Facebook marketing 'needs to be tailored'

Online marketers who want to make the most out of their html email newsletters need to be aware of the impact of social media, especially since Facebook allowed advertising, it has been said.

Research scientist at Facebook Cameron Marlow conducted a study to determine online social media relationships and found that the average Facebook user may have 500 friends, but communicates with around 20 of these and keeps in close contact with an average of ten.

Summarising the findings, Business Week noted: "What can this teach advertisers? People don't pay much attention to most of their online friends. By focusing campaigns on people who interact with each other, they'll likely get better results."

People increasingly log onto social network sites on their mobile telephones, which are becoming a popular internet tool.

A recent study commissioned by mobile credit card security firm Billing Revolution found that 45 per cent of respondents think shopping via their mobile telephone is "somewhat safe", with over a quarter believing it to be completely safe.

Marketers may therefore want to adapt their email marketing content to make it accessible and easy to read for mobile telephone users, who may increasingly click through to a website and make purchases this way.

Written by Tim Dunton