Unlike some things – sorry, Zack Morris – a corporate Web site tailored to brand objectives never goes out of style (image via FanPop).

As more brands strive towards creating a social marketing footprint with official presences in leading online communities like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, some marketers are beginning to question whether corporate sites have lost their relevance. The question has been debated several times in recent months, “Should we be putting the corporate site on the endangered species list, or is there still some life in this marketing vehicle?”

As with every situation in social marketing, let’s take a step back and view it through the lens of the company’s objectives for having the Web site in the first place. If a company is using a site for e-commerce, or is monetizing the site using ad dollars, then retaining the Web site as the mothership is still critical for capturing leads and eyeballs.

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Facebook’s self-service ads aren’t the best option for major branding initiatives, but they can go a long way for targeted campaigns (image via Flickr).

The self-service ad model may not be the secret to Facebook’s future fortunes, but it presents marketers with some largely untapped opportunities for reaching the most precisely targeted audiences online.

If you talk to Facebook’s users about advertising, you’ll hear a number of criticisms. Some say it’s brash or irrelevant. Many others don’t notice it at all. I’d expect many consumers wouldn’t even think of the best ads as advertising, such as those ads for TV show or movie premieres on the homepage where you RSVP if you’re going. Some of the worst problems with the site’s advertising have been minimized, such as those in my musings last summer on Facebook’s ‘Jewhavioral’ targeting and overly personal weight loss ads.

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