In a recent article we posted, Facebook announced that over 500,000 Pages have used Promoter Posts since its launch last year, with 70% doing so repeatedly.
Facebook paid ads vs. promote post
Facebook have also stated that ads posted through the News Feed are up to eight times more effective than those placed in the traditional sidebar. The reasons for this vary, and ultimately will come different reasons for different users. Some may not notice the small ‘sponsored’ text beside the promoted post, and mistake it for a genuinely shared item. Others may simply pay more attention to the centre of their screen than the sidebar which they know well will be full of ads. Then there are those that see their friends have liked a page, and regardless of the fact this appeared as a paid post, they take more notice, assuming their friends have faith in this business/company. Whatever the reasons, promoter posts are clearly engaging an audience that otherwise seem t have been steering away from paid Facebook ads.
Effect on Facebook Users
With paid ads appearing in every nook and cranny of Facebook, the question has to be asked; ‘what effect will this have on users?’ Sooner or later they will stop paying attention to sponsored stories. Surely! What then? What is Facebook’s plan for stopping a mass exodus once a new social media alternative comes along which offers similar features without the endless spamming? We’ve seen firsthand how Facebook ads have begun losing their effectiveness. Simply measuring the click through rates of campaigns run six months ago compared to now, show a decline. It certainly isn’t dead, but doesn’t have the power it did a year ago. How long until the same happens with promoted posts? This is pure speculation at this stage, who knows what Facebook are up to. Personally, this looks like an attempt to cash in on advertisers dollars before their users go elsewhere…
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