Marketing Matters Q&A

Click-through rates on social media ads are just 0.01 percent, and four out of five users (80 percent) have never bought a product because of a Facebook ad.

Q: I’m considering purchasing banner ads on social media sites. What are your thoughts?
At least for now, social media website visitors aren’t paying much attention. Data show these ads have little direct impact on sales. Multiple studies confirm that click-through rates on social media ads are just 0.01 percent, and four out of five users (80 percent) have never bought a product because of a Facebook ad.

Q: In your opinion, which are the most relevant social networking websites?
According to eBizMBA.com, a well-respected web-ranking site, the Top 7 social media websites, ranked in relevance, according to its estimated unique monthly visitors (as of Sept. 1, 2015), are:

1. Facebook: 900 million

2. Twitter: 310 million

3. LinkedIn: 255 million

4. Pinterest: 250 million

5. Google+: 120 million

6. Tumblr: 110 million

7. Instagram: 100 million

Q: Which Web metrics should I be following?
There are six that I find to be indispensable:

1. Unique visitors represent the count of individual people that visited your site, regardless of how often.

2. If your repeat visitor number is growing, it means people are visiting your site once, and then deciding to return.

3. Referrals track users as they click on links in search engines, social media sites, other blogs and other websites.

4. The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who visit your site and immediately either click the back button or close the browser tab.

5. The exit rate is the percentage of visitors who visit multiple pages and then leave your site. Are potential customers not finding the information they need?

6. By contrast, the conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who achieve a goal, such as completing a purchase or filling out a contact form.

You can reach Harvey Goldglantz, president of Pest Control Marketing Co. and author of Marketing Matters, at hgpcmcinc@aol.com. His book, Marketing Matters, is available from the PMP bookstore.