We all knew that social media was important and our friends and fans sharing and liking our posts was fabulous.
A report was released today from Nielsen and Facebook that confirms that social impressions are more than fabulous, they increase someone’s intent to purchase.
“The Value of Social Media Ad Impressions” study measured the impact of 3 types of Facebook ads and how their coordinated usage affects ad recall, awareness and purchase intent. They “analyzed survey data from more than 800,000 Facebook users in response to more than 125 Facebook ad campaigns from 70 brand advertisers.”
Here are the three Facebook ads they looked at:
The study results showed how the combination of paid media (ads) and earned media (wall posts, likes, shares) significantly increased all three measurements (ad recall, awareness and purchase intent) than paid ads alone.
Combining paid media with earned media created:
- 9% increase in awareness
- 6% increase in purchase intent
These numbers are compelling. But what does it mean for your business?
People are influenced much more by their friends than our ads alone. Engaging in social media is your way to bridge the gap to share directly with your customers and, in turn, your customers’ network will grow your business.
Use ads in the right places to reach the right audience but be sure to engage with your customers where they are already (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Create conversations and share relevant information that makes it impossible for your customers to not talk about you, like you and share your links.
Are you taking advantage of social media impressions?