Categories: Social Media

Cost of Facebook advertising on the rise

The cost of advertising on Facebook is rising, with the average cost per click increasing as much as 45% in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to a report from Facebook advertising technology firm TBG Digital.

In the United States, the average cost per click rate increased by 10% in the last quarter of 2011 when compared to the previous quarter. Canada, France and Germany all saw minimal cost per click increases, with the rate falling significantly by 11% in the United Kingdom.

The increase in value of cost per click advertisements in the United States can be attributed to stagnant network growth. Demand to advertise on Facebook remains high, but the supply has stagnated so to speak, increasing competition and driving up cost per click rates as a result.

While lessening demand for Facebook advertising may be causing prices to lower in the United Kingdom, click-through rates on advertisements there are increasing, suggesting a more calculated and targeted approach to social media marketing. Click-through rates in France doubled, while they fell by 2% in the United States. Overall, click-through rates increased by 18% in the fourth quarter of 2011 when compared to the initial quarter.

Advertisers were encouraged by Facebook to keep traffic within the network, by advertising Facebook Pages as apposed to external links, as this helped lower cost per click rates by as much as 45%. Keeping users on Facebook for longer allows the social network to further and repeatedly monetise traffic.

Facebook’s other advertising rate system, cost per thousand impressions, witnessed similar price increases. Between the first and fourth quarters of 2011, the average cost per thousand impressions rose 23%, having increased consecutively in each quarter.

All of this is good news for Facebook as it heads towards its IPO – speculated to take place this May.

Via AllFacebook

Albizu Garcia

Albizu Garcia is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gain -- a marketing technology company that automates the social media and content publishing workflow for agencies and social media managers, their clients and anyone working in teams.

View Comments

Recent Posts

AI and the Dopamine Trap: How Algorithms Are Rewiring Our Social Cravings

New research shows AI companions can lift mood and teach social skills, but only when…

3 days ago

Hate speech, deepfakes & false info undermine UN work: comms chief

Hate speech is a launching point for crackdowns on narratives that impede UN agendas: perspective…

3 days ago

Making Sense brings strategic insight to the SIM Hartford Chapter

On June 4, technology executives gathered at the SIM Hartford chapter presided over by Fariba…

4 days ago

‘Digital disinformation undermines trust in climate & health authorities’: WHO Pan European Commission on Climate & Health

The PECCH is an attempt to persuade us into believing that climate & health policies…

7 days ago

WEF ‘Summer Davos’ in China to tackle transhumanism, AI & One Health agendas

The program agenda for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 16th Annual Meeting of the New…

1 week ago

10 design and architecture writers to put on your radar this year

It’s easy to get caught up in the visuals—perfectly styled rooms, dramatic before-and-afters, bold architectural…

2 weeks ago