fMC (Facebook Marketing Conference)

fMC (Facebook Marketing Conference)

The fMC (Facebook Marketing Conference) is today and streaming on our homepage and although Mark Zuckerberg isn’t scheduled to speak they did send his Chief Operating Officer Sandberg, along for the ride.  This is actually the first ever fMC that Facebook has ever had, and with the Facebook IPO on the horizon, it makes since that they are focusing more attention on marketing and advertising as that is their main source of revenue.  Before the fMC really gets under way, we wanted to go ahead and lay down some predictions that we’ve seen floating around the internet and share them with our readers.

fMC | All About The Advertisements

The fMC hasn’t revealed the menu for the day, however here’s what ClickZ reports will most likely transpire at the fMC today:

  • Debut Brand Timelines. Facebook has continuously iterated what its brand pages can be and certainly still has work to do. Making the pages stickier, as it recently did for users with Timelines, could be paramount if it wants companies to continue to buy its on-site ads.
  • Unveil long-rumored mobile ads. Facebook’s recent S-1 filing for its initial public offering stated mobile disruption as a risk investors may want to consider. There’s no doubt that the digital giant desires to get out in front of monetizing the mobile space, as it competes with Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and Twitter for ad dollars.
  • Introduce new premium ad units.Leaked Facebook documents claim upcoming ad units will produce more engagement, better recall, and a “significant increase in purchase intent.” Among other changes, when a person seeing the ad has Facebook friends who are fans of a brand’s page, the ads will expand to include social context about the friends.
  • Improve Page Insights. It’s only been five months since the metrics suite was revamped, but with product manager David Baser scheduled to lead one of tomorrow’s breakout sessions, it’s plausible that new tweaks could be revealed. Recently, marketers have groused about the suite’s long lag time for reporting.
  • Launch an ad network. This development seems highly unlikely – Zuckerberg would be on the slate for something this big, wouldn’t he? – but you never know. While Facebook has been adamant for years that it had no plans to release its version of Google AdSense, Wall Street investors in the coming months will be looking for possible avenues of monetization growth from the advertising-dependent Facebook. EMarketer last week estimated that Facebook’s 2012 ad sales would eclipse $5 billion.

Wow, a Facebook ad network?  We’re not sure if that one will go through either at fMC.

We are really excited to see just when the Timeline will be released for brands, and I’m sure if nothing else, fMC will release that date today.

fMC | Tune in On Our Homepage

As mentioned before, Black Box Social Media will be streaming the fMC on our homepage and what better place to watch it then here?  While you’re watching the fMC you can take some breaks and trawl around the site as we constantly update the site with valuable information on social media for business that can really revolutionize the way you market your small business online.  The fMC will end, but Black Box Social Media will be going into detail on the topics discussed at the conference so that you, our reader, will know exactly how it will effect the way you interact with Facebook.

If you have anything to add about fMC today, feel free to leave it in the comments section.

Image attribution: http://www.vml.com/news-and-trends/articles/facebook-marketing-conference-be-broadcast-feb-29