I’ve been trying out an opted-in email based campaign this month targeting University Teachers, Higher Education Teachers and Book Stores in the US with a simple message that includes links to the most common sources of information and purchasing options for one of my books, Governance Documentation and Information Technology Security Policies Demystified which makes a great textbook I’ve discovered.

It is becoming quite apparent by the statistics that alternative marketing sources other than Facebook are more beneficial to me. Updating the click-through results show that a majority, and increasing, number are visiting my personal blog and wiki representing over 50% of the total traffic now. Traffic to bookstores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble representing 42% with Amazon now taking the lead which leaves Facebook losing ground with only 9% down from 11%.

I’ve found supporting evidence that running Facebook advertisements didn’t drive any sales. Sure, it was nice to increase my followers but if that cannot be monetized tangibly, there is only a negative return on my investment. An interesting side note is that is became rather apparent to me that many of these followers are being compensated for their attention by Facebook. So, if one does not take time to analyze the facts, you end up supporting Facebook’s self-licking ice cream cone.

It’s interesting how going IPO lifts the veil. Between declining stock enthusiasm, bogus users and internal manipulation of marketing tools, Facebook is not measuring up to be a business tool but more the Internet water cooler where employees was company time. That itself I’d wager is creating an even bigger negative impact on business.

Facebook is a really great toy but not a very good tool.

Here is the announcement source: https://michaelpeters.org/PR-Books-2012061801.html