INSIDE FACEBOOK — Like players in many other industries, insurance companies have begun experimenting with how to use Facebook to reach more users and customers. The trend is to try to connect people around real-life topics -- not sales pitches. Searching for insurance agents on Facebook reveals that many of these companies have launched marketing campaigns on the site. Overall, State Farm appears to be the most ambitious, and successful...

ALL FACEBOOK — If you run a business and know the value of promotional campaigns on Facebook but have been stopped by the logistics, legal aspects and costs, you might want to check out Wildfire Interactive’s Promotion Builder application. The service, which has now been integrated with Publisher’s Clearing House’s new PCH Boost API for sweepstakes handling, is a great solution for instantly walking Facebook’s prohibitive promotional terms. Through an exclusive partnership between Wildfire and PCH, you have access to an SMM (Social Media Marketing) platform with multiple business benefits, including the ability to setup and publish promotional campaigns quickly...

WALL STREET JOURNAL — The vessel was one of about just 600 sold in 2009 by Folbot Inc., a small retailer in Charleston, S.C. " You can't buy that exposure," says the firm's co-owner, David AvRutick, who claims the incident speaks to the value of using social media for marketing. But Mr. AvRutick's experience may be the exception, rather than the norm. In its short lifetime, social media -- services like Facebook and Twitter -- have become popular marketing tools for small firms due to the low cost and easy-to-use format. Some entrepreneurs say they're highly effective, but new evidence suggests otherwise...

BRANDWEEK — Wendy's is attempting to insinuate itself into this year's NCAA Basketball Championships with a social media push designed to create real-life parties. The fast feeder has worked with Kaplan Thaler Group for Facebook- and Twitter-based promos dangling gift cards for Boneless Wings to consumers who organize viewing parties over the social network. The Facebook effort, breaking today, gives 100 random $50 gift cards to such consumers...

SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL — Driving traffic to your website or Fan page through Facebook advertising is becoming a popular trend these days. And for good reason too! Facebook is easily capable of sending you thousands of highly targeted visitors! But with all of the advertising Facebook users are subjected to, what can you do to make your ad stick out? Traditionally, Facebook ad click-through rates (CTRs) are pretty horrible. From my research I’ve seen that an average performing ad will have about a 0.02% CTR. A few weeks ago when I had decided that I wanted to use Facebook ads to drive awareness to a contest I was running called RavenHunt, I found my ads falling into that average category (or worse!). I had setup these two ads...