David Fischer

A Different Kind of Advertising

Users swarmed to Facebook back in 2005 because of its selectivity and clean look.  Unlike the flashing banners and confusing formats of Myspace, Facebook was uniform and surprisingly easy to navigate. One of the reasons why the social media monster, Facebook, is different than other social media sites is its advertising. Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg allegedly hates pop-up ads and obnoxious promotions which gives the vice president of marketing and former Google executive, David Fischer, the difficult task of selling ad space without discouraging users. Fischer has risen to the challenge by creating ad ‘experiences’ that engage readers by relating to them personally.

What Does Sponsored Mean?

Take a look at the right side of your Facebook page. There’s a column under your live feed titled ‘sponsored’ that pays Facebook’s bills.  This section highlights any status updates or likes that your friends make about a company and combines them with an ad straight from the company.  For example, under my sponsored section it says, “Justin P. likes Chevrolet” and there’s an ad for the Chevy Game Time app below it.

The Most Effective Form of Marketing

However, this month Facebook will start putting their sponsored stories directly into your news feed. So for the first time, companies can pay to be at the top of your page and at the forefront of your mind.  This strategy is to try and reproduce the most effective form of marketing, word-of-mouth.

Considering the fact that 85% of Facebook’s revenue last year was from their online advertising, I would say it’s working quite nicely.

What do you think of Facebook’s advertising technique? Will sponsored stories in your news feed get you more interested in brands that your friends endorse or just annoy you?

Do you have your own social media network page? Of course you do. It has been the craze of the millennium and billions sign on to use these websites everyday. Facebook.com has been the most popular social media over the past few years; however, on June 28th, 2011 Google Inc. launched their version of social media called Google+. Immediately a buzz surrounded the social media globe as many suspected that with the entrance of corporate powerhouse (Google) into social networking that it would soon over take Facebook as the leader in Social Media. Now over six months in to their campaign, Google+ still sits behind in the rankings compared to #1 Facebook and I believe (along with others) that is exactly where Google+ will remain for a long time.

Google is entering into the social media game a little too late. This is not like when Facebook overtook MySpace as number 1. Why? Well when Facebook entered into the battle over number 1 with MySpace, Zuckerberg took information management to the next level which MySpace simply did not have the vision to do. The change Facebook made compared to MySpace was huge, but the proposed ideas Google+ are making are simply not “BIG” enough to smite Facebook. Google+ will never gain enough respect to surpass Facebook because Google Inc. will always be seen as the search engine corporation. In marketing terms (as taught by the great Dr. Powell) “It is better to be first than to be better.” This means that since Facebook was the first at enhancing and mastering information sharing they will always be the go-to network even if someone can better their ideas (much like people believe Google+ has done).

Still don’t believe me? Here’s a quote form the Kanzuru Blog called “Why Google+ Will Never Surpass Facebook – Sorry Google Shareholders, it is not the next Facebook Killer” or as seen on technorati.com  under the title “Why Google+ is not the Facebook it Thinks it is.” The article says, “People will always see Google as just that: Google. Google is merely about information and passing information from one person to the next, from one point to another. This is all about marketing 101 – branding.” The article continues by going on to say, “Google is an information or “search for information” brand, not a social networking brand. Google+ does not have all of the quirks that made Google, “Google” when it came into the business of transferring information. Google was in and of the same – it was it’s brand but it was also it’s action, and it’s essence.” Though Google is a huge corporation and undoubtedly has created some of best innovations of the 21st century, it will never become the number 1 social media network it wants to become. Mainly, because Facebook is just better.

Here’s the link to the Kanzuru Blog that I used my quotes from:

http://onekanzuru.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/why-google-will-never-surpass-facebook-sorry-google-shareholders-it-is-not-the-next-facebook-killer/

Well, it’s finally here. After Facebook announced that they’d have an email solution that’s not email, they’ve rolled it out to the public.

This morning, on my Facebook news feed, I saw the following message regarding Facebook’s new Messages:

The new system combines your messages, texts and chats in one place so you don’t have to try to remember how you communicated with your contacts in order to find what you’re looking for. But it also does one other important thing – something that’s a salvo at Google’s Gmail: users are given the opportunity to get a Facebook email account.

Why would you want a Facebook email? According to Facebook:

There are many benefits:

• It’s free and easy to set up.
• Having your email integrated with your messages, chats and texts makes it easier to check them all at once. And if you’re looking for a message later, you don’t have to worry about how it was sent since all your different types of messages are in one place.
• Your Facebook messages are compatible with traditional email systems (e.g., Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail). When people send you emails from these external systems, they’re delivered directly to your Facebook Messages. And when you send messages to external email addresses, they’re formatted to look like your messages on Facebook, including your name and profile picture along with your message.
• Owning your @facebook.com address makes it easier for friends and family who are not on Facebook yet to connect with you.
• Your other email addresses may change over time, but your Facebook email never does.

Personally, I”m a committed Gmail user, since my Google account integrates with many other platforms (such as Blogger, which this blog is written on), among others. I don’t know if I’ll give this a try or not.

But a little bit behind what’s driving Facebook’s decision to expand in this area. The New York Times discusses the decline of email in Gen Y, citing that the younger generation simply doesn’t use email as much as they use IM and texting.

In November, Facebook announced the evolution of its messaging system and in a Fast Company article, Zuckerberg noted his inspiration for deciding on the software that would shape the communications style of whole generations:

“Whenever I get a chance to talk to high schoolers, I always want to ask them what kind of software they’re using… So I asked them: What do you use for email? [And they answered,] ‘Some of us use Gmail. Some of us use Yahoo. But we don’t really use email.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean you don’t use email? Everyone uses email.’ And they said, ‘No. It’s too slow.’”
Using high schoolers as a focus group for the future of a multi-billion dollar company? While I understand that they’re on the cutting edge of what’s next and that they’ll be the users of the future, my traditional self cringes a little about the notion of basing your success on the tastes and proclivities of such a young generation. Particularly when they have yet to fully grasp the habit of good writing, functional grammar, and the ability to fully express their thoughts.

My concern arises from this kicker from the Fast Company article:

The teens told Zuckerberg it was too much trouble to think of a subject and to compose a formal message.

Facebook has grown tremendously since its creation, but they are not the only social network to be thriving.  Facebook only should the world the power of social networks and there potential.  Just like the internet has many unfilled niches people are starting to think that facebook cannot fill the need for social networks.  There are new nichified social networks being created all the time.  These social networks feel there is an entrepreneurial potential for these markets and that they can make money and exist even with facebook. In 2010 a new social network called Audimated was launched and it is a social network that focuses on that coffeehouse feel and for musicians.  It has been doing well and is a place were people can promote independent music and find good music.  Will this social network squash facebook?  Absolutely not, but it shows an important point that there niches left in the market that can be exploited.  It is the entrepreneur’s job to find them and fill them.  You may not be able to be better than facebook, but you can be different then facebook and being that the web is for the world you can find enough people that will like those differences.

www.socialmediamarketing.com

Thats all you need. End of blog post.

Just kidding. This website has everything you need to help develop a successful marketing and media campaign. As quoted from the site,

“SocialMediaMarketing.com creates and leads powerful social media campaigns that will intelligently rocket your traffic, promote your brand and grow leads and sales with maximize ROI to give you a feeling of power and importance in the marketplace.”

They are quoted to having helped Levi jeans, LG, facebook applications, and more. They talk about how, using facebook, twitter, and feedburner, they can help develop traffic to your website and interest in whatever you want people to be interested in.

Seems like a cool website for people to check out if they are starting a business.