When Facebook became a publicly traded company on  May 18th 2012, it was only a matter of time before it started to incorporate advertising. Up until that point Facebook had no way to generate revenue so it was only natural that eventually Facebook would start offering advertising.

When Facebook started offering advertising it was feared by many that people would stop using Facebook because advertisements would be annoying and ruin the user experience. Fast forward to today, and not only do advertisements not ruin the user experience but they also provide probably the single most cost effective way to reach hundreds of thousands of people for pennies on the dollar.

Advertising on the internet is nothing new, but Facebook has found a way to capitalize on the things that make online advertising extremely effective while at the same time manages to have avoided all the negative things associated with ppc advertising like Google Adwords. Facebook advertising is probably the simplest interface we have ever worked with when it comes to creating a online ad.  It really is as simple as posting an image, a link or a status update on your Facebook business page then click the "Boost Post" button.

For a total of $49.69, WebDuck Designs managed to reach 15,128 people and got 359 clicks in a week. All we did was post on the WebDuck Designs company page about a new website we launched for our client LCars then boosted the post. The post was simple but the reason it generated so much traffic is because it contained the picture of a custom Big Rig Street Rod that LCars built.

Facebook advertising has four key advantages over Google Adwords:

1. Facebook advertising allows the use of images. The right image on a boosted post can bring in thousands of interested people. In comparison, Google Adwords and other PPC solutions only offer advertisers text only ads which tend to just blend in with the search results.

2. Facebook ads are more likely to be viewed by more people in the same period of time then Google Adwords ads because people are usually accessing Facebook every day, several times a day.

3. Facebook ads do not require you to figure out "Keywords". If you have ever setup an online ppc marketing campaign through Google you know just how frustrating it is to try and enter any and all keyword phrases relevant to your ad. With Facebook, all you need to do is decide what age group you want to be able to view your post.

4. Facebook ads have a considerably less cost per click when compared to Google Adwords.. I have seen some keyword terms costing well over $10.00 per click with Google Adwords.

Facebook ads are great but I would not being doing my job if I didn't point out that they do have one inherit weaknesses due to the nature of Facebook itself. The biggest negative when comparing Facebook ads to Google Adwords ads is that Google Adwords ads are views by individuals actually searching for specific keywords where as Facebook ads are viewed by anyone and everyone within a chosen age demographic.   This big difference between the two is why then not only coexist but in fact complement each other.

WebDuck Designs highly recommends Facebook advertising which is why with each new website launched we do a boosted Facebook post. If you are interested in or have any questions regarding Facebook advertising then feel free to give WebDuck Designs a call at 651-674-3834.