Why Facebook Has Become As Important As Google

Just over a year ago when Facebook floated on the stock market

they were offering very little to advertisers. Our views were

published in a range of publications including Digital Journal,

to read them click here .



This made sense because they were focused purely on building

out their platform to get the take up rate and usage on it as

high as possible. The data they were collecting became the most

powerful database on the planet(though Google’s database is arguably

even more so as it is more conversion focused) but it is only now

that they are finally offering a great advertising opportunity

to businesses.

Below is the chart of their stock market performance, so as you

can see the analysts are not unaware of the magnitude of the

recent evolution.







The business community however is.

Both here in Australia and in the USA. The vast majority of

facebook advertising today is still being run on the old

platforms which offer so little in terms of targeting or

leverage unless you run a dating site like Match.com

where apparently all single,married and divorced

people over the age of 18 are their target market.

2 of the major enhancements to Facebook this year are

without doubt the most powerful. Remarketing and

the collaboration of Big Data.

What is Remarketing

We have been running Remarketing campaigns for clients

on Google for 18 months extremely successfully. This

strategy allows you to follow people around the internet

that have already visited your website, and re-advertise

to them on 3rd party websites.

So for example BBC.com may feature your ad to a past visitor

of your website, CNN.com,Bloomberg.com or australian

sites like crikey.com.au. You may have seen this in action

wondering how an ad appeared on a news site relating

to something you were considering buying, from a website

you had looked at…..can advertising be anymore targeted?

Facebook remarketing or retargeting as they call it, is

now possible. Re-advertising to people on Facebook who have

visited your website.

Why is Collaboration with Big Data so powerful?

Big Data refers to the largest database collection agencies

in the world that accumulate upto date transaction information.

For example John Smith just bought a new BMW X5 or

Pru Kallis just bought a new house in the price bracket

of $750,000 – $1,000,000. These are just 2 small examples,

the data is broad and accurate and married with the targeting

ability of facebook allows a really strong profile filter to

advertise to.

Big Data is controversial. At some point the privacy laws may

well attack marketing angles like this but it is now live and

kicking and offering great opportunity.

…..If setup,optimised and managed correctly.

So Facebook has come of age as an advertising medium.

As with any sophisticated marketing platform the majority

of advertisers will fail to make it work. Through poor

setup, getting one of the many master settings wrong,

poor strategy,focusing on the wrong goals……etc. etc.

However i am going on record today, 22 August 2013, to say

this is a defining moment and opportunity that did not exist

before.

Don’t get me wrong facebook is still only a disruptive

advertising opportunity(until it eventually conquers

a quality search technology). Compared to Google it does

not make it easy to advertise JUST to people who are looking

for your products/services.

In fact Google is still the best opportunity available to

generate fast,targeted,qualified,ready to buy leads

but that disruptive opportunity just got way more compelling.

Google and Facebook – What a fantastic combination they now offer.





Tags: facebook advertising campaigns, fb marketing options, fb remarketing, fb retargeting