In its early days, Facebook sucked for marketing, as its primarily collegiate users were more interested in socializing than in responding to corporate pitches. That’s not a criticism — after all, Facebook is officially a “social network,” so it was working as designed.

But this endemic commercial disinterest meant that most marketers were wasting their dinero on banners on Facebook. For most Facebook users — particularly refugees from the full-frontal ad assault called MySpace — that was a good thing. For Facebook’s investors? Not so much.

Then a couple of transformational events occurred…

First, the enthusiasm among young voters for the Presidential election turned the social-networking platform into an issues-promotion platform, with everything from Facebook Groups to individual Wall Posts taking on a decidedly political tone. It was like seeing a frat house evolve into a town hall. (This same politicization also transformed YouTube into more than just a massive streaming time killer. Here’s hoping YouTube doesn’t revert to its status as Amateur-Webcam-Confessions Central now that the election’s over.) This proves that if you want a social media platform to last, you gotta tap into user passions, whether they’re sports, politics, motorcycles or cats. Socializing alone just won’t cut it anymore, right Friendster?

The second transformational event occurred when Facebook introduced a pay-per-click option rather than just the mostly worthless pay-per-view. As I tell my clients, on the Internet — where consumer-ad interaction is easily measured — why waste your money on views? Pay only for clicks. (And if you can arrange it, pay only for sales conversions.) Facebook also made the ads highly targetable — finally, the micro-targeting promise of Web 2.0 actualized! — so ads are less likely to be wasted on consumers who aren’t in your market.

Facebook’s ads are also primarily text-based, free of blinking and noise. (Update 3/31/9: I just saw the first cheesy dancing banner ad on Facebook — the kind of ad that made MySpace unbearable. As you know from my article on cheesy banner ads, that calls for AdBlock Plus.)

So suddenly, advertising on Facebook makes sense. (Unless everyone is using Adblock Plus.) And while I normally have major issues with “best practices,” I’m hoping other websites follow Facebook’s example.

Now it’s up to marketers to get their ads in gear. And unfortunately, most of the ads on Facebook are still awful. Let’s look at two ads that popped up simultaneously on my profile just before the election…

Nature Valley Ad: Not Much To Chew On

The first, for Nature Valley Granola Bars, baffles me. I presume I got targeted because I overtly support Greenpeace and am a Democrat, which I guess makes me a granola-muncher. But the message was about hiking, and I haven’t been on a hike since… hold on, I’m trying to remember… Clinton’s first term in office? OK, so the targeting is a little off, but a consumer could still say, “I don’t hike, but I do bike/golf/sit through marathon status meetings run by a bloviating middle manager who loves the sound of his own voice.” The problem is, whoever wrote the ad implied that Nature Valley Granola Bars are not at they’re best when you’re not hiking. Based on the awkward phrasing, I’m guessing the author is that bloviating middle manager.

Then there’s the next line: “Because they’re the energy bar nature intended.” Wow, you mean, somewhere Mother Nature sat and stared at a spreadsheet and said, “Hey, I want to take a bunch of my fruits and nuts and oats, throw in a lot of sugar, bake and compress the whole thing, and wrap it in paper and plastic with a snazzy corporate logo on the packaging. That’s always been my intention.” Now, I’m not attacking packaged food products here — I pretty much live off the processed offerings at Trader Joe’s — I’m questioning the statement that packaged foods are what nature intended. Is that what you want to tell a Greenpeace supporting, tree hugging, kitten rescuing liberal who analyzes marketing for a living?

Finally, where’s the compelling reason for me to click on this ad? Why should I “Be a Fan”? Will I get an autograph from Mother Nature? Front row tickets to her next concert? Indeed, this ad is so bad, the first thing that crosses my mind is that clicking it will just take me to a bigger page with more empty hype. At the least, offer me a freakin’ coupon.

But maybe Nature Valley is so cheap, they didn’t want to pay for any clickthroughs. They just wanted to get their branding message across to thousands of granola munchers for as little money as possible. That sounds reasonable — but I’m not buying it.

Proposition 4 Ad: It Gets My Vote

This one is perfectly targeted: I’m an Obama supporter living in California, so Proposition 4 is something I’d care about. And as every voter knows, the Propositions are absolutely confounding. They’re written by the same Spanish Inquisitors who craft IRS tax forms, cell phone bills, and software instructions. Many Propositions are written to outright deceive voters; hence, most of us do want to learn more about them. This ad’s call to action was spot on and, yes, I clicked it.

The photo was a small but important touch, since photos catch the eye more than text ever will, and in the fervor leading up to the election, any photo of my man Barack would get my attention. There were no wasted words or empty statements in this ad; indeed, seeing Obama’s position on this issue also influenced my attitude toward the Proposition instantaneously.

Now I know that not every marketer has a product that inspires as much interest as a ballot Proposition, or has a photo that’s as guaranteed to grab the eye. But here are 5 basic rules to observe in putting together your Facebook ad:

1. Target carefully and opt for pay-per-click. Indeed, start with a very narrow consumer target then alter it or expand it as the results come in. The pay-per-click will show you what’s working.
2. Get to the point. A small text-based ad is an extremely difficult medium for branding, and you don’t want to stumble when it comes to your brand. If your brand is, say, witty, go ahead and try to be witty, but focus on the product and the consumer benefit.
3. Add a photo. If the ad allows, use a thumbnail that’s visually compelling. Unless you’re Apple or a rock band, that does not include your logo.
4. Provide a compelling reason to click. Anyone who has to ask people to “be a fan” doesn’t get the point of fandom. Indeed, if you’re begging for fans, you might turn off the ones you already have. Instead, pull a Corleone and make an offer they can’t refuse, like an entry into a contest, a discount, a free sample, or simply knowledge. There’s a lot of hunger for knowledge on the web — you’d be amazed at how many people will click on a link just to learn something.
5. Encourage sharing. Finally, don’t forget where you’re advertising: a social network. Once you get a clickthrough and a conversion, motivate that consumer to spread the word to their friends. Granted, that’s easier if what you’re selling is a Proposition or a Presidential candidate. But if you have all the proper pieces in place, even a packaged snack product can get social.

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Related Article: Untweetable: Why Twitter Fever Isn’t For Everyone

Silly digression 11/18/8: Here’s an activity I bet neither Facebook nor its advertisers predicted: ad baiting. After reading this particular blog post, two of my smart-ass friends on Facebook — Claire Barry and Jeff Bravo (yes, those are their real names, but they do act like comicbook characters) — decided to experiment by altering their profiles. Jeff changed his profile from married to single, and these ads popped up for him (his comments are to the right):

Jeff Bravo needs a hook-up?

Claire decided to go a little further with her ad baiting, and changed her profile to a 23-year-old lesbian (in real life, she’s straight and a little older than 23). Her advertising prize?

What every young lesbian needs?

Claire was a baffled and (my guess) a little disappointed. Apparently, the targeting ability of Facebook advertisers leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll keep you posted on what our master baiters turn up next…

Update 11/24/8: Now here’s an ad that just appeared on my Facebook profile. This is wrong in so many ways, even I’m at a loss for words…