Facebook advertising: trends in the media market of social networks

Who would have thought in 2004 that the inquisitive mind and persistence of a Harvard University student would soon open up a global platform of opportunity for literally the entire population of the world, be it a housewife from the French village of Le Grand Bornan, a Congolese doctor or a businessman from the British Virgin Islands. A new era has come, when the main means of mass information has become a program for communication and exchange of information between people – friends, strangers, colleagues, potential and current partners, investors, the electorate, etc. Today, advertising on Facebook, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other social media applications is commonplace and an indispensable effective tool for solving many business tasks.

The future of Internet advertising on global network platforms was once predicted by the creator and co-owner of the largest social network, Mark Zuckerberg. According to the authoritative media magnate, the best advertising messages are now recommendations from friends. The opinion of communities of interest also influences the consumer, which is why indirect advertising works well in Facebook groups in the positions of influential users. As we can see, the future has already arrived, and 2021 demonstrated it in the most vivid way. With the beginning of quarantine measures and the regime of self-isolation due to the pandemic caused by the new virus Sovid-19, the indicators of the most popular social networks of Facebook Inc. began to grow rapidly. According to the GlobalWebIndex digital market research agency (London, Great Britain), at the end of the II quarter of 2021, a quarter of the global consumption of branded goods is carried out using social network platforms. In other words, 25% of global sales are provided by advertising on Facebook and Instagram — direct or in hidden forms.

Considering the local market of social media in Ukraine, taking into account the growth of activity and coverage, one cannot fail to note the current and emerging prospects. First, the Ukrainian segment of popular social media has been demonstrating an unprecedentedly high level of penetration for several years. So, at the end of 2019, the coverage of the top applications developed by Facebook Inc. in Ukraine exceeded the similar indicator of European countries. This trend has led to the fact that today every businessman of any rank will tell you how much advertising on Facebook costs.

According to certain types of SaaS (program as a service), the domestic social media market has the following indicators:

• Ukrainian Instagram has more coverage (about 35%) than a similar application in France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Moldova
• the penetration of the Facebook application in Ukraine is about 40%, which exceeds the indicators of Germany, Moldova, Belarus and the Russian Federation
• It is not surprising that the frequency of requests for advertising on Facebook, the price, how much is advertising in Stagram and Instagram advertising through Facebook is permanently increasing.

Why is targeted advertising on Facebook and other social media a must-have for businesses in 2021-2022?

Only in the IV quarter of 2019, the Facebook audience in Ukraine increased by 1 million new users, and the Ukrainian Instagram community grew by 0.5 million people. This is evidenced by the results of a comprehensive study of our social media market by specialists of the Ukrainian digital agency PlusOne. At the beginning of the year, the number of users of FB and the visual Insta application amounted to 14 million and 11.5 million people, respectively.

Taking into account the activity of young generations on the Internet and commitment to fast algorithms with a minimum of effort, it is quite predictable that the Ukrainian Instagram audience will expand at the expense of young people, including teenagers from 13 years old (according to unofficial data, there are younger users). Representatives of generations Y, Z and young A (alpha) feel most organically in the digital environment, and the need for digital services is as natural for them as satisfying hunger or thirst. By the way, in the age segment up to 28 years old, the coverage of the Insta application exceeds the similar indicator for Facebook. If this is your CA, the instagram ad price parameter will depend on the competition of advertisers in this product niche, the maximum bid settings, and the RK period.

Understanding trends and having a consumer portrait allows entrepreneurs in the field of trade and service provision to accurately determine the platforms of presence of their target audience. In particular, if it is necessary to promote the product for young people, one of the mandatory channels should be a presence on the visual social media platform. As a sales tool, both a direct channel – advertising on Instagram, and an indirect influence on the consumer will be suitable.

During the first half of 2021, in connection with the expansion of network interactive due to antivirus restrictions offline, the trend of increasing coverage gained even greater momentum. The already available results for the 1st quarter are as follows (source: digital agency PlusOne, Ukraine):

• 0.5 million new registrations in Instagram Ukraine
• the total number of users reached 11.6 million people

Targeted Facebook advertising: channels, functionality, recommendations

The title of the largest platform for social communication today is held by Facebook, its subsidiary Instagram and related programs. Actually, by creating a new system of distribution / exchange of information and a new progressive type of media (which has largely overshadowed traditional media), Facebook Inc. Not for a day did he stop improving developments both for individual users and for strengthening business with the help of social networks. Including, the concept of advertising has fundamentally changed, and even in comparison with such a development of search leader Google as contextual advertising.

Before launching an advertising campaign (AC), you first need to understand the fundamental differences inherent in the Facebook ad block. Then the setting will be as effective as possible, and the correct interaction with the CA will bring the product to a new level of trust. So, how does targeted Facebook advertising differ from Google context?

• Keywords are changed by selecting a list of CA interests
• In-depth analysis of the interaction process and direct dialogue with CA

If a company / private entrepreneur needs FB or Instagram advertising, how and where to set up RK? Why advertise on Instagram over Facebook? Let’s start with the fact that the media products of the Facebook holding include FB, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Audience Network. A single Facebook Ads control panel has been created to manage all services. The interface with wide functionality is presented in a separate section of the personal profile of the business page administrator. Constant updates of customization features, targeting, statistics, display sites and more ensure good financial / PR / branding results. In particular, advertising on Instagram via Facebook allows you to customize the RK using advanced statistics and a targeting menu. Convenience also consists in storing all data in one advertising cabinet. If you need to quickly set up a paid post for SMM, you can use the instagram ad option directly, directly in the visual app account.

Facebook advertising has a basic set of parameters for targeting a paid post/story: geography, demographics, interests, education, social login setup, apps used, travel/shopping/communication habits, etc. Thus, Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising via Facebook or paid messages in messenger / WhatsApp / native network in order to achieve the set goal (conversion, registration, download, feedback, etc.) should take into account as many characteristics as possible that allow find 100% of your client based on the portrait of the CA created for the advertising campaign.

Given the emergence of many Ukrainian-language digital media and users with a Ukrainian-language interface, entrepreneurs in Ukraine today often look for Facebook advertising services for promotion in the rapidly growing “language” segment. If you want to know how much Facebook advertising can cost for your business, contact a specialized SMM agency.