Facebook Share Price: State Department Spent $630,000 to Boost Facebook ‘Likes’

iNVEZZ.com, Thursday, July 4: The US State Department spent more than $630,000 between 2011 and March 2013 to increase Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) ‘likes’ for four of its Facebook pages, an inspector general’s report has found. The campaign aimed to increase engagement with foreign audiences. The advertising efforts have resulted in a rise in the number of fans for each page from about 100,000 to more than two million, the report says. But employees complained that the State Department was “buying fans,” according to the report.

!m[Inspector General Recommends to Focus Advertising on Specific Goals](/uploads/story/3687/thumbs/pic1_inline.jpg)
The inspector general found that only a small percentage of Facebook users have actively engaged with each page. It recommended that the agency reduced spending by focusing advertising on specific public diplomacy goals rather than aiming to increase Facebook likes.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki yesterday said that the agency had reduced spending on Facebook advertising and planned to implement the inspector general’s recommendations. The state department currently spends $36,000 a year on the Facebook outreach program, she added.
**The Facebook share price closed at $24.52 in New York on 03.07.2013**