Tag Archives: sponsored
Twitter ad revenue approaches $290 million, organic content formats win more clicks
Paid social content has changed substantially in 2012, with Facebook, Twitter and others finding new ways to present ads to users without disrupting their experiences on the site. Twitter rolled out Promoted Tweets, which insert ads into activity streams much like normal Tweets, differentiated only by text indicating they’re ads. As a result of this move, Twitter has seen a massive increase in ad revenue, which eMarketer said will reach $288.3 million by the end of the year, compared to the $139.5 million last year. While these improvements are important for Twitter, growth presumably fueled by natural-looking ad spots also demonstrate the value of creating organic social media marketing content that can be promoted rather than paying for display ads that most users ignore Continue reading
Zuckerberg says Facebook processes ‘a billion searches per day’
Marketers usually talk about the intersection of search and social marketing on Google SERPs, but Facebook wants to remind companies and users that it has an important search utility. At TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the social network processes more than one billion searches every day. While most users look for specific pages and profiles using Facebook search, the results also include general web listings powered by Bing. The interview, which was Zuckerberg’s first since Facebook became a publicly traded company, painted a potential picture of the social platform’s future in search. While SEO strategies currently focus on the major players in search, Facebook’s data on user interests could result in a highly customized, alternative search portal for users moving forward. “Facebook is pretty uniquely positioned to answer a lot of questions people have,” Zuckerberg said during his interview with TechCrunch. “[The type of restaurants friends like] are queries you could potentially do on Facebook if we built it out.” “Facebook is pretty uniquely positioned to answer a lot of questions people have. [The type of restaurants friends like] are queries you could potentially do on Facebook if we built it out.” – Facebook CEO Marck Zuckerberg Zuckerberg went on to say that the company will likely roll out a more robust search tool in the future, and that there are already employees dedicated to Facebook’s search tool. The team’s current focus is perfecting internal search. The problems experienced following the company’s IPO and continued drop of its stock price have led many to question Facebook’s future. Improvements to the site’s internal search ould make a more attractive and important option for marketers and users. Currently, Facebook is the most popular platform for social media marketing. Brafton highlighted data from eMarketer that that suggested 89 percent of companies will be active on Facebook by the end of 2012, with this figure expected to reach 88 percent by the end of 2014. Adding new features to the site could results in even greater adoption moving forward. In 2012, Facebook’s additions for marketers have come frequently. Most have shifted the way companies use social marketing to focus more on sponsoring organic social content to drive views. For example, Sponsored Stories, visible for both mobile and desktop users, lets businesses pay to ensure a piece of content receives a specific number of impressions. Moreover, the feature can help Facebook in its ongoing struggle to make its mobile apps more useful and a greater source of revenue. Using marketing tools that allow paid content to be inserted in users’ news feeds can help Facebook ensure mobile viewers see these ads as well as those accessing Facebook from a desktop or laptop. Continue reading
Most Facebook users ‘don’t mind’ paid content
Marketers considering the integration of Sponsored Stories or Posts into their strategies on Facebook are unlikely to see any negative side effects, as nearly 90 percent of users “don’t mind” the paid content. According to a survey from Greg Sterling and Opus Research relayed by Marketing Land, most Facebook users would rather the site remain free than pay for ads to be removed. About 10 percent of users said they would pay varying sums for access to the site if they could exclude ad content from their experiences. Previous polls cited by Brafton found that consumers, by and large, ignore the traditional ads placed on the site. However, new ad capability offered to marketers by Facebook can help present paid content more effectively without being overly invasive. Sponsored Stories, for example, allow marketers to pay for organically shared content to appear within the news feeds of a certain users. Unlike other paid web content, these links don’t interfere with a user’s browsing in any way. Brafton recently reported that the rapid adoption of Facebook as a marketing tool requires that companies grow especially innovative with their campaigns. Aside from sharing site content, Sponsored Stories, Scheduled Posts and other features enable companies to develop social media marketing strategies more effectively. Leveraging each of these tools makes for a well-rounded strategy that boosts brand visibility and drives site traffic. Continue reading
Organic content powering next generation of Facebook marketing
Last week, eMarketer reported that 83 percent of American companies have made Facebook a part of their social media marketing strategy. As the platform evolves and more organizations gain experience with it, it’s critical for efforts on the site to change and integrate new features. In 2012, Facebook’s various paid marketing efforts have changed drastically from the usual display ads to focus on the promotion of organic site content shared on the platform. Brafton highlighted some of these changes in a recent feature, the Top 10 Facebook Marketing Changes of 2012 … So Far. Each of these new capabilities allows marketers to highlight specific pieces of content their audiences will likely find most appealing. Whether it’s Sponsored Stories or Scheduled Posts, the focus has shifted from the separation of paid and organic marketing on Facebook to a unified strategy that requires high-quality original content. Each of these new capabilities allows marketers to highlight specific pieces of content their audiences will likely find most appealing. The issue, now, for many is developing a modern strategy for Facebook as social media marketing is moving to a new generation. Site content: The focus of new Facebook features Brafton highlighted a study from Brandpoint and the Content Marketing Institute earlier this year that found 87 percent of businesses in the U.S. have adopted content marketing in some form and plan to make it a cornerstone of their web strategies moving forward. Some have opted to include news content marketing, while others focus on industry-specific white papers. Each type of content works to increase site traffic and position a company as an authority within its industry. Sharing some of this content on Facebook and other social channels is critical to ensuring reliable deliverability. While the almost 90 percent of Americans that start purchase research with search will find this content organically, sharing it on Facebook can boost engagement and visibility for content and the brand publishing it. However, making use of these new features can be difficult, especially for marketing campaigns developed around the platform’s previous capability. Finding ways to integrate Sponsored Stories, Scheduled Posts or Unpublished Posts into a social strategy goes a long way to making social marketing more visible to fans and prospects. A report from Marin Software found that Sponsored Stories increased click through rates of its clients’ social content by more than 20 percent. While sharing any content will drive traffic, Sponsored Stories ensure the link appears on a certain number of news feeds. Furthermore, Facebook rolled out audience targeting options for these hybrid marketing tools similar to those available for paid content. Visual content: A key social traffic driver Another new element of Facebook marketing is the Timeline page layout. While many fretted over the format during its rollout, it has offered some benefits for marketers who have changed their strategies to optimize for it. Videos, infographics, photos and others saw as much as 65 percent more engagement, according to the study. Making use of new marketing options is important, and they’re helping social campaigns drive traffic. More than any other content type, sharing visual content on Timeline has resulted in substantial engagement. Earlier this year, Brafton highlighted a report from Simply Measured that pegged visuals as the greatest source of engagement and traffic growth with Timeline. Videos, infographics, photos and others saw as much as 65 percent more engagement, according to the study. Making use of new marketing options is important, and they’re helping social campaigns drive traffic. However, it’s similarly important to add new kinds of content to a social strategy as well, especially as Timeline changes the way consumers interact with brands and other users on the platform. The evolution of social marketing has followed a similar path to other web channels and strategies with an emphasis on promoting relevant organic content rather than ads to drive traffic, leads and conversions. Making these options a cornerstone of any strategy can help marketers compete more effectively as fans grow accustomed to seeing the content. Continue reading
Facebook marketing helps add to users’ brand experiences
A report from Mintel and the Affinion Loyalty Group found that social media marketing is quickly becoming an important channel for businesses, even as more traditional channels (including email and offline media) receive more focus. According to the study, just 9 percent of marketers currently consider social their most important channel effort, but the success many have found with it suggests this figure will continue to grow. More than half of companies said Facebook is the most important platform they use. Facebook’s strong combination of shared links, image, status updates and other posts adds to the user experience and fosters stronger relationships between brands and their clients and prospects. “Approaching your customers through the lens of their experience is critical in having your message resonate through the noise,” Charles Christianson, group vice president of Affinion Loyalty Group, said in the release. Among the ways Facebook itself has evolved to improve visibility for brands on social is with improved ability to ensure prospects and fans view organic content at ideal times. Brafton recently reported that Facebook has rolled out Scheduled Posts to allow marketers to share content at a specific time, as well as Sponsored Stories to use organic content as paid content on the platform. Continue reading
