While Facebook still might have had the most successful IPO of any technology company in history, the social network still didn’t make anywhere near its projected earnings. Most analysts and experts have actually shrugged the company off as overrated, but one research firm still believes in the company’s value and use to businesses.
Nomura Equities Research recently gave Facebook a “buy” rating on Thursday June 21, setting a target price of $40 a share – 25 percent higher than its current price tag. Clearly, there must be some redeeming value for the social network. That value, it so happens, is the amount of access that companies gain when advertising on Facebook.
Facebook’s reach, according to All Things D, covers more than half of the online world. In fact, Facebook’s display ads consist of nearly 8 percent of the global advertising market. This figure is up from the 2.5 percent in 2009. In addition, display advertising made up 85 percent of the company’s revenues, according to Forbes. Furthermore, social media takes up 15 percent of an average consumer’s online time, coming at roughly 369 minutes per month.
While many experts are still criticizing Facebook’s display advertising for spotty targeting relevancy, Nomura believes that the massive amount of user data make it incredibly valuable. The combination of the user data with the social network’s long reach and its position as the top display advertiser make it a very shiny prospect for the research company.
Companies looking to capitalize on Facebook’s display advertising capabilities may want to work with internet advertising agencies to help with targeted online advertising efforts.