Not so fast! When used properly, political ads on Facebook are useful, says one public-affairs strategist in response to a study by a pair of academics that claims just the opposite.
Lisa Raphael (left), the social media producer at Katie Couric's daytime talk show Katie, is one of our featured speakers in Mediabistro's upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an online event and workshop starting June 6, 2013. Lisa will share a case study on how the hit show uses Twitter to build interest and buzz around upcoming segments. Learn more about our our twelve event speakers and register here. 
As Election Day comes closer, you’re likely seeing political ads everywhere you turn — on front lawns, in newspapers, and on television. You’re likely also seeing them on Facebook, and not just for President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. Two researchers studied the Facebook ads placed by a candidate running for a state legislature position, seeing if they helped his name recognition or likeability. Unfortunately, in this case, the Facebook ads barely moved the needle for the candidate.
Harvard University is the birthplace of Facebook, and, according to research from Online Universities, the Crimson also dominate the Ivy League in terms of Facebook likes and people talking about this, with more than 10 times the likes of runner-up Yale University.
