• January 13, 2012

Facebook took 2.7% of the “biddable” online advertising marketplace during the fourth quarter of 2011, and is projected to take a 5% share of all online ad budgets by the end of 2012, according to a new report released Friday by Efficient Frontier. The report, the Digital Marketing Performance Report, says brands are investing in Facebook advertising primarily to acquire “fans,” and that overall social media ad spending is now “additive to existing budgets rather than subtracting from other digital media channels.

The report estimates that brands are acquiring fans on Facebook at a rate of “9% per month,” and that the brand fan base is expected to double by the end of 2012.