eMarketer: Facebook ad revenue doubled to $3.8 billion in 2011

eMarketer expects Facebook's revenue to grow 104% to $3.8 billion in 2011 as Facebook doubles its advertising revenue and diversifies its revenue sources, such as Facebook Payments.

Analysts at eMarketer pointed out that Facebook's revenue structure is becoming more diversified, with the proportion of advertising decreasing and revenue from services such as Facebook Credits increasing.

Facebook's total revenue, including advertising, payment sharing and other channels, will reach $4.27 billion in 2011, which is twice the revenue in 2010. Advertising revenue accounted for 89% of Facebook's total revenue in 2011, down from 95% in 2009.

eMarketer's revenue forecast for Facebook is based on user usage, marketer usage, ad prices and impressions, as well as analysis from other organizations or industry interviews.

In the United States, Facebook's revenue will exceed $2 billion, accounting for half of the global market share. Revenue from the United States will continue to grow, while advertising revenue from overseas will reach 50% in 2012 and become the largest revenue share in 2013.

Despite the good data, Facebook still needs to prove to advertisers the effectiveness of its products. Although Facebook has boasted to advertisers for many years, advertisers still believe that the efficiency of Facebook ads in driving user clicks and actions is still low. Facebook still needs to prove to advertisers that its ad clicks are very good or that the effect is also good without clicks.