Everyone responding to these stories says that the advertiser did things wrong. If that's the case, what I'd really like to see is a story by someone who's run a successful Facebook campaign. What they did and what measurable impact it had on their business.
I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
51–60 of 115 posts
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#52Something's amiss in the article. First there's this: " Result? Two! €160 quid for two clicks, each of whom looked at two site pages. " Then: " Clearly something is not right, so I decide to view the profiles of all those who clicked the ads. They hit one common spot – they were all in the UK. But they were aged from 13 to about 70, many were unemployed or in education, we even had a Muslim fundamentalist who is very…
Actually, I find it somewhat concerning that advertisers can see the exact profile page of those clicking on their ads. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#53> everything I read about maximising your web presence and impact told me that SMEs must integrate and embrace social media, especially Facebook This is where he went wrong; signing up to Facebook because a book said a business needs a Facebook page to be successful online is the wrong approach. If you can't explain why you're making a Facebook page it probably isn't going to work, even if you have no knowledge of Fa…
"Likes" are almost as meaningless as karma is on reddit. Especially as there is no dislikes. What do 30, 1000 or 10000 likes tell about your company ? At what point do they measure success ?
i don't use facebook so correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't liking a page have a similar effect to following on twitter, in that people who have liked your page will see your updates in their feed? the number of people who like you is irrelevant maybe, but if they're all subscribed to your marketing updates that's not nothing.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#54I actually don't think that advertising is Facebook's future. The intent isn't there in the same way it is with a Google search. However, I do think Facebook has a bright future with payments: imagine "Pay with Facebook" buttons throughout the web, with Facebook's business as essentially being the IRS of the internet. They could even require sites that integrate with Facebook Platform (which is very powerful and valuable) to use Facebook Payments in the same way Apple requires Apps to use in-app purchasing. No more credit card numbers to worry about: just one-click purchasing tied to the real-identity account you're already connected to. I have no trouble seeing that as a great business, and they've barely begun to scratch the surface there. They could even move into physical transactions if they bring back the Presence RFID dongle or start issuing pin/chip Facebook-linked cards.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#55Multiple mistakes... how can it charge it you with 160 for two clicks; on Facebook you choose how much you want to expend for click; so this makes no sense.
The demographics between 13 and 60? Never, just never select to show ads for people below 20; they are always click-happy and with empty pockets (a.k.a. no conversions)
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#56Funny, I know many people who are pimping their FB pages like crazy, and clamoring for likes. I ask them why?
They tell me: "because Google is getting smarter and looking at social signals for rankings. I don't give a damn about those FB fans.. it's all vanity metrics. I want the damn rankings!"
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Likes" are almost as meaningless as karma is on reddit. Especially as there is no dislikes. What do 30, 1000 or 10000 likes tell about your company ? At what point do they measure success ?
i don't use facebook so correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't liking a page have a similar effect to following on twitter, in that people who have liked your page will see your updates in their feed? the number of people who like you is irrelevant maybe, but if they're all subscribed to your marketing updates that's not nothing.
theoretically yes, but in reality it isn't that simple. Through Facebook insights I can see that for a post we made last week (to the page with 100k likes that I mentioned above) was shown in the timelines of 20,000 people and was "engaged" by just under 400 (this means they either "liked", clicked the link or shared or commented on it). So while it isn't "nothing" it's substantially less than you would expected.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#58I can certainly understand the author's frustration with Facebook advertising, and for what he's selling, it does make more sense to use Google than Facebook or Twitter. I don't think that's an indictment of the site, though. Facebook and Twitter are mediums for sharing and discussion. Traditional commerce feels a bit off, at best. If you want to use them to promote a business, you have to be participating in them on…
I suppose, like everything in life, there is no "one size fits all" solution to advertising. Just because FB works for someone, it doesn't mean it'll work for everyone else (same for Google, Twitter etc) and vice versa.
I wish there was a site, that had a list of online advertising success stories, and what strategies worked in each case. So if I am a 150 year old packaging business, I can simply look up businesses similar to mine, and see what kind of advertising worked for them. Of course, there is still no guarantee that it will work for me, but chances are a bit higher than blindly going to FB.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#59I think making use of the social media for your business is not so much about placing advertisements in these media. I think it is more about being available for engagement with your clients in these media. Being there in whatever their preferred media of communication happens to be - twitter, facebook, email, phone, a chat on the website.
I love getting my verizon support on twitter rather than on phone.
Re: I put my family business on Facebook. Here’s what happened.
#60This website doesn't seem to think bylines are very important. The author is named Peter Faulkner. No, a tag blob not a substitute for a proper byline.
At the bottom of the article is a short bio of the guy. A bit further down is a proper "About the author" box with a picture and his Twitter handle.
Yes, that's fine, but it doesn't replace a byline, which is before the article.