Social networking is big business. No doubt about it. It is suggested that Facebook, MySpace and Bebo make up 1 in 5 page impressions on the internet. Facebook is now used by millions of people throughout the world and the majority of users will have put up a raft of personal information on their profile page. It is exactly this sort of information that is so valuable to advertisers and the reason that Facebook has ventured into the Pay per Click (PPC) arena.
Facebook and the Advertiser's Golden Ticket
So far as pay per click campaigns are concerned, Facebook really is the Holy Grail in terms of advertising to specific demographics. The database that Facebook works with is vast and the data specific. This is invaluable to advertisers as they can really hone in on the type of customer that would be interested in their products. For example, if a user on Facebook lists in their activities "football, rugby, golf" then advertisers can focus on selling sports equipment to this user through PPC campaigns. Also, for example, if someone lists "Happy Gilmore" as their favourite film, advertisers will know that the user likes comedy and they can tailor the pay per click methods accordingly.
PPC and the Importance of Demographics
Traditionally, PPC campaigns are reliant upon the use of keywords that people type in order for their adverts to be displayed. However, the reason why Facebook is set to make waves in the world of pay per click advertising is because not only do they allow for the use of keywords but with database of users they have, advertisers can directly target users who they know already have an interest in what it is they have to sell, even if it's only a marginal one.
PPC and How Facebook is Breaking Down World Divides
Facebook is set to take the PPC world by storm as it has an unprecedented database that can be skewed pretty much any way that an advertiser could want. One of the most revolutionary aspects that it offers the PPC world is that it has the capacity to target potential customers geographically. For example, if you want to focus on a specific region e.g. if you were holding an event in Manchester, then you could tailor you pay per click campaign to focus on the Facebook users who have joined the Manchester network.
Facebook and the Future of Pay per Click
What is clear is that as the popularity of Facebook continues to grow, the uses that this will present to advertisers through pay per click campaigns is nigh-on limitless. Most companies, as such, will turn to SEO specialists to take advantage of this new found advertising medium.