Facebook and In Text Ads

Facebook still doesn’t run In-Text ads. Maybe with time. But the In-Text advertising network that I’m part of does use Facebook to keep in touch with our partners and it’s just fantastic. So much was already written about utilizing social media to connect with customers that I thought there’s not much to learn anymore. I was wrong. Firsthand experience teaches priceless lessons. Here are two recent examples.

First Example: New Feature

The product design map is planned according to internal initiatives that take into consideration feedback from customers. But getting this feedback is not easy and even if a partner sends an email with an idea, it’s very difficult to identify the potential in each request. And then comes the community. On the Facebook fan page, a vivid discussion that involves many hundreds of community members highlights good ideas. First, it’s easier for partners to suggest ideas there; they do it more often than through email. Second, there’s immediate feedback from other community members and if the idea strikes as a good one, we know it immediately.

Just a couple of weeks ago one of the publishers suggested an additional view for payments history; a subtle addition of viewing the history since the last actual payment. It turned out that others also thought this could be useful. Listening to the community, we quickly prioritized this addition within the development roadmap and released the feature.

The reward was double: the product got better, that’s for sure. But more important, the community understood that we listen. They appreciate it and now offer more ideas.

Second Example: Frustrated Customer turned Happy

One of the network’s publishers was identified as sending fraudulent traffic and his account was shut down with an email explaining the situation (mostly, this means clicks not generated by interested potential customers, but rather through artificial means). Such fraudsters usually disappear without a voice. However, this particular publisher got angry: he was not involved in any fraud. Theoretically, it could have been someone else who wanted to harm his website, and it seems like this was the case here. Where would this publisher direct his anger?

First, he approached the support team, but the answer was that he was suspended for fraud. In the days before Facebook, he would have then probably gone to webmaster forums or his blog, where it would have taken us much more time and effort to find it, if at all… But no, this time he went directly to the community – the Facebook fan page, discussing the issue with fellow publishers. And this is where the team listens closely. Within a couple of hours, the issue was resolved and the publisher was transformed from a frustrated customer to a happy advocate. And others could also see this and understand: we’re there for them.

The Facebook Fan Page

There are many more examples and we learn as we go. The Facebook community is the first to get access to new features and give feedback. The members also get exclusive special offers and news. The close contact with the community through the Facebook fan page turned out to be wonderful. You’re invited to watch it as well and join both the learning and the fun… here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/infolinks.

Now that Infolinks as an In Text ads network joined Facebook, the question arises: When will Facebook join Infolinks?