Experian launches new tool to help retailers drive Facebook fans to their websites
New Facebook Fan Acquisition and Analysis service now available in the UK
London, 24 June 2011 – Each new fan acquired on a Facebook page drives 20 additional visits to a typical retailer’s website over the course of a year, according to new analysis from Experian Hitwise, part of Experian Marketing Services. Revealed as the company launches its Facebook Fan Acquisition and Analysis service today, the findings demonstrate the tangible return on investment that is possible as brands increasingly turn to social media to reach consumers.
Robin Goad, Research Director at Experian Hitwise, commented: “Facebook is now the UK’s second biggest source of traffic after Google. Companies have known for some time how powerful Facebook can be as a marketing and branding tool, but until now demonstrating the value of investing in Facebook has been reduced to isolated examples consisting of anecdotal evidence. With our combination of data sources we are able to show exactly what effect acquiring new Facebook fans has on website traffic; and over the course of a year each new Facebook fan will be worth 20 additional visits to a retailer’s website.”
The new Fan Acquisition and Analysis service helps brands acquire new fans for their company Facebook pages. Using Techlightenment’s Alchemy Social Facebook advertising platform, audiences are selected dependent on their propensity to be a fan of any given brand, taking into account data such as ‘Facebook Likes’. Whilst all user data is kept anonymous, the Alchemy Social platform allows companies to optimise Facebook ads to reach their core audience and build a strong online community of brand advocates at the lowest possible cost. With the new service, campaigns to acquire Facebook fans can go live within a week helping brands gain tens of thousands of additional fans over a short period of time.
Experian data shows that top retailers, even if they have no fans, can still expect to receive on average 62,000 visits from Facebook each month. However, by using this new service, brands can more rapidly build a fan base within Facebook and therefore drive more traffic to their website. Within retail each new fan acquired will drive an additional 20 visits to a retailer’s website, which in turn will generate extra sales both online and offline.
Ankur Shah, CEO and co-founder of Techlightenment, an Experian company, commented: “Our Facebook Fan Acquisition and Analysis service will be a massive driver of online traffic for major retailers trying to get to grips with social media. The service allows us to charge on a cost-per-acquisition rather than a cost-per-ad basis, so the client will know exactly how much it will cost in advance to acquire quality Facebook fans which have relevant ties to their brand.”
According to the latest Experian Hitwise research, social media is the fastest growing industry online, with 2.4 billion visits from UK Internet users going to social networks every month, accounting for 13% of all UK Internet usage in May 2011. With so many consumers interacting with social media, websites like Facebook, which now accounts for 1 in 6 page views in the UK, are becoming a core focus for marketers in order to reach relevant audiences.
Alexandra Banks
Digital PR Manager, Experian Marketing Services
+44 (0) 7966102823
alexandra.banks@uk.experian.com
Methodology
Experian Hitwise monitored UK Internet visits to the top 100 retailers online and then benchmarked this visit data against the number of fans each of those retailers had on their Facebook page. Looking at branded searches after a visit to Facebook, the data also revealed those brands which captivated the attentions of Facebook visitors whilst they were browsing on the social network. Aggregating this data over a 12 month period showed that the average retailer would receive an extra 20 website visits for each additional Facebook fan they acquired.
About Experian Hitwise
Experian Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Experian Hitwise gives marketers a competitive advantage by providing daily insights on how 25 million Internet users around the world interact with more than 1 million Web sites. This external view helps companies grow and protect their businesses by identifying threats and opportunities as they develop. Experian Hitwise has more than 1,500 clients across numerous sectors, including financial services, media, travel and retail.
Experian Hitwise (FTS:EXPN), www.experianplc.com , operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, France and Brazil. More information about Experian Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.com/uk .
For up-to-date analysis of online trends, please visit the Experian Hitwise research blog at www.ilovedata.com and the Experian Hitwise Data Centre at www.hitwise.com/datacentre
About Techlightenment
Techlightenment, an Experian company, was founded in 2007 by Arjuna Gihan Fernando and Ankur Shah. Techlightenment develops technology to power social media campaigns for multinational businesses and global advertising agencies. Techlightenment’s products and consulting services help brands understand current customers, attract new ones and keep them longer. Clients have included GlaxoSmithKline, Universal Pictures, Paramount, Royal Bank of Scotland and Dr. Martens. Techlightenment is one of the only Facebook Preferred Developer Consultants and Advertising API Beta participants, it is also a Twitter Ads Partner and MySpace's only European Development partner. For more information, visit www.techlightenment.com .
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2011 was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit
http://www.experianplc.com
.