It's Not Just Teens Who Are Getting Over Facebook

At least that’s what the findings in a new report emerging from the UK indicate.

According to the report, which was published by YouGov SixthSense, overall Facebook usage in the UK is down nine percentage points from one year ago. What’s more, it seems the primary reason that many of those users have stopped visiting Facebook is because they’re fed up with social media marketing.

Food for Thought

The survey of 1,995 adults was conducted in March of this year and definitely provides some interesting food for thought from an online marketing perspective. Among the survey’s many findings, it was revealed that only one in twenty Facebook users polled could recall clicking on an ad in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, less than one in ten of the users polled were impressed by the relevance of targeted advertising on Facebook or other social media platforms. A third of those surveyed revealed that they often switch off updates from brands that posted too often.

“This report shows that reaching potential customers through social media is rather different than doing so through traditional media channels,” explained YouGov SixthSense Research Director James McCoy. “The proportion of Facebook users who are tuning out brands’ marketing efforts clearly indicates that a savvier approach is needed.”

Are “Likes” Really Worth $174?

Maybe not, according to the report. Because while it’s true that 45% of those surveyed had “liked” or joined the page of a brand, 34% did so primarily because they hoped to get something in return.

Challenges and Opportunities

Overall, the report showed that in addition to having a user base that’s declining (at least in the UK), Facebook is proving a difficult place for advertisers to connect with users online. However not all of the report’s findings sounded like bad news for social media marketers.

One potentially positive takeaway is that 23% of the social media users polled went on to research a product or service as a result of reading about it on a social media site – a six percentage point hike from April of 2012. Another hopeful finding was that 14% of social media users have made a purchase based on reading about a product or service on a social media site – a seven-point hike from April of 2012.

“While there are significant challenges, this report identifies potential opportunities for marketers to build on,” said McCoy. “Such as the relatively high proportion of young men who respond positively to targeted ads on social media.”

One of the report’s other hopeful takeaways was that young men between the ages of 25-39 were more likely to feel that the targeted advertising they encountered on Facebook and other social media sites was relevant to them.

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