The Facebook Effect

                       The Facebook Effect                    

                  

 

 

For those not 24/7 web-savvy, I keep getting the question about what the big deal about Facebook is. The simple answer is that it's not just Facebook, but rather, it's the "Facebook Effect". Facebook's profiles have changed from a place where one can just read about someone to a place where people can engage in activities. This change [reading vs. engaging] is effective in generating traffic for Facebook, as well as for the companies creating user apps, and has been termed the Facebook Effect.   

 

The Facebook Effect when studied, identifies four to five top traffic drivers to the site, which includes Slide, Inc. , Video by Facebook, FunWall, and iLike, Inc. Turns out these apps, internally integrated within Facebook, are like sticky YouTube videos - users spend gobs of time with them. Nielsen caught on to this and the "effect" is now that Facebook is leading the way of the entire transformation of web metrics (e.g. the online system is now moving away from the CTR toward time spent with web properties).....Facebook is leading the way for the user-engagement web metric.  

 

As brands move their creative strategies around online (finding the Long Tail of specific niche demographics) trying to acquire eyeballs back to their mother ship web properties, the engagement factor now becomes just as important as a CTR. Brands live for user engagement and Facebook's application platform model could be just what they're looking for to be emulated across the web, widgets included. Widgets have become the focus of companies and marketers as banner ads' effectiveness is questioned. But have no doubt, display advertising online is alive and well.

 

As The Poly Post said:

• "Marketers have limitless opportunities in using the Facebook platform. There is a large audience on the website, and information on their interests, geographical location, and age are widely available. This is information that advertising companies have taken years and spent countless dollars to gather; and Facebook has it all there without having had to spend a cent to get it."
  

So, in other terms, Facebook is now being viewed as a strategic marketing application for brands. Companies can direct their ad campaigns towards specific groups, easily. Soon, marketers will fully seize upon widgets and Facebook apps and it's possible the web will be transformed for marketers again. Widgets and Facebook apps will soon be recognized for what they are, as brand apps.