Advertisements placed on the more mainstream social networking sites are unlikely to be effective as direct marketing tools, research from international affiliate network, LinkShare, shows.

Just five per cent of 2,000 consumers surveyed said they considered ads on professional social networks, such as LinkedIn, helpful in assisting their purchasing decisions on the web – and just nine per cent thought similarly about ads on personal social networking sites, such Facebook. Only four per cent of those surveyed had previously clicked through on a banner ad displayed on a social networking site.

LinkShare says this questions the current effectiveness and quality of ads used by brands in this less traditional marketing space.

However, the research also revealed some good news for advertisers targeting social sites, with less than a fifth of respondents (18%) considering ads an interference to their activity online – indicating that despite apparent low audience interaction, there is still an opportunity for brands to improve the success of their Internet marketing campaigns.

Vouchers, promotions and special offers were shown to be a most effective way to encourage consumers to click on content displayed in banner ads and were also considered the least invasive form of online marketing, at 11 per cent. A resounding 59 per cent said they thought the promotions and offers available online were useful and only 19 per cent of people had never responded to a voucher ad online.

Looking at other online marketing tactics employed by brands to capture consumer attention, interactive ad banners – such as pop-ups and roll-downs – were considered the most intrusive type of online marketing, with almost two-thirds (62%) viewing this tactic as an interference when browsing the web. This was followed by direct mail (48%) and advertising displayed before and during video content (46%).

Liane Dietrich (pictured below), UK managing director at LinkShare, commented: “Although our research shows that ads on some of the mainstream social networks are not living up to the hype when it comes to click through rates, this doesn’t necessarily mean that ads on community shopping networks and forums will prove to be ineffective, too. Companies need to remember that users logging on to sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are there to network and not necessarily to shop.

“Brands and affiliates need to do more to ensure ads are better targeted to the social sites which encourage consumers to click through and engage with a company and its offering. Consumers need to be targeted in a way that is specific and tailored to their individual needs. Brands need to work harder to make sure they convey information which not only captures their audience but that also goes some way to enhance their overall online shopping experience.”

Liane Dietrich