Is Facebook King?
Many think so.
Like it, love it, or hate it, Facebook is a major force in digital advertising.
But to rule the digital advertising world, you need to go beyond Facebook’s walled garden.
What exactly is beyond that wall?
That’s where we’re taking you today, through the ins and outs of the Facebook Audience Network, Facebook’s network of publishers that display ads to people who are on Facebook when they visit various apps and websites.
Let’s start at the beginning.
The Stats:
Facebook reports an average of 1.28 billion active daily users as of March of this year. Over 85% of those users are outside of the United States and Canada.1 A report by comScore determined U.S. users spend an average of 35 minutes a day on Facebook.2
The Pros:
The Facebook Audience Network allows Facebook to deliver ads to its users outside of the walled garden of Facebook itself.
The Cons:
The Facebook Audience Network is not entirely transparent and will not report what apps and websites your ads ran on, nor does it provide 3rd party tracking. Facebook limits you to basic ad formats and does not allow for rich media or custom ad experiences. Facebook also limits you to the kinds of data it collects.
What’s an Advertiser to Do?
You can’t ignore Facebook; it’s just too big. What you can do is recognize its limitations and proactively go beyond its walls to deliver ads to your targeted audience, wherever they are.
That may mean other forms of digital advertising, including targeted mobile advertising that delivers ads in-app and on websites with greater transparency. That may mean print advertising, which when combined with digital can create a powerful message that increases response rates 45%.3
The important thing is that you think more about reaching your audience where they really are than just where you think they are.
Our advice: Put some of your digital budget behind Facebook, but not all of it.