Should You Advertise on Facebook? 7

Facebook Tops Google for Loyalty
Should You Advertise on Facebook?
New research says the social networking site has more loyal users than Google.
By Courtney Rubin | Mar 23,
Related
2010
Content
●
●
Facebook Tops Google in Directing Web
Traffic
Facebook Demystified: Profiles and
Pages and Groups (oh my)
Suggested
Links
●
128 Forget AdWords.
TweetYou may get the most
7
bang for your
advertising buck on
Share Facebook,
not Google,
according to a recent
study.
Earlier this month the social
networking site topped Google to
The Get Ahead Guide: Perry Chen
Thinks His Website Could Be as Big as win the title of most visited site in
YouTube
●
Business Advertising Remains Strong
●
LivePerson to Host SEO Webinar
●
More Recruiters Logging On
●
Thanks or No Thanks
Inc. Newsletter
Sales Coaching
Tips on negotiating,
setting goals, lead
generation, and more
Email Address
the U.S. Yes, that was just one
week in March (for the record, the
second week). But now the social
networking site has added another
medal to its haul: Its news readers
are more loyal than those of
Google News, says research firm
Hitwise.
As many as 78 percent of users
returned to Facebook to access
more news stories, compared with
67 percent of Google News users,
according to Hitwise. Plus, 77
percent of Facebook users clicked back to the site to broadcast online news portals
there, compared with 64 percent of Google News users returning for the same. The
http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/03/facebook-tops-google-for-loyalty.html (1 of 3) [3/23/2010 11:54:03 AM]
Facebook Tops Google for Loyalty
results are based on the click stream data for the week ending March 6 for the five top
news media sites. (Something else to consider: Facebook is trending way up, trafficwise. It's up a whopping 185 percent over this time last year. Google is up 9 percent –
suggesting it may take second place more often in the future.)
Heather Hopkins, a senior market analyst for Hitwise, explained in a blog post why
she chose to focus on loyalty: “A few weeks ago when I posted my blog entry about
Facebook being the largest news reader, I received a few comments and e-mails noting
that visitors aren't as valuable if they don't come back. Advertisers and retailers need
some assurance that visitors will return again and again.”
Users of Facebook clearly do come back. (After all, they've got a network of friends
that repeatedly yanks them back.) Plus, they share a gold mine of marketing data, and,
of course, organize those networks of friends.
Google can target ads based on keywords and personal search history, but Facebook's
ads in the margins – for which there's no minimum budget – are ultra-refined, zeroing
in on users based on age, geography, interests, education level, connections and a
range of other data.
"Advertisers looking to target a specific audience can't do much better than Facebook,"
observed TheStreet.com.
Major brands already are shifting their online ad dollars from Google to Facebook –
the latter of which is expected to rake in $2 billion in global advertising next year, said
Ciaran Norris, Mindshare's global head of social media.
"There hasn't really been a global social network until now and the rise of Facebook
has meant that now you have a platform which allows you to run campaigns that will
reach users in multiple regions," Norris told Sydney's Ad:Tech conference last week.
"It costs less than to build a funky microsite, and Facebook is potentially where your
audience already is."
http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/03/facebook-tops-google-for-loyalty.html (2 of 3) [3/23/2010 11:54:03 AM]
Facebook Tops Google for Loyalty
Of course, you can have your ad displayed to only the most carefully chosen audience
– but can you make them read it? Here's a tip from one small business that's
successfully raised its click-through rate: Humor helps. (For more on that, click here.)
http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/03/facebook-tops-google-for-loyalty.html (3 of 3) [3/23/2010 11:54:03 AM]