As usual, the sheer numbers at Facebook are simply staggering, the latest statistic is that the platform now has 25 million active advertisers, from professionals to amateurs, all linked to their target audiences by their common interests. As a digital marketing communications consultant, I’d say I get more questions about Facebook than any of the other two top social media companies Linkedin and Twitter. Most questions are unique to each individual client, because of their individual ways of evaluating return on investment.

However, speaking in general, Facebook has realised that its advertising systems can be complex and intimidating even for experienced professionals, and has launched new courses with Facebook Blueprint. It’s a really good idea to check out these courses, which can help marketers get a grip on the main approaches to marketing on Facebook.

TV advertisers who are racking their brains about evaluating their Facebook impact can check out the new Target Rating Points, developed with Nielsen ratings.

“A study by Nielsen of seven recent campaigns showed that, compared to people who saw TV alone, people exposed to both TV and Facebook demonstrated a 3.2 percentage point increase in ad memorability, 11.5 percentage point increase in brand linkage and a 22.7 percentage point increase in likeability linkage,” says Facebook.

This service is available in the large markets of the UK, US, France, Germany, but could be rolled out in Cyprus and Greece in the future.

My e-book How To Be A Holistic Digital Marketer also has tips on Facebook marketing.

Those following the Syrian war on Twitter might have caught the mini-war between the US Embassy in Syria and Russian government Twitter accounts. These types of political positioning Tweets have become more common as the political world adopts Twitter as an alternative to mainstream news media.

The US Embassy in Syria:

@POTUS: We’re not going to cooperate with a Russian campaign to simply try to destroy anybody who is disgusted & fed up w/ Asad’s behavior.

The operation in Syria is resistance against terrorism. It’s better to fight it abroad than domestically

When we remember that Twitter was one of the main communications channels for the Syrian uprising against Assad and an instrument of the Arab Spring, it’s clear that the microblogging channel is just as important as it ever was in breaking news and for freedom of speech. But watchers must be careful to distinguish between propaganda, facts and opinion to really use this tool effectively.

Social Media Digest highlights interesting social media trends and is sponsored by the digital marketing communications consultancy and video productions firm Jazz Arts & Communications, written by Sarah Fenwick. Contact us for your digital marketing advice.