This week, Hitwise UK (a provider of online competitive intelligence data) reported that Facebook usage in the UK has reached an all time high. According to a blog post by Research Director, Robin Goad – Facebook now accounts for 1 in 7 of all UK web page views. This figure, that equates to 14.5%, makes Facebook the second most visited page in the UK, with the only page receiving more traffic being Google UK.
When you consider page views and time spent on the site, Facebook has no equal, even overtaking Google to be the most “used” site in the UK. Facebook accounted for 49.2% of all UK visits to a social networking site during September 2009 with the average user spending over 26 minutes online for each visit during the same period.
Is this a one off? A blip in the statistics? It seems unlikely as over the last 12 months UK visits to Facebook increased by 86.1%. This coupled with the ever-increasing amounts of time that users are spending sharing photos, swapping links and chatting about their daily lives indicates that Facebook is becoming the social network of choice for many consumers.
What does this mean for advertisers? Well in some respects this is excellent news – you now know where a significant percentage of people will be spending their spare time online. You also know that these people won’t just be quickly logging in and then leaving – many will spend a lot of time using the service. This knowledge means that for many, choosing to advertise on Facebook will be an easy decision.
Facebook advertising allows for a targeted advertising campaign. You can specify exactly the type of people that you want your advert to be visible to, keeping costs to a minimum and ensuring high quality results. It is possible to link the advert to your own web page or to something on Facebook like a Page, Application, Group or Event.
Facebook provides detailed metrics that allow for simple analysis of any campaign. This allows for greater control over costs but also provides an opportunity to continually monitor the success of the current campaigns and adjust the messaging according to current trends and developments in a given industry. For example a change in base interest rates may prompt a new incentive for homebuyers that could be linked to an adjusted campaign for a house builder.
Facebook is a great vehicle for driving a viral campaign, or for drawing additional users to your website or online store. If you would like to discuss marketing using Facebook, or social marketing in General then call BradleyDyer today on 01737249479.