Tim Peterson says, “Math is hard, even for Facebook. And it’s getting harder to trust Facebook’s math, even as the social network fine-tunes its calculations. For the third time since September, Facebook is disclosing new measurement errors. The two new errors affected the reaction counts Facebook reports on Pages’ Live videos, as well as the engagement figures Facebook reports for off-Facebook links; the latter link engagement metrics were recently used in investigations by BuzzFeed and The New York Times into fake news articles’ performance on Facebook. In addition to acknowledging... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “Facebook’s string of measurement errors disclosed since September has some marketers shook up, even if those marketers weren’t directly affected by the social network’s messed-up math. Soon after Facebook announced in November that it had been overstating Page posts’ organic reach, digital agency Blitz was pitching a client on a Facebook campaign idea to make people more aware of the brand. That meant being able to measure how many people were exposed to the campaign, including those who organically saw the ad because a friend shared it or commented on it, even... [...]

Dave Wieneke says, “If you look through Periscope to see how healthcare marketers might use personal video, the picture is still fuzzy. But if you look at this through Facebook Live, it’s crystal clear why many are adding Facebook Live to the innovative edge of their brand’s digital engagement strategies. Twitter has been helping get people familiar with personal video for years. Back in 2013 I described Twitter’s six-second Vine loops as a low risk way to get teams tuned-in to personal video. Then came Periscope, Twitter’s live video streaming app, which would let you broadcast... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “According to a new report from Borrell Associates, nearly 80 percent of local businesses have a Facebook page, and 62 percent are buying Facebook ads. It also estimates there are in excess of 2.5 million US businesses paying for ads or boosted posts on Facebook, spending on average $1,500 per year. The survey population consists of a mix of US businesses, a subset of which qualify as small businesses. However, some of the respondents represent larger-spending advertisers, with annual media and marketing budgets of more than $100,000. Among the survey population, 85... [...]

Sophia Bernazzani says, “One average, Facebook is home to 1.18 billion daily active users — from CEOs, to students, to companies. And while the community is clearly there, connecting with them from a marketing standpoint isn’t always easy. For brands, posting on Facebook alone isn’t enough anymore — especially for ones just starting out. Sure, you can throw money at your efforts to drive people to your Facebook Page and send them to your website, but that only works if you’re smart about it. One way to do just that is to create optimized Facebook Ads targeted... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Financial topics and Facebook are not natural bedfellows. Generally, people are more inclined to spend their time on social media watching cat videos than they are tutorials about credit checks. However, Experian UK – known for its credit score services – is trying to persuade people otherwise. It’s been doing some interesting things with Facebook video lately. Here’s a bit of insight into what’s been working (and what might be missing the mark). Real-time and relatable elements The first thing that strikes me about Experian’s Facebook page is just how... [...]

IR team says, “Most people who use the Facebook aren’t “searching” for a product that will add more value to their lives; they’re searching for that next funny or emotional status update, a trending piece of news or information, or even just a simple distraction. For you, as an ecommerce store owner, this is your ultimate opportunity. The power of Facebook ads allows you to evoke the same emotion and curiosity that people crave when they log-in on their computer or phone—except you’ll be able to introduce who you are, and the value you can bring to their lives. In this guide,... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “In last week’s stats roundup, I reported how more companies than ever are investing their budgets in Facebook dark posts. But wait just a moment – what exactly are dark posts? You might have heard of dark social or dark web – but this is something different. Let’s shine a light on the subject. Social posts for select eyes only A dark post is anything a brand might post on Facebook – such as a link, video, photo or status – that will only be seen by a specific or target demographic. Unlike a regular published post, a dark post does not show up on a brand’s... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Several retailers say Facebook’s misreported metrics won’t cause them to change the way they use the social network. Facebook Inc. today acknowledged that it miscalculated several metrics it has been sharing with retailers and other marketers. The announcement comes less than two months after the social network disclosed it had been giving marketers an inflated number for the average time spent viewing online videos. Facebook also says it has developed an internal review process to ensure its metrics are clear and up to date, while also rolling out more relationships... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Michael Kors and Lowes are among the retailers testing the Facebook ad unit. Smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, Facebook Inc. is testing a new ad unit that lets retailers showcase multiple products in a single ad that appears in users’ news feeds. The ad pairs a large main image or video with smaller, related product images below. Clicking a More button brings up more products that take over a user’s screen. At the bottom of the screen a retailer can add a button that leads a shopper to its website. Like Facebook’s dynamic ads and dynamic ads for retailers,... [...]