The Latest: Facebook Drives The Most Sales, According to a Recent Study

Here is our take on the most notable stories in Digital and Social Media Marketing from last week.

This week we check in with the big three: Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Instagram Stories hits over 300 million users, Snapchat finally released their long-awaited marketing/tracking pixel, and Facebook is touted as being the most successful social platform in terms of driving sales. Here’s The Latest.

Instagram Stories and WhatsApp Status hit 300M users, nearly 2X Snapchat

Tech Crunch | November 1, 2017

Two, Facebook-owned apps now have a Snapchat clone feature that has over 300 million users. Instagram’s Stories platform and WhatsApp’s Status platform both have very similar, 24-hour lasting images and videos. Launched last year, each of these app features dwarf Snapchat’s total audience of 170 million.

Our Take

With Facebook backing both Instagram and WhatsApp, Snapchat is going to have to really differentiate itself if it wants to keep its share of advertiser revenue. By investing heavily into their ad platform, Snapchat is making strides to become equal to Facebook in terms of targeting and creative. However, as of this writing, they have yet to release anything that can be seen as a game-changer. Detailed a little more below, advertisers who are targeting a younger audience should give Snapchat a test in 2018, but it depends on their video content library.

Snapchat Finally Lets Advertisers Use Pixels to Track Ad Results and Eventually Retarget

Ad Age | November 1, 2017

Despite their CEO calling pixels “creepy,” Snapchat has join the other social networks in providing their advertisers a vehicle to retarget and measure website activity. This is an important step for the company as they face heavy competition from Instagram, and now have shareholders to answer to.

Our Take

Snapchat has been really stepping up their ad offering in 2017, and has a robust enough platform that should be of interest to many advertisers. For companies looking to target younger audiences, the only downside to Snapchat is that many of the best ad units are video-based. This means that for smaller companies that do not have the resources to put together videos, Snapchat is still a pipedream.

Article: Facebook Leads Competitors for Last-Click Social Commerce

eMarketer | October 30, 2017

According to an Open Influence study, 47.7% of respondents have leveraged Facebook to make their latest purchase. Picking up second and third place were Instagram and YouTube at 8.6% and 4.5% respectively.

Our Take

This study reinforces why Facebook is the clear favorite for marketers who are looking to drive sales. The constant addition of new ad types and targeting methodologies, as well as the massive audience size, makes it a perfect platform for conversion.

What was interesting about this study was that Pinterest, which was in fourth place with 2.1%, out-ranked both Twitter and Snapchat. As we wrote about their rise in past months, Pinterest is going to be a channel all product marketers should try in 2018.

Stat of the Week via Media Post

According to Wochit’s Q3 Social Index, digital videos that last longer than 90 seconds see over 78% more shares and over 74% more views. Despite the stigma of having short attention spans, consumers seemingly love digital video content. Keep this in mind during your next ad campaign on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

About LiftEngine

Since 2005, LiftEngine's primary mission has been to help clients better understand and connect with their most responsive prospects and customers, online or offline. Our expertise is behind the marketing campaigns of 400+ clients.

Behind LiftEngine is LiftBase, our proprietary addressable consumer database. Comprised of 250 million US consumers, 140 million US households, and 1,000+ enhanced data elements, LiftBase powers our audience development services and industry-leading products, PortalLink and LaunchPad.

Let's connect today!