​Two case studies suggest that FBX news feed campaigns sometimes outperform name brands' AdWords programs.

​Advertisers who use pay-per-click models to drive traffic back to their websites should investigate potential lead generation and conversion opportunities through Facebook Exchange (FBX). According to a new report from Triggit, an FBX partner, companies can see impressive results through social media marketing via Facebook. In some instances, results rival or outperform campaigns on Google AdX.

Triggit released results from two FBX news feed campaigns – one from an international retailer and another from a large apparel website. The FBX partner says the results have been stronger than expected, surpassing results seen from right-rail FBX ads and Google AdX campaigns. Triggit forecasts campaigns will see a 5x increase in clickthrough rates for FBX ads in the news feed compared to right-rail programs.

However, both the international retailer and large apparel site saw CTRs 16 to 24x higher than alternative FBX options, which rival averages from AdWords. The international retailer’s campaign is 38x higher than its Google AdX efforts.

Perhaps more important for businesses is FBX news feed campaigns’ cost effectiveness. Triggit reported that its two clients saw much lower cost per acquisition (CPA) rates than right-side FBX ads and Google AdX campaigns.

While these results are specific to two of Triggit’s clients, brands that optimize social media content for FBX news feed campaigns might see similar results. In fact, the source’s comparison to AdWords results should encourage some marketers to experiment with Facebook marketing in the future.

46.7 percent of brands said Facebook ROI is comparable to Google or Yahoo search marketing returns.

An AdAge report from February 2013 found that about 85 percent of brands develop Facebook marketing strategies, but 70 percent of companies have never used the Sponsored Story feature and 87 percent have overlooked Facebook Exchange options. What’s more interesting is, in the same study, 46.7 percent of brands said Facebook ROI is comparable to Google or Yahoo search marketing returns. Clearly, marketers must​ ​revisit FBX advertising and understand how their brands can leverage the reach of social ads to maximize ROI and complement ongoing search marketing campaigns across the web.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.