You might be eager to drop coin on advertising, but one survey suggests that brand advertisements on Twitter and Facebook might make fans become more negative toward your brand. MediaBrix, a social and mobile advertising firm, asked 2,516 U.S. adults what they thought of social media ads. The company might have stumbled on some bad news for marketers.

Of those surveyed, 62 percent who had seen in-stream ads on Twitter (such as a Promoted Tweet) in the last 12 months had a negative or unchanged perception of the brand. Similarly, 72 percent of respondents feel the same way about Sponsored Stories on Facebook.

While it’s possible that unchanged could outweigh the negative, that’s not necessarily a good thing. It means that something about your advertising isn’t striking a chord with your target audience. However, both Twitter and Facebook claim that engagement rates for their ads are higher than traditional digital advertising.

It’s also worth noting that 42 percent of respondents went on to say that they found Promoted Tweets misleading because they appeared to be regular content. That might be Twitter’s fault for not making sponsored tweets stand out more, but it could also have a lot to do with the marketing copy you’re choosing.

Although this survey shouldn’t weigh heavily on your decision-making, it’s good to be aware of. New social media advertising formats are popping up every day, and it’s best to carefully consider your strategy options before hopping on the next bandwagon.

[Via: AllTwitter, Image credit: Gordon Tarpley]