Is Facebook (CPC/CPM) advertising worth it? I use an ad run by @ashadegreener as an example

When A Shade Greener Ltd. showed me this advert on Facebook, I immediately jumped onto their website and entered all the details requested.

Details, which included my postcode.  It then displayed me an interactive map and asked me to 'pin my roof'.  At this stage, there is presumably little doubt as to exactly where I live.  Actually, at the point of showing me the ad, the company must have had a pretty good [albeit rough] idea of where I lived; didn't they?

Facebook advertising allows you to specify your audience by location (in addition to other criteria).  So, if you're sent an advert, is it reasonable to assume the advert was meant for you?

This morning, I received the following email from the company -

"Thanks for your applicationWe’re very sorry but you are based outside the area in which we are installing at the moment.
This decision cannot be reviewed as applications are automatically deleted in the Desktop Survey Department after being processed. Hence, if you would like to question this decision you must either apply again, ensuring that your objection is detailed in the ‘Message’ section of the application, or email enquiries@ashadegreener.co.uk"

I've copied and pasted the exact email [body, minus signature], as received (including the lack of punctuation and salutation).

Alas, I digress; you see this really isn't about me being upset that I can't get free solar panels (for the record, I am), but as someone who works with organisations and companies to explain why social media is a viable platform for advertising, it frustrates me to see it being used badly ineffectively.

I'm not complaining [too much] about the fact that they won't progress my application, after all, they did clearly state of the advert that the CTA was to "Enquire now"; but does this represent an effective use of Facebook advertising?

No, in my opinion, it doesn't.  You see, whatever they've targeted within their advert specifications (the list includes location, age, gender, interest and more), if they're not operating outside a certain geographical area, why would they target their ad at anyone outside of that area?

On a platform that you pay either by the displaying of the advert (CPM) or for each click of the advert (CPC), what's the bottom line?  They've just paid money for my interaction.  Money that could should have been better spent elsewhere.

Advertising is about reaching your target audience.  I wasn't their target; so they failed.

Does this mean though, that advertising on Facebook doesn't work?  Far from it; advertising on [one of] the world's most popular social platforms can yield really positive results.  However, just because someone has a Facebook account, doesn't mean that they should necessarily be responsible for your Facebook marketing campaigns.

I have a television, but I don't create TV ads.

So, in short, yes; Facebook advertising really can work.  If you're interested in maximising your budget and seeing what social media can do for you, speak to someone and ask them how they'll make your money work for you.

CTA: Call to action ~ What are you asking your target to do? For example, do you want them to register on your website, buy something, tell other people etc.?
CPM: Cost Per Mille ~ The cost for each 1,000 impressions (displays) of your advert.
CPC: Cost Per Click ~ The cost for each click on your advert.

Note: because I've used A Shade Greener Ltd. as an example, I'm linking to their website so you can check out their service.  Just to be nice.

Full details about yesterday's Facebook outage; plus exclusive quote from secret 'inside' source

Last night's Facebook outage affected a huge number of users meaning that millions couldn't gain access to the Social Network.

When asked for comment, Facebook responded "We have dedicated servers that process photos, videos, Pages and Groups all separately to ensure that we can maintain service with no disruption. Yesterday's outage was a result of bringing several new servers on-line. The main server, our most powerful to date, was designed to auto-correct spelling and grammar mistakes; with the second most powerful brought on-line to process pointless posts (pictures that tell you to 'Like' to prove that you're pro/against an arbitrary issue or share to prove that you're not a loser with few friends).

Unfortunately, we severely underestimated the scale of just how poor [English speaker's] command of the English language really is and the unmitigated shit people will post and/or share on their Facebook profiles.

This is no excuse of course and we worked very, very hard to fix these issues. Unfortunately, we actually can't find any rule that allows us to delete their profiles, so we just turned the servers off; sorry."

A technical support source close to the core of the Facebook server farm (though, not thought to be Neo) tweeted "WTF, lol" shortly after the server stack started to buckle under the weight of language distortion, absence of meaningful punctuation and ridiculous pictures of cats saying equally ridiculous things.

If this makes you smile, you're welcome. If this offends you, think very carefully as to why.

Facebook Messenger: for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

Although not the world's biggest Facebook fan, I was still interested to try Facebook's Messenger which claims to be "a faster way to send mobile messages to friends".

The app lets you -

Send messages instantly to other friends who have Messenger
Chat with friends who are on Facebook
Get free push notifications for incoming messages
Add location and photos to messages
Reach friends via text message if they don't have Messenger yet
Access sent and received message on both Messenger and Facebook
Create group conversations for making plans on the go
Add more friends to group conversations at any time
Control alert and location settings for each conversation

Largely, it's a repackaged messaging module from Facebook that brings a few tweaks to the already largely available functionality.  It doesn't really take any leaps or bounds away from the main app; it does however, step on the toes of Google.  Taking on Google Plus in a big way is perhaps the Social Media giants' way of banking that more people have an [active] Facebook account than a GMail account (foolishly so, in my opinion).

I think this may be a step in the wrong direction as, where Facebook certainly [for now] dominates the Social Media world, Google has a tight reign on the messaging realm.  Just about everyone I know has a GMail account, probably around half the people I know have a Facebook account.

I don't particuarly care for the app, but then I've never been a fan of Facebook 'messaging' in general; I don't get notifcations of new messages at all sometimes, and late other times.  If I wasn't a Google Plus user, I may be more interested to try it; and perhaps this is Facebook's attempt to 'nip in the bud' and try and stop what is every day looking more and more like the prophesied mass-exodus of Facebook.

Of course, if you're a Blackberry user, you're probably just grateful that you have some messaging functionality right now.

Twitter Vs. Facebook Vs. Google Buzz

The battle of the networks continues; the only thing I think we can all agree on is that MySpace never really had a look in.

Now I've been a big fan of Google Buzz from its inception and though I have a great desire to see it succeed, I have a horrible feeling that it's lacking something.  Much the same way as Facebook is fundamentally lacking in its core purpose; social networking.

Perhaps a more apt label would be "Friend Networking"?  Come to think of it, maybe MySpace had it right, maybe these places are exactly that, "a place for friends".

Surely the whole point of Social Networking is to network...socially.  Buzz links you in with your current contacts, friends, family, colleagues etc. Facebook, similarly is a place where you're encouraged to engage with people after answering the question "do you know this person?".

So, are we 'networking', or are we 'staying in touch'?  Are the two even that far apart?

Conversely, Twitter is all about meeting new people.  Anyone who's been on Twitter for a while will be familiar with the #FollowFriday (#FF) concept, a Friday tradition where you have the opportunity to recommend an account (or accounts) that you follow, to your followers.

Of course, you don't have to pay any attention to a recommendation, but if you are looking to broaden your circle, it can be a great way to do so; someone you follow (who presumably you enjoy following) is recommending them, so there's a very good chance that you'll enjoy their ramblings too.

So, are these networks really in competition?  Perhaps in reality, they simply serve different purposes.

For now, I use Google Buzz to stay up to date with folks that are a little more on the forefront of Social Media; but will that really be the case going forward?  How long will it be until a new site is launched (Google Me is just around the corner), will that then become the 'cool corner'?

As time goes on, I lose patience with Facebook; their recent launch of Facebook Places left me yet again arguing with some faceless moron in "Facebook User Operations" explaining that I had in actual fact attached the information they had requested; this to me, really just sums up their attitude towards everything.

If the whole Social Network thing really were a race, where would you place your bet, is there a clear winner, or are you hedging your bets and sticking with them all?