for companies because of the price and the ability to cater ads to consumers. Because Facebook is organized by networks, companies can aim their product or service at certain age groups, locations or interests. Recently Facebook advertising has come under scrutiny because users worry about how much of their profile companies are accessing when targeting them. In reality, advertisers have no access to user data. They submit keywords and Facebook matches their ad to users. Of course not all of the 500 million Facebook users actually click on the ads, but an advertiser can still get tons of exposure for less than $25 a day by choosing to pay for clicks vs. impressions and by setting a daily budget (for more information see
here).
Facebook recognizes and respects that people want a certain degree of privacy online, but users often can’t help but feel judged by the ads that appear on their screens. When the first thing you see when logging on to Facebook is an ad for meeting other singles, joining a weight loss program or going to a new church you can’t help but wonder why these ads have been targeted to you and what they are implying.
Other ads are less personal and are simply incorrectly targeted. I’m not sure why Facebook thinks I would be interested in going to a club where the seventh best DJ in India is performing or why I need to begin preparing for kindergarten and a “lifetime of learning” but apparently these advertisers chose to target people like me.
On the other end of the spectrum there are some ads that seem to apply to me perfectly. So perfectly it almost feels like advertisers are stalking me. Ads promoting sorority paraphernalia, offering me discounts on dance performances in the Seattle area and reminding me to watch The Office on Thursday nights are constantly showing up. It’s freaky how well advertisers can cater their ads to my preferences.
It is these companies that are flawlessly aiming their promotions at me that have successfully harnessed the power of Facebook advertising. They have used this medium to find out what I like and how to sell me what I want. And, in all honesty, I actually do want to click on the ad offering me 50 percent off a Marc Jacobs handbag (despite it being creepy that the advertisers know I like the brand). Because of the 500-million-person market and the inexpensive cost of advertising, the return on investment is huge with Facebook ads and I can easily see Facebook ads surpassing Google ads in terms of popularity and success (if they haven’t already). When used correctly, Facebook ads could bring a company a lot of success. All in all, they are a resource that should definitely be taken advantage of.
If you’re interested in advertising on Facebook, be sure to check out the Guide to Facebook Ads for more information:
http://www.facebook.com/adsmarketing/- Katie Sells
