Not everyone is down on Facebook, though. Denise Sirovatka says she is pretty happy with the platform.
Since 2009, Sirovatka has been able to amass 900,000 fans for Udi's Gluten-Free Foods. Creating such a following would be impossible without Facebook, she acknowledges. "We cater to only one in 100 people," she says. "So we decided to build a community on Facebook to bring these people together. We took away the geographic boundaries."
Udi's is one of 7 million businesses with an active Facebook Page. Facebook doesn't break out stats for small business advertisers vs. blue-chip brands, but the company is putting more emphasis on such advertisers. In May, the company named Dan Levy, its former director of finance, to the title of director of small business solutions to help target the estimated 27.5 million small businesses in the U.S.
Udi's claims to get a fourfold return on investment for its Facebook ad spend and has seen a 30% redemption rate for product samples distributed via a Facebook app that it promoted with Facebook ads. But Sirovatka isn't completely satisfied with Facebook. "I think there are some holes in the metrics," she says. Chief among those: There's no way to measure real-time activity or to distinguish that the people who were engaging with the Page the day before aren't the same ones engaging with the Page the next day. "If there's a 20% engagement number, but it's always the same 20%, then that's a false number," she says.
Despite enjoying $500,000 in incremental sales over the past year directly attributable to Facebook, Mehdi Farsi, co-founder of State Bicycle, echoed her complaint. "Facebook still has a long way to go to compete with Google's pay-per-click," Farsi says, referring to both companies' analytics. Farsi says Facebook provides some data, but linking the activity to actual sales is a "vague correlation."
Both Farsi and Sirovatka also expressed frustration with Facebook's automated buying process as well. "If you want to buy a Sponsored Post, you have three to four budget options -- $200, $500, $1,000," Farsi says, adding that he'd like to have the option to buy at any rate he chooses.
While Facebook doesn't have any immediate plans to offer less rigid buying options, the company addressed concerns about its metrics last October. At that time, Facebook rolled out People Talking About This, which cataloged user activity related to a Page, including posting to a Page?s Wall, ?liking,? commenting, sharing a Page post or content on the Page, answering a Question posed to fans, mentioning a Page, ?liking? or sharing a deal, or checking in at at a Place.
However, the quality of data on Facebook still pales in comparison to Google, where you can track a consumer's journey from a search to clicking through an ad to actually buying a product. Michael Lazerow, CMO of Salesforce.com and founder of Buddy Media, says the Google comparison is unfair. "Google is the best business model in the history of business models," he says. Lazerow says Facebook is "closer to TV in how they're looking at media."
Levy, meanwhile, says he's aware of feedback from marketers like Farsi and Sirovatka. "We know that small businesses don't have a whole measurement team like large companies," he says. "We're trying to figure out faster ways to help them." While Levy says there's no way to identify new engaged users vs. old engaged users, he says linking Facebook marketing to sales can be done by providing a "whisper code" to fans can relay in-store to show they've seen a Facebook ad. Levy says Facebook Offers -- which let consumers cash in on deals they see on Facebook - also offers strong ROI tracking.
Marketers often find other crafty ways to track ROI. Patrick Ford, VP of Ford's Gourmet Foods, which is known for its Bone Suckin' Sauces, says he runs campaigns in different cities to see if there's any effect on sales. Ford also says he recently found the best proof of ROI possible: A customer photographed himself buying 16 bottles of the sauce after being directed to a retailer in Tampa, Fla., carrying the product.
In the near future, there will be other options. As of early September, large advertisers on Facebook can sync their customers' email addresses to Facebook users. For instance, if you give Ford your Gmail address and link that address to your Facebook account, then Ford can hit you with personalized Facebook advertising that reflects your place in the buying cycle. If you just bought a car, the ads will be maintenance reminders rather than pitches to buy new cars. Soon, small businesses will have the same tools, Levy says, perhaps making their Facebook advertising more CRM-focused than CTR-focused.
Offers and other new products, like Gifts, will also provide a better way to track ROI. Lazerow says Facebook is still very much a work in progress. "They're only seven years into it and really only four years of monetization," he says. "Just because you can't provide the ROI like [you can with] search doesn't mean you won't."
This story originally published on Mashable here.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/small-business-advertisers-facebooks-immediacy-not-metrics-101722581.html
mount rainier national park drop dead gorgeous ticket city bowl 2011 nfl playoff schedule cowboys vs giants ndaa timberwolves
Sega and Creative Assembly have released the first trailer showing off some gameplay footage from their upcoming strategy sequel, Total War: Rome 2.
Earlier this month, I 
RBS has securitised the outstanding balance of the original ?553m four-year loan extended to the special purpose vehicle which owns the underlying 37 commercial property balance sheet loans, which remains owned 75% by RBS and 25% by Blackstone.
We?re growing fast and have built up a great team at Gidsy. Since our launch, we have learned a lot. We?re proud about what we have built, and are excited about where we are going. Finding great organisers and making them successful has always been an important goal for us. This task has become a full-time job, and we?re looking for someone awesome to fill this position.
About the role:
You?re a strategist and love your gameplan. You always have a clear roadmap laid out. You posses a variety of talents: you?re tech-savvy, analytical and have unlimited creativity. But most of all, you have your finger on the pulse of new trends and internet technologies. This has put you at the top of your game on time and again. You know communication is your key to success. You love creating new features, developing innovative concepts and want to drive exciting projects to completion. Become part of our team as Product Manager!
About the role:
A recent survey from research firm Gartner estimates that by 2014, 10-15% of all reviews left by users on social media sites will be paid for by the companies themselves. While this isn?t a new phenomenon, companies may not see the potential downfalls of going overboard when it comes to paid social media interactions and reviews.
