Study: Social Networking Ads Work

By Dennis Romero

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

An eye-tracking study of 25 people said to represent the average social-networking site users found that a majority of them approved of seeing advertisements and even engaged with ads while searching for products and reviews on their favorite social portals, according a report released this week.

The study, titled "Seeing Search Go Social," by search marketing agency Oneupweb, finds that 65 percent of that small sample that used sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find out about products ended up "engaged with sponsored ads within the first 10 seconds of their search. "



The study tracked eye movements of participants faced with such social networking portals. The idea is to gauge whether such sites can be as useful in the future as Google has been in pairing customers with goods being sought.

"We wanted to know if people actually look at ads when they are on social sites like Facebook, YouTube," states Oneupweb CEO and Founder Lisa Wehr. "Or, in the case of Twitter, where will they likely look for those ads when they do begin to appear? We found that not only do users spend time viewing paid ads on social networking sites, they often look at these ads before actual search results."

Additionally, according to a statement based on the study's results, "50% of participants were satisfied with their brand search on Twitter. Many liked that they could find the most current opinions about a product."

See the full study here.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Over 1,300 Google Employees Have Signed a New Petition Asking For Job Security

Google laid off thousands of employees in the past two years, which has left some employees feeling insecure about keeping their jobs.

Business News

Your Old Apple AirPods Can Soon Act as an Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid, According to the FDA

The new software is compatible with the Apple AirPods Pro and accessible through iOS — for free and now FDA-authorized.

Side Hustle

This 29-Year-Old Quit Working 12-Hour Overnight Shifts Because Her Side Hustle Brings In Up to $8,000 a Month: 'It Makes Me Happy'

Breanna Meertins picked up a fun hobby in her free time — then learned about an opportunity that would change everything.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'Nobody Ever Gave Me Anything': More Boomers Say They're Not Transferring Wealth to Family Until They're Dead

A new survey from Charles Schwab found boomers are more hesitant to distribute their wealth than other generations.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says She Doesn't Look at Resumes: 'Always Hire Attitude Over Experience'

If you think you need a strong resume to work with real estate pioneer Barbara Corcoran, think again.