Facebook’s data goldmine and what it could mean for your business

When you talk about advertising usually the focus is on audiences and demographics. If a person is interested in X, then they are more likely to be interested in Y. Think your products are suitable for a male audience between the ages of 18-30? Go where 18-30 year olds spend their time. As much as marketers would like you to believe otherwise, this is usually what drives traditional, broad spectrum advertising.

Facebook is changing all this. By creating a social space where people are giving out information about their interests, their habits and their hobbies, they can create a data profile on each and every single person that is far more detailed than any demographic or audience profile could tell you. Over 600,000 pieces of content are shared on Facebook every single minute, add that up over a decade of existence and, as you can imagine, there’s a huge benefit to be made for advertisers.

The real benefit to businesses with Facebook advertising is that, because you can be so precise, you can market to a highly defined audience for a very low cost. If you can properly define the people that you want to attract, the potential return on investment can be huge if done correctly.

But there’s the crux, if done correctly. I’ve seen enough Facebook adverts appear in my timeline and on the right side of my news feed to question the mind of some people who advertise. From the poorly targeted: as a graduate living in London I was advertised a university clearing place in Bristol.  To just the downright strange:

Facebook adverts can be hugely beneficial for your business, but if they’re not targeted and implemented correctly, then you’re simply wasting money. Use a social media agency like One2One Digital and you can rest assured that your add spend will be invested properly.