Facebook is the “new” web phenomenon involved in something called social networking. And social networking is seen by many as the new growth opportunity for the internet.
So why is this Facebook thing such a big deal? On a basic level, think about it like this: If a company say, provides wardrobe for the next hit TV show, it would probably be smart for that company to advertise this association. And the typical media outlets come to mind–Newspapers, Magazines, Radio, TV, maybe even some morning and late night talk show “name dropping” would help. But what if that company could target their advertising directly to fans. Enter Facebook.
Now, offering fan pages and groups based on common interests not only offers a place for you and your friends to chat about that next episode of Lost, it also gives companies a place to target-market with unbelievable precision. Today, if you want to run an ad on facebook in the US using “Lost” fans as your only criteria: 1.5 million people are in your sights for advertising the official “Lost” compass. Get the idea?
Advertisers can literally see the number of people they can touch before they spend a single dollar, and then they can target based on an almost endless number demographics. Of course, there is the typical “25-34″ year olds, with X education, who are married (with kids), within 25 miles of the stores offering the whiz-bang item advertised.
Google, because of it’s massive footprint, is more powerful than you think at targeting you; even without you taking the time to tell advertisers about your favorite books, movies, and the million other marketable preferences you have posted on your Facebook profile. Facebook is Google’s advertising model on steroids.
Here’s a list of the 25 most popular facebook fan pages. It’s an eye opener about who are the King and Queens in the world of new media on Facebook.
Spoiler alert—Homer Simpson is Number 3. Doh.
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The more you know: Wikipedia:Facebook
