Marketing through Facebook

I have used Facebook to keep in touch with my friends around the world. The statistics show that Facebook is very demanding. Today, Facebook gets second rank in Top Sites by Alexa.com. Thus, Facebook can be considered as a successful business.

I was born in Indonesia, so I am Indonesian. Last Friday, 2 October 2009, Indonesian people was suggested to wear batik (Indonesian traditional clothes) by Indonesian Government. Since I am in Australia and I do not really hear much Indonesian news, it is difficult for people like us to know it unless it was advertised. I saw the advertisement in a very unexpected place as shown below:

Picture 1 Advertisement

The advertisement ("Batik, Proudly Indonesia") is in the right side in my Facebook page. I am an Indonesian and I got an advertisement that was targeted for Indonesian people. In other word, I would like to say that in this case, the advertisement reached the right person.

I think most of Facebook users give their personal data voluntarily to Facebook. That data can be used by Facebook to know each of its user better, for example: I set my birth date in Facebook, so Facebook can estimate my age (how old I am). Every product in the market (out there) was invented, developed, and built for certain group of people or, in marketing it is called, target market. An example of this is that milk powder products in supermarket, like Enfa A+, usually has a range of age written on its box to tell the buyer that the product was intended for a group of people in that age range.

Picture 2 Enfa A+

Target market is usually detail (consist of several criteria) such as gender (male/female), status in familiy (mother/children), condition (pregnant/growing), age range, country, etc. Many firms try to reach their target market. Facebook has various data of its users. Firms can ask Facebook to put their advertisement in certain users' Facebook page (target market). The more variations Facebook has, the more accurate Facebook can reach target markets. The more user Facebook has, the more people in each target market Facebook can reach.

In old days, Firms put their advertisement on billboards, newspapers, television, and any other medias that are used by many people, not specific people. Facebook has make it possible for the firms to reach more specific groups of people that become their target markets. In terms of marketing, it can be viewed to be a more effective way to reach the target market (some people like me see it as a revolution in marketing). No wonder Facebook grows like this.