By Melissa Campanelli
May 15, 2008
Eighty-seven percent of respondents to a recent survey sponsored by Wakefield, Mass.-based Prospectiv believe that very few (58 percent) or none (29 percent) of the ads and offers they see on social networking sites match their interests and preferences.
For the survey, Prospectiv, a provider of online customer acquisition solutions, polled 800 users of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Friendster and hi5.
Prospectiv also said that because ads on social networks are not matching consumers' interests, consumers are not clicking on them. According to the survey, more than half (54 percent) of consumers never click on advertisements on social networks, while 39 percent occasionally will respond to ads and 7 percent often will often respond.
Additionally, 56 percent of those polled said the quality of their online experience would be improved if social networking sites provided more targeted advertisements and offers tailored to their specific interests and preferences, according to Prospectiv.
What types of tailored ads and offers would customers respond to? According to the survey:
-
One-off coupons and discount offers from the brands and products they buy (62 percent).
- E-newsletters featuring coupons, discounts, news and tips about favorite brands (24 percent).
- Invitations to join interactive e-mail groups, online forums and social networks for sharing and communicating (14 percent).
