Facebook | Internet Marketing Blog

Why you need a social media strategy, not a Facebook strategy

The first venture into social media for many companies, whether a small start up or a big brand, is to create a Facebook page to 'experiment' with social media, which is seen as an add on to other marketing activities.

But just putting a page up onto Facebook, with no coherent social media strategy, is unlikely to do anything for a brand.

by Steve Richards 10 August 2010 09:37am 29 comments

F-commerce is here. Make big wins if you play the game right.

A few months ago, I wrote about how a large chunk of e-commerce’s future is extremely likely to lie with Facebook. The recent announcement of half a billion active members should be enough to have any e-commerce or marketing professional chomping at the bit to seize the opportunity, get engaged and start selling.

Surprisingly though, there seems to be a lack of exploration into the existing possibilities...

by Jake Hird 05 August 2010 09:43am 20 comments

Tech brands using Facebook and Twitter, but not very socially

Although 90% of tech brands have a presence on at least two social networks, they are failing to make the most of opportunities for customer engagement, with many failing to respond to tweets and comments.

Wildfire's 'Putting the 'social' back into social media' report looks into the social media activity of the Deloitte Fast Tech 50, finding that not enough brands are having two-way conversations with followers.

by Graham Charlton 05 August 2010 09:10am 1 comment

Brand advertisers spend 10 times more on Facebook than they did last year

Social media advertising may still be seen as chump change by some, but brand advertisers like what they see on Facebook. And according to the company's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, many large brand advertisers have increased their ad spend on the social network by 20 times or more.

If Facebook can retain — and even grow — its userbase over the next few years, the site may soon be stealing large brand contracts from larger digital publishers.

by Meghan Keane 04 August 2010 23:40pm 3 comments

Facebook vs Google: does size matter?

Facebook recently announced it has hit the major milestone of 500m users, following hot on the heels of the news that, in the US, the site has overtaken Google for the first time. This is truly remarkable growth for a site that only launched in 2004.

However, can we judge the effectiveness of Google vs Facebook based simply on the size of their respective user bases? Should we be diverting more budget towards Facebook at the expense of search?

by Ed Stevenson 04 August 2010 13:27pm 3 comments

Can Tumblr compete in the mainstream marketplace?

Facebook’s ubiquity and Twitter’s ease of use have long made them favourites for businesses entering the social media space for the first time.

With increased resources being assigned to social media teams however, it can be difficult to stand out in the crowd.

Short-form blogging site Tumblr believes it offers a solution however, and is currently working to increase its mainstream recognition, actively courting newspapers, magazines and other traditional media outlets.

by Matt Owen 03 August 2010 14:51pm 3 comments

Social media: short-term success versus sustainability

Thanks to marketer interest in social media, we're quickly learning what social media is capable and not capable of. And by in large, it's capable of doing a lot.

Case in point: it appears that Old Spice's critically-acclaimed YouTube/Twitter campaign has indeed boosted Old Spice Body Wash sales -- by a whopping 107% in the past month according to Nielsen. This is 'success' by any definition. But just what kind of success is it?

by Patricio Robles 03 August 2010 08:51am 4 comments

Marketers are downloading data on 100 million Facebook users

Facebook's privacy woes continue. This week a man harvested and published the profile details of 100 million Facebook users. If that weren't bad enough, he then made the file available for free download. You'd think that a lot of companies would be interested in acquiring such data. And you'd be right.

But this is less a case of nefarious marketing tricks than a factor of Facebook's privacy settings. And things are only going to get worse as Facebook grows.

by Meghan Keane 30 July 2010 18:25pm 22 comments

Google: the search party ain't over

Are Google's best days behind it? The company may be one of the most recognized brands on the internet, and one of the most important technology companies in the world, but Google isn't quite growing like a weed anymore.

That gives analysts and pundits plenty of ammunition to ask whether Google's future is less bright than its past. Fortune is the latest publication to promote the notion that "the search party is over" for the Mountain View search giant.

by Patricio Robles 30 July 2010 10:18am 3 comments

Facebook wants to help you answer your questions

Have a pressing question? Need an answer? Chances are you'll turn to your friends and family, but doing so isn't always easy. Time and distance often separate us from the people we know, and sometimes a second or third opinion is needed.

So what's the solution? If the company has its way, the answer to that question is Facebook. Yesterday, the world's largest social network announced that its much-anticipated product, Facebook Questions, has entered beta and is being released to a growing number of Facebook users.

by Patricio Robles 29 July 2010 14:54pm 8 comments