That is a great way for a company to market, because it is able to place many ads on the site and not pay any money until the ads are clicked - meaning that someone who clicked the ad clearly had an interest in the product or service that was offered by the advertisement itself. There is no charge to the person who has clicked on the ad, and there is only a minimal charge to the company. Some pay per click ads cost more than others, of course, and companies can offer more per click as an incentive to place the ad more prominently or have it run more often. There are many ways to use pay per click ads to the advantage of the company that markets with them, provided the marketing department understands how to use those ads correctly, so that they get the most value for their money.
The keywords that are used for the marketing campaign on Facebook are important, because they need to match what the customer or potential customer is looking for and they need to show up on the pages of people who would be interested in the products or services that are being offered. By ensuring that the right words are being used, the company is better prepared to see its ads placed where they belong and in ways in which customers will respond to adequately to make the marketing campaign worth the cost of it (Featherstone, 1990; Gupta & Ferguson, 1992; Hite & Fraser, 1988; Jain, 1989; Moriarty & Duncan, 1990). Even though a company only pays for the ads when a customer clicks on them, there is still a cost involved. The clicks need to be "worth it" for the company in that the people who click on the ads are likely to purchase the product or service offered.
Marketing in and of itself is a complex venture, and internet marketing is even more complex because it has the opportunity to reach vast numbers of people who otherwise would not know about the product or service. Since that is the case, companies that market on Facebook must take the initiative to make what they sell and advertise as relevant to as many people as possible. For example, if the target market is women between the ages of 35-40, there are still many cultural differences among these women in a global society. Women in the UK will be different from women in the U.S. And women in Asia. By marketing to a specific gender and age group, the company can reach a large number of people but must remember to take culture and society into account so as to avoid offending a large sector of the target market through some unforeseen faux pas (Bartos, 1989; Farhi, 1992; Goss, 1995; Levitt, 1983; Mandese, 1988; Mattelart, 1991; Noyelle & Dutka, 1988).
It is also vital that companies understand the social nature of Facebook. When someone sees an ad they like, they may tell their friends about the ad, the company, the product, or the service. Marketing through social media sites like Facebook means that companies should take the social aspect into account and use ads that appeal to people in such a way that they can pass on the information to other people in their social circle (Womack, 2011; Klaassen, 2009). That is also another good way to get more information out to a market that might be interested in purchasing the product or service the company has made available. When something has been recommended by a friend or family member through Facebook, the person who receives that information will be more likely to purchase it because it comes recommended. Companies can leverage the power of social networking to accomplish that with their ads if they know how they can do that correctly and get results (Womack, 2011).
With social media sites like Facebook, interaction is key (Womack, 2011; Klaassen, 2009). Ads that are interactive can be good money-makers, but they may not be of the pay per click variety and, therefore, may cost more. Pay per click is not the only kind of ad that can be used on Facebook, and there are other choices. If a company does not want to use pay per click, the company may choose to buy ad space that they pay for up front. They can still make a lot of money that way, of course, because customers and potential customers can click on the ad and buy the product or service that is offered from the company. The only real difference is that the company has already paid for the ad, so the money has been spent whether customers...
That can be a bit of a negative for some companies, but those that have more money to spend find that they can do very well with well-worded, attractive ads that they pay for in advance and that will display on the site a specified number of times (Womack, 2011; Klaassen, 2009).
What users of Facebook typically do with their page and what they "like" on the site, as well as who they are connected to and friends with, can also affect what ads they see. If a company wants its ads to show up for a certain subset of customers, that company should consider aligning itself demographically with pages and people who appeal to the target market that company wishes to reach (Klaassen, 2009). That can be one of the very best ways for a company to reach the people it really wants to reach, since there are only a few good ways of getting noticed on social networking sites, since there is so much competition with which a particular company must deal in order to be successful.
By understanding how companies work when it comes to marketing and advertising, and understanding how Facebook works for marketing to customers and potential customers, anyone who uses the site (consumer or marketer) can have better results and a more enjoyable experience (Womack, 2011; Klaassen, 2009). That is one of the best aspects of social media, is that users can adjust their experience to a certain extent, so that they mostly get what they want and need, without all of the things that they would like to avoid and the kinds of interactions that do not interest them in any way.
Research Question and Research Objectives
For this particular study, the research question is as follows:
What is the most effective way for Facebook to add advertising that would be acceptable to the UK market?
This is a simple question, but it has far-reaching implications for the advertising market in the UK and for Facebook in particular. Marketing Facebook as a service in the UK is relatively easy, but advertising other products and services on Facebook in the UK must be done properly or people will not respond to it. Facebook will also be putting its reputation on the line to some extent, because it is risking offending or upsetting many of its UK users by adding advertising to their Facebook experience. If this is not done correctly, many users could leave the service in favor of something else that would suit their needs without requiring them to be subjected to advertising.
To that end, this study will attempt to meet the following research objectives:
Determine whether Facebook should advertise on their pages in the UK market.
Determine what kind of advertisements Facebook should put on their pages in the UK market.
Determine the best course of action for Facebook to take regarding ad space and placement on its pages in the UK market.
Methodology
The methodology of any study is highly important. Without a good methodology, a study can falter and even become confusing to anyone who reads it in the future. Studies should also be able to be replicated, and when the methodology is clear and the study makes sense, it is much easier for future researchers to replicate the study and see if what they learn from it matches what the past study conveyed to them. For this study, the research design, data collection, and timescale are all significant and will all be addressed.
Research Design
In general, research is either qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative studies deal with facts, figures, and statistics, and qualitative studies deal more with feelings, emotions, and opinions. There are also mixed-method studies where both of these procedures are used, and that is the type of study that will be conducted here. It is important to understand what kind of marketing is being seen on Facebook in the UK today, but it is also important to know how Facebook users feel about the advertising that is presented to them. Because these are both significant issues, the researcher will need to study both sides of the spectrum in order to make a determination from which conclusions can be drawn when the study is completed at a later date and the data is analyzed and presented.
For the…
