Survey reveals which Facebook ads users prefer

Back in 2007, when Facebook announced its intention to place ads on the social networking site, many users were outraged. Now, it seems, the question isn't just whether they like ads in their social space - it's which ads they prefer.

by Helen Leggatt

Ads on Facebook that don't take the user away from the social networking environment are preferred over ads that, when clicked, take the user to another site. Such are the findings of Inside Facebook Gold's* recent survey of active Facebook users.

When asked which ads they liked the least, 62.7% said "for other websites" followed by "ads for other Facebook pages" (23%) and "ads for events" (14.3%). Marketers should therefore consider a Facebook presence in their social marketing strategy to ensure consumers' can engage without their social networking activity being interrupted.

Another question in the survey determined which advertised products were disliked the most. It turns out that dating and educational/job-related ads were liked the least with 46% and 24% respectively. However, leisure and entertainment-based products such as movies and TV shows (8.7%) and foods and beverages (7.1%) were least likely to offend.

Understanding how Facebook users perceive ads, and which formats are most welcomed, will lead to better conversion and lead generation performance from campaigns carried out on the social network.

Inside Facebook Gold's survey results also reveals which ads users like the best, what type of ads they click on most and what improvements would make them like ads more.

* Inside Facebook Gold is a data and analysis membership service from Inside Network that provides global traffic data and usage statistics to track growth in the Facebook ecosystem.