Dave Williams' blog

Traditionally if a brand wanted to test a new campaign or product it might turn to in-store promotions, sampling activities and surveys, or it might organise a series of focus groups bringing people face-to-face to talk through their thoughts and opinions and gather valuable insights.

Now, in the social media age, it’s possible to cut out the legwork and project our new ideas online, utilising the immediacy and connectivity of Facebook® to formulate a virtual focus group, probably the world’s biggest and most efficient group imaginable.

The figures are enough to make your head spin: in the first half of 2011 Facebook revealed it had doubled revenue to $1.6 billion - with $500 million of that pure profit - and is on track to exceed $4 billion by the end of the year. Not bad for what began as an online college yearbook.

Facebook's astonishing growth in revenue is closely tied to user growth. The network has accrued a greater number of users than ever before, rising to over 800 million worldwide, extending to diverse demographics and locales, and enabling advertisers to reach and engage consumers with utmost precision and frequency.