If there were a 10-step program for breaking a Facebook addiction, I’d be an ideal candidate. As a confessed social networking junkie, I do take some comfort in knowing I’m far from alone. With more than 175 million active members and the numbers mushrooming year after year, Facebook has catapulted itself into the #1 spot among today’s top networking sites, even bypassing the monolith MySpace.

For many, Facebook is a forum to connect with long-lost friends, post vacation pictures, and kill time playing mindless online games. But for owners of eCommerce stores, it represents a priceless opportunity to increase visibility, build branding, and boost revenue. Best of all, establishing a presence on Facebook won’t cost you a dime.

When it seems like all of the marketing ploys have already been played, it can be tough to come up with a new trick that will attract new customers and bring old ones back for seconds. Today’s wary consumers are watching their wallets closely – but that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in turning browsers into buyers. It may take an innovative approach to send them from product to cart to confirmation, but you can do it – and your existing customers can help.

There’s a type of advertising that you might not know much about, but it’s one that can work well with a wide variety of products and services that are sold online. It’s called an advertorial.

What is an advertorial?

The word itself–advertorial–is a portmanteau, combining the words “advertisement” and “editorial.” It’s essentially an ad dressed to look like an editorial or news article. All advertorials have a disclaimer–usually located right above it–saying that it’s a paid advertisement.

Why are advertorials effective?

Despite the disclaimer, they’re incredibly effective because of the layout and content. In terms of design, they look just like the other articles in the publication. In terms of content, they’re written with a journalistic style using quotes, facts, and statistics. This combination proves persuasive since someone casually reading the publication might assume it’s another news article.