Last week, Facebook unveiled Facebook Messages, which Brafton reported had been referred to as "the future of online communication" by Mark Zuckerberg. Messages aside, it's clear that the site is presently a critical channel for marketers looking to communicate with consumers; Hitwise data shows that Facebook delivered about one in four U.S. page views last week.
The analytics firm reports that Facebook's share of online visits during the week ending November 13 demonstrated a 60 percent increase over the same period last year. The social site represented one in 10 U.S. internet visits.
Marketers must note that increased visits mean Facebook accounts for more content consumption than ever before. During the week ending November 13, Facebook represented nearly one in four page views, making it the web's most popular site. It accounted for nearly one-quarter of the market (24.27 percent) – more than triple the share of the second-leading site, YouTube, at 6.39 percent.
This indicates the content used for social sites is key to online marketing campaigns. With this in mind, marketers should take note that news content directs the most traffic to Facebook. Plus, a recent CNN study indicates that consumers favor brands they associate with news content found on social sites.
