facebook ads

I know that I have touched on this already but I spent some time in the last couple of days looking into data mining of facebook "likers". This has been enlightening from the standpoint of what data is available and beyond that into how you can use it. I do a fair amount of data mining and am very comfortable with the how, what and why of it. What I have learned about facebook is that there is a wealth of data present. What else I have learned is that you can't get to 99% of it directly. You are able to mine interactions and you can get some very surface level data via API about connections but the really juicy stuff is behind the blue curtain.

So what can you do? Utilize the features of facebook ads. This is the profit center future of facebook and they provide an abundance of resources for you to utilize including:

http://www.facebook.com/advertising/

http://www.facebook.com/ads/adboard/

http://www.facebook.com/FacebookAds (watch the video at the top)

Once you have an ad up your real goal is to get folks to "like" it - that pulls what you are advertising into their data stream, shares it with their friends and means that you don't have to pay for their ongoing connection with you. While using facebook this morning to trade posts with an old friend, I came across the key to this - provide a carrot (what I saw this am was from a candle company and they were giving away a free candle) in the ad and to be entered into the drawing for it, all you need to do is "like" it.

Simple, easy and direct way to get folks who have interest in you (they did click on your ad) to take a small step in you direction. Starting work on it tomorrow - want to join me?