[_nate_]

Facebook pay per click remains a mystery to me. We are huge PPC media buyers, but we gave up on Facebook a long time ago. We’ve experimented with it over the last year or so when new features were implemented, but in general, it’s at the very bottom of our marketing budget as well. I used to think it was something we were doing wrong, but this report suggests a lot of people aren’t finding value there as well.

It really seems that when people are on Facebook, the one and only thing they pay attention to is their friends and personal interests, and it’s very difficult for ads to convert that interest.

[kposehn]

I've heard this from other media buyers, and I've had the exact opposite experience. Out of our monthly budgets, FB is 65% and google less than 25%.

I'm really curious as to what/how you're advertising on there. Some do well, some don't, but I've managed to convert many losers into winners.

[patmcguire]

What industry are you in?

[_nate_]

We think it has a lot to do with our demographic. We’re a research and publishing company and our customers are for the most part consumers over the age of 35. With that being said, I find it hard to believe our demographic should be a hindrance, considering FB is massive and now spans the general population. Furthermore, there are tons of options and means to target our specific demographics. Yet FB leads have the lowest conversion rates seen anywhere and in general every attempt at using the system fails. (once again, we are highly experienced PPC buyers)

Either way, we’re fine spending our budgets elsewhere and understand that FB is working miracles for others. We’ve just always been vexed by the FB advertising hype and this report helps to validate for us that not all markets work for everyone.