Facebook Claims 80% of Ad Clicks Come From Bots: Forbes

“FaceBook ‘Investigating’ Claims That 80% of Ad Clicks Come From Bots” is Forbes ‘headline.

No this is not sensationalism.

‘Over at Wired, Liat Clark reports that other advertisers have also noticed that Facebook’s analytics are behaving a little bit suspiciously. Limited Run decided to ditch FaceBook after another unfavorable interaction, where it claims that Facebook refused to let it change its name unless it paid $2,000 a month in advertising.’

More of Forbes back story:

‘We already knew that FaceBook ads aren’t as effective as some companies would like them to be, but it’s looking like a low-level of user engagement with advertising might be just the tip of the iceberg. A company called Limited Run is pulling its entire Facebook presence and leaving the social media giant with some unsavory accusationthat’s clouding the charge that up to 80 percent of clicks on its ads were coming from bots…

Advertising is always going to be one of FaceBook’s core revenue generators, but it’s had a hard time proving it can generate the sort of activity needed to justify advertisers spending significant amounts of money…’

CASE STUDY:
My most recent FaceBook advertising experience is just another story along these lines.

So here is what I experienced recently.

For 8 weeks I ran a local marketing campaign series for a client.

• I tested 48 ads
• All were CPC where possible
• These included promoted posts / sponsored ads, plus ads linking to the clients website (client’s instruction not my recommendation)

When I looked at the analytics: FaceBook Insights and Google Analytics the results were so far apart the I believe there was too much attrition to attribute to Google Analytics skews. (Why did I not use alternative analytics software? Budgets).

I am talking about FaceBook stats,with consequent billing being inflated by over $300 per $100 spent!

What happened when I asked FaceBook for feedback?

I was keen to understand what was happening. I was perplexed.

Yes I asked for their explanation as I was genuinely puzzled, and I received an inadequate response. FaceBook emailed a standard reply.

They did say that analytics software created differences in stats results. (That was not new to me. It was what I told them in my email enquiry!).

My next step? Get FaceBook to investigate.

The real impacts of this issue

This hits the advertisers’ back pocket.

Ouch!

Super Ouch when, for a business owner, this is the difference between being able to pay a  mortgage or put food on the table.

Such FaceBook charges combined with Facebook Ads’ ever decreasing effectiveness drives clients to cut back budgets severely and seek alternative lead generation avenues. Facebook needs to change its model to reinforce ad budget reinvestment behaviours through positive results.

Who can justify a 300-400% difference?

Neither FaceBook or Google I am sure.

• So if the FaceBook Insights are correct, then then FaceBook ads could be performing 300-400% less efficiently than their history proclaims.
• If FaceBook Insights are incorrect, then they are overcharging or charging for hits not received (despite the FaceBook Insights reports)

I wonder where else the problem could originate from.

What do you think?

No matter where the problem originates, this is an unnacceptable difference, don’t you think? What have you experienced?

You can read the story and my comments on Forbes

Email Marketing Faux Pas – Email Me? Do Not Do It This Way!

Ever received an email that got you thinking ‘It’s an email marketing faux pas. Email me? Don’t do it this way please!’

Today a local business sent me an email newsletter for the very first time. It looked professional. However, it came out of the blue.

It happens to have been sent by a Member of the Marketing Association of NZ on behalf of their client who pays good money to get a job done correctly and according to NZ Spam laws and industry best practice. It is from someone with marketing certification.

Do I know this local business?

I have walked past it. I have been a fellow member of the same business association. The owner probably would not even recall my name or remember who I am.  He probably would not recognise me on the street.  Do I have a business relationship with them? A rather vague one. Have I given them any business? Many years ago.

Have I asked to put my name on their database to get general emails? No.

Have I asked to put my name on their list to receive promotions? No.

Have I asked to receive their newsletters? No.

How did my email address  become part of his database? I can’t be sure. The local business association emails we shared? A very old business transaction? From 15 years ago.

Would the business owner know how he got my email address? Probably not BUT legally he needs to know that.

Now add do this…has a family member given this company any business? Yes. When trying to get an extremely special birthday present organised for me. The result was not a positive customer experience. That family member took business elsewhere several times.

So how does it feel to get this unrequested email? Very uncomfortable. Bothered. I feel as someone just took a liberty.

Business owners – this is what you need to do.

Put yourself in your clients’ and prospects’ shoes.

They do not want to be sold to.

You need to send a warm email to your database letting them know what you are thinking about doing with your communications and what is the genuine benefit for them. Imagine they are like a next door neighbour who you want to extend neighbourliness to and get to know better.  Be friendly but do not assume any liberties. Ask if they want to be part of it. Ask if they want to receive ongoing info from you. Don’t assume that just because you have their email you can do what you like with it. Do not assume that just because I can unsubscribe that all is well. Do not send your email assuming I’m happy to receive - it may have just done some brand damage.

I’m a real person at the end of this email. I enjoy being with people. I truly care about others’ businesses, even if they are not my clients. However I have likes and dislikes. I value respect, and good old-fashioned values.

So when you email, don’t just regard me as an email address, name and phone number that may end up being a dollar in your pocket.

Build rapport. There is a relationship of sorts to develop.

So use courtesies online that you would expect offline, face to face or on the end of a phone, and you can’t go wrong.

That email I received was an example of a poor email marketing experience. Please don’t accidentally do the same in your business. Prevent a business faux pas.

by Jenny Wilmshurst – Tweet Twins – Social Media, Local Marketing, Video Marketing, Mobile Marketing 

Example of How to Use Social Influence in Social Media Marketing

An example of how to use Social Influence in Social Media Marketing is from Peer Index recently.

Their client: Cold Play and Cold Play’s Movie Distributor.

Peer Index researched key Social Media Influencers for specific categories.

It looks like music and entertainment was one as well as various online influence.

I co-own a DJ company, we have direct relationships with global influencers and musicians who are household names, influence in the technology sectors and are vocal pioneers in Social Media.

This campaign was conducted in various cities in 61 countries globally.

Then Peer Index used the subscriptions of those already registered with them to communicate about Cold Play’s latest move release.

Here is what they emailed me:

Then claiming the perk leads to a landing page:

Then you claim your free poster of an awesome, highly visual concert and buy a ticket to view the première at your most local participating cinema.

I saw that a local peer who is also into music was IDed.

Cold Play’s goals? Tactics?

Following the motto ‘Flattery will get you everywhere?’

Get people talking about the movie? counting on those chuffed enough to be ID’ed as an influencer to spread the message as a result?

Maybe! Do you reckon it worked?

Well I like what they did if only from a technical email marketing viewpoint, let alone from a Social Media buzz viewpoint.

What do you think of their strategy & tactics?

Now it is your turn.

How could you copy Peer Index’s example and use their strategy and tactics to your advantage in your business?

Proof of Social Media Capability: Social Media Influence

Proof of Capability is a natural thing for any potential client to request.

In Social Media there are a number of measures  of capability.

One is ‘Influence’.

Influence is borne of having key connections, relationships, fans, followers;

as well as being a peer of influencers;

and of influencing others who influence others.

 

It is also the result of creating orignial content, posting highly relevant content on a regular basis that influences the right people.

This content needs to be posted across a number of Social channels to be truly effective and to grow the influence score.

The content may be in several categories as you see in Tweet Twins chart here.

 

How do we determine who is a Social Media ’Influencer’?

One of the Social Media tools (among several) is Peer Index.

Peer Index independently ranks a variety of factors to score influence.

 

As an example, here is a screenshot of one of their reports. This is Tweet Twins’ influence. It is Peer Index Social Influence score:

Facebook Contest Rules Checklist

Facebook Contest Rules & Checklists are a boon for building fan bases, rewarding existing fans and developing engagement, so I discovered today while checking out the requirements for a client.

In addition to checking out the Facebook ToS about Competitions, Sweepstakes, Promotions and the like, this is a summary of what you need to know:

THE MUST DO’S

• You MUST administer ALL contests, promotions, and sweepstakes on Facebook using a third-party application and never use the Facebook platform such as your Page wall, the Events app, Groups or any other Facebook functionality to run your promotion. Note that a third-party application also includes any applications you create yourself.
• Each entrant must release Facebook of any liability. This is acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
• You MUST have clearly defined contest rules that are visible directly on your application Page.
• Participants MUST know and acknowledge that they any information given for the contest is given to your business, not Facebook.
• The contest MUST have its own registration or entry form.

THE MUST NOT DO’S

•  Facebook’s tools CAN’T be used for the contest, meaning you cannot encourage participants to enter by “liking” a page or using check-in.
• You also CAN’T require contestants to use FB features to be eligible (e.g., no requesting photo or video uploads, likes, wall posts, check-ins).
• The like button CAN’T be used as a voting mechanism or registration process.
• You CAN’T use Facebook’s like, share, comment button to enter, nor use the photos/videos tab as a voting mechanism/registration for a promotion.
• You CAN’T notify or contact winners inside Facebook (via direct messaging, chat, posting on the winner’s wall or posting on your own Page wall).
• You CAN’T choose a fan for a random draw since this means that you would use Facebook to collect entries unless you do it somehow through a third-party application.

THE CAN DO’S

• You CAN upload photos or videos for a contest but it needs to be done via a third-party application and not through the default Facebook photo/video tab on your Page.
• You CAN have users like your Page, check into a Place, or connect to your app before entering your promotion as long as the promotion is administered through a third-party application and is not used as a voting mechanism or a registration for your promotion.
• You CAN collect names and emails from the contestants. This is actually recommended especially for the purpose of contacting the winner(s). This doesn’t give you the right to add email addresses to your mailing list unless you specifically include it in your terms and allow for opting out. 
• You CAN promote a contest on your Facebook page…”as long as there’s no requirement to do anything on Facebook; e.g., like your page, comment, upload content, etc. You can simply post a link on your page to the contest. And, to be fully safe, I would also include this disclosure, This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.”
• Mari Smith suggests “…provided you comply with the rule to use an app to run the contest, you CAN use all the Facebook features to promote the contest, whether ads, wall posts, adding milestones, pinning to the top etc”.

(Courtesy of Flowtown Social Media Examiner & Social Media Today)

Some of the useful apps you will find are useful for ensuring compliance and communicating the before, during and after the promo are:

• Woobox
• Shortstack
• Wilfire
• Lujure
• Pagemodo
• North Social

You will also need to set up a Facebook Ad Campaign and / or a database. For this you will need graphics, an email campaign and other plans in place to maximise the promo..

Be sure to read Facebook’s Page Guidelines , Ad Guidelines , and Platforms Policies

There is a risk of losing a Facebook Page by not complying with these.

What I am discovering is a grey area in certain circumstances e.g. where Facebook Ads promote a prize draw on a url away from Facebook at a website, or where prize draws for those who already book and pay for a service goes. I am seeking more answers on this one. Facebook’s guidelines are not straightforward. Many a Social Media Consultant is finding this!

Some other posts you will find helpful are:

• from Lighthouseinsights  list of Facebook promo considerations
• checklist for running online contests especially for planning your Facebook promo

What has been happening?

Wow this year has flown by so fast…

So much has changed online (nothing new with that!), but it ramps up the pace we need to keep tabs on this change. Have you suffered from overload? So we have had graphic format changes to Linkedin Personal profiles have upgraded and Company Profiles are about to (November 2012) , Twitter (September), YouTube (January 2012), Facebook (February 2102). There is a massive range of apps & tools. All online marketing methods are under constant test and review.

Since 2010 I’ve been keenly watching the changes occurring in the Local Marketing and Mobile Marketing space beyond text messaging. With rapid uptake of a variety of screen sizes e.g. tablets in the mix with mobiles &  laptop, all website owners need to get their websites mobile friendly.

Each year, at least once a year, event managers ask me to deliver on topics of ‘What is the Next Big Thing’. This year was no exception. So I was able to give a hint at what I and a global mastermind group have tested since October 2011. We have been working in the areas of Reputation Management, Local Video Marketing & Video SEO, Video Production, Local Marketing, Local Lead Generation, Google Plus Local.

I must say that I’ve seen many aspects look very simple to start with. However, in delving deeper, any ad agency, consultant serving clients could fall into traps. Apart from awareness of these SoLoMoVi options, this could be why there are so many not yet implemented by ad agencies, or marketers in NZ. Offshore the opportunity is at its rise of uptake amongst online consultants. A wee note. In NZ there is mention of Reputation Management. Generally in NZ,  I’ve seen it offered as offline reputation  management or a very embryonic online version rather than the full scope.

The highlights of 2012 presentations this year were to NZ’s marketers and online sector on Social Local Mobile Video (#SoLoMoVi); to a group of Christians who want to support each others’ businesses (the topic of blending faith with commerce, co-operation, collaboration and communication).

Another highlight was in delivering a 12 week series at NZ’s largest university, Massey University, on ‘Social Networks for Business’.

We covered much ground beyond the usual suspect: Social Media Marketing. It was a pleasure to deliver concepts I hold dear, on Social Business aka Whole-of-Business Social Media, Business 2.0, Enterprise 2.0. Its content included extremely strategic aspects of the 13 stages of on boarding a company with Social Media; how to use collaboration, communication, co-operation, and change management to support a company to its next metamorphosis. As a practical application of the course content, students set up blogs, and co-operated in supporting each others blogs. Plus they also role played scenarios of persuading a ‘stuck boss’ to adopt Social Media within the entire business.

As a special ‘going away present’, the last session before exams included the interaction with recent, avante garde & futuristic technologies that many are unaware of, yet hold great marketing potential. The students thought that the subject was going to be a breeze due to their use of Facebook. It didn’t take long before they realised the course was more demanding than Facebook friending & posting!

The upshot is that much of my time has been spent in micro-market Social Media rather than mainstream Social Media. Micro groups sharpen skills and knowledge sharing. What does this mean to you, or to the blog? Resultant work has required experimentation and research. Not a day goes by that I need to research up to 10, 20, 30 topics a day to support client work or update skills and knowledge.  So I’ve been time poor as far as supporting this blog goes. So what I’ve decided is that I need to share more short snippets of discovery in this blog. You will benefit by seeing relevant content I’m leveraging with or from. It could save you time and effort.

How to identify a Domain Name Scam … who really is asking you for money!

Phishing scams seem to exist everywhere. As we become more involved and integrated online it becomes important to not unwittingly approve a phishing scam invoice or order. What might appear genuine is simply a scam.

Often it is not until you use a few forensic tools and data matching that you suddenly realise that you could be easily ripped off. Conversely are your genuine activities, brand etc viewed as genuine or mistaken as a scamming, or worst still, has someone adopted your brand, profile and passing off as you.

The ability to be able to verify potential orders and customers you receive as a supplier from online is a vital skill you all need to know.

Today I received a domain name registration order for a domain I own that I normally renew direct with the registrar for $US9.95.  So when I saw this email asking me to renew for $US75 from an unfamiliar name I knew immediately this was a scam, so I thought I would dig deeper.

A point to note is that this url is due for renewal at the end of July so for the unsuspecting they could be easily caught out. The fact that they state 28 June as a non action deadline is a give away to the savvy online administrator.

The first detail I immediately noticed that it was an IN domain ..hmm first give away… an Indian domainl url.  The second was the domain itself ORDERTRACKING76777 which gives me a hint of a automated set up design to cream those who thought they were registering with their original domain name registrar. So next up was to check who owned ORDERTRACKING76777.IN  A quick check revealed Alan S in Arizona was the registrant who secured this domain a few days ago 10-Jun-2012 21:03:57 UTC. A check of the zip code is for the city of Glendale. However despite postal address and tel phone number provided I am going to guess this email did not originate out of Glendale, Arizona. So since I am writing this post as I research this scam give me a minute and I will check the email server route… my guess it did not originate out of the Arizona..so lets see. For clarity I placed the link that was hyperlinked on the “process secure payment” for your viewing. … back in a  minute.

Well as suspected the email originates out of Union City, Tennessee. A further check identifies that the email may well have originated near this location … ,2114 E Old Troy Rd, Union City, TN 38261 Checking the actual address using forensics can vary to achieve 100% accuracy using public tools due to server locations, firewalls etc. However it does give an indicator.

Next up is to check the telephone number and to see where it is registered to. Now one could simply call the number and ask, however we will see what forensics will tell us. So after checking the  Area tel code 602 is registered for Glendale, so that does match the postal address.  Next if we check the owner of the email address .. now this can be telling by what it does not tell us and in this case the email address is a free yahoo address  .. as alans5122@yahoo.com which means unless we are Yahoo we can not check who operates this, even-so a red alert comes on as the Registrant knows it can not be easily traced.

Next we check the persons name and the company name that is stated as owning this domain. So a good give away is that the Surname is “S.” Now after checking the company name on the State of Arizona;s company database there is no company registered as AS Marketing LLC, so in likelyhood that this person is passing off as a registered scammer front and is not a legal entity as such. A criminal case of breaking the law.

Now at this point I thought we would do the obvious and visit the url http://www.ORDERTRACKING76777.IN and see if my estimation todate matches what we find …so lets go have a look…..hmmm … The fact I can not find the company on the Arizona company database and it is a IN domain my alarm bells are ringing very loud. My first siren is ringing as there is no such web site as www.ORDERTRACKING76777.IN  So since the url is (DO NOT CLICK ON IT) http://ordertracking76777.in/order/NrHxLewmne3UqNt5PlhG1A%3D%3D raises significant doubts as to what page it will land on. So whether the site is a scammers url order cart or simply drops a virus onto my computer we will never know. The question I ask myself why does a USA company not use .com when it is available … makes me smell a rat.

Now in reviewing IN …Wikipedia states ...Before the more liberal policies for the .in domain, only 7000 names had been registered between 1992 and 2004. As of March 2010, the number had increased to over 6.1 lakh, with 60% of registrations coming from India, rest from overseas.^[1] This domain is popular for domain hacks.

Now for the benefit of the Search Engines and any one else who received the email I have include the body text so they might come across this posting.

Registration includes SE submission for ULTIMATEINTERNETINTERVIEWS.COM for 12 months. There is no obligation to pay for this order unless you complete your payment by Jun 28, 2012. SE Services provides submission services and search engine ranking organization for domain owners. This offer for submission services is not required to renew your domain registration.

Failure to complete your search engine registration by Jun 28, 2012 may result in the cancellation of this order (making it difficult for your customers to locate you using search engines on the web).

So overall this email when checked against my partial checklist fails on every account.

Now imagine this – If this company was actually genuine and simply over ambitious is getting you to renew with them they fail in every category. Even if they got 50% pass it raises serious doubts as to doing any business with them and would you actually get the SEO service.  So the question every company should ask itself how do you know if that $5000 order is genuine of a scam, or that inquirer is very genuine but just not ready to reveal their full identity with their initial inquiry.

Almost as a joke they state the email compiles with the Anti spam laws…. providing a link to unsubscribe …which just so happens to be the same as the renew link.

If you need this type of forensic service for  emails you receive I can offer the service. Rates according to work required.

Contact Kevin Andreassend on +64-9-4142348