by samAs everyone is aware at this point, whether or not Google+ succeeds in the world of social media will have a big impact on PPC advertising, as it seems Facebook is all too aware. Recently (and somewhat cheekily), app developer Michael Lee Johnson bought some Facebook ad space to promote his own Google+ account, which Facebook removed.
While removing the ad was meant to minimise Facebook users’ exposure to Google+, it had the reverse effect as the story was covered all across the web and Johnson gained over 1000 followers on Google+. From a business perspective, denying Johnson’s PPC advertisements makes perfect sense. PPC advertising is one of the tenets of Facebook; they’re its biggest source of income in an area of internet marketing that has granted them massive ad targeting capabilities.
The public is already aware that Facebook has blocked all user transfer services in an attempt to stop their users from migrating to Google+. Isn’t it possible that moves like this and the removal of (decidedly baiting) ads will do more harm than good? Besides seeming petty, it indicates that Facebook is all too aware that Google+ poses a threat to them, with short-term fixes like these implying that they are delaying the inevitable.
As limited as Google+ access has been, you might assume that the last thing Facebook should be doing is further glamorising an already highly coveted service. Facebook’s remaining advantage in online marketing is an already established number of users, so of course there should be concern that they may make the switch, but overt denial of the use of Google+ may be as detrimental as it is protective.