Promoting Your Web Site Vs Promoting Your Facebook Page

Syncapse Value of a Facebook Fan

For most marketers  today, Facebook seems to be the bigger  than  search engines or their  own website. From Yahoo to local classifieds,   most digital  marketing campaigns  seem to take the route of promoting  their  Facebook pages. Facebook Apps, Facebook Widgets  have replaced the focus from micro sites,and email marketing.

Facebook and Twitter have today become primary online distribution channels, for  Brand Marketers. While its no doubt that  Facebook today has indeed become the melting pot of all kind of consumers  both in  terms of volume and in terms of demographics. .. which perhaps traditional media do not provide and banners have been long become Blind..

According to Econsultancy and ExactTarget  Survery,digital marketing will account for 24% of overall marketing spend this year, and 28% of firms are shifting at least some of their overall marketing budgets from traditional to digital channels.he research was based on a survey of more than 1,000 companies around the world, though the majority were based in the US (45%) or UK (33%)

• 64% plan to increase budgets for search engine optimization, and 51% plan to increase budgets for paid search marketing.
• 70% are planning to increase their budgets for off-site social media such as Facebook and Twitter, despite admitting to being “poor” at measuring social media ROI.

The study (“The Value of a Facebook Fan: An Empirical Review”) estimates that someone who has Liked a brand will spend an average of $71.84 more each year on that brand’s products or services than will someone who has not Liked it on Facebook, for a total average annualized value of $136.38.

According to Syncapse 68% of Facebook Fans indicate they are very likely to recommend a product.

• Facebook fans reported spending $71.84 more per year than non fans.
• The most valuable fan in the survey was that of McDonald’s who presented an annual value to the organization of $508.16.

On the downside, All Brands using Facebook as their Gateway Page , are in fact promoting Facebook more than their own branded site. Critics of  those who believe that your own micro site/branded content " needs to be the first point with your consumers  are of the opinion that  Online Branding is more about  engaging with your " own digital Properties" rather than taking your visitors  to circumvent one more additional click  to get to your branded content  through a facebook connect. 

In terms of Lead Generation aren't  traditional PPC or online affiliate promgrams get more ROI ?  Does a Facebook Apps make more sense when your want  your users  to engage with you after they have  heard about you from  your website via search ?  Do you think that a Facebook Widget or a  Twitter App   ideally should be your second line of Branding ?  Does  B2b Online Strategy uses social media differently.