IBM software taps into Facebook’s social graph

Users of IBM Commerce software have better access into the data its customers pour into Facebook after announcing a deal with the world’s largest social network on Wednesday.

IBM Corp. and Facebook said that IBM’s marketing cloud will have access to Facebook’s Custom Audiences tool for building targeted campaigns. That should give them more insight into the information their customers post to Facebook, including their interests (based on Likes, for example), opinions and expectations of brands on an aggregate level. So IBM isn’t going to be able to know what your opinion of a specific brand is specifically, but just have a better idea of how people like you think of a brand.

Rather than having to login to Facebook to dig up these insights, IBM customers will now be able to use IBM Journey Designer and Journey Analytics to get at the data. The Analytics software will render correlations between customers on Facebook and their interactions across other channels, and Designer will be able to create campaigns that use this information to target specific types of customers.

IBM offers an example of the type of campaign its clients will now be able to orchestrate: a retailer selling running gear could segment out customers that are interested in long-distance running and then delve into their preferences for running gear (do they buy cross-training shoes or running shoes?) and then offer location-oriented deals on gear they might want and is a fit for their climate.

IBM says that Facebook will also be joining its IBM Commerce THINKLab, a research and collaboration environment where companies work directly with brands to develop technologies that can personalize a customer experience.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Brian Jackson
Brian Jacksonhttp://www.itbusiness.ca
Editorial director of IT World Canada. Covering technology as it applies to business users. Multiple COPA award winner and now judge. Paddles a canoe as much as possible.

Featured Story

How the CTO can Maintain Cloud Momentum Across the Enterprise

Embracing cloud is easy for some individuals. But embedding widespread cloud adoption at the enterprise level is...

Related Tech News

Get ITBusiness Delivered

Our experienced team of journalists brings you engaging content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives delivered directly to your inbox.

Featured Tech Jobs