Facebook Ads: What You Need To Know

You're scrolling through your newsfeed. It's that thing you were talking about the other day… And now it's on your newsfeed? Is Facebook listening to your conversations?

No, no. Facebook is not listening to your conversations (hopefully). The odds are that the post you saw on your newsfeed was carefully placed there by someone who considers you their target market through a Facebook Ad campaign.

Facebook has become sort of a 'pay-to-play' experience for business owners. Back in the day, before talks of Facebook algorithms and paid media, businesses were able to post on their social media channels and the people who 'liked' or 'followed' would see your content, no problem. But times have changed and the era of promoted content is here.

I am sure you have heard of a little thing called the Facebook (and by association Instagram) algorithm. The algorithm basically tries to guess, based on past user behavior, which content the user will be interested in and displays those posts in a way that the user will find pleasing. This was originally Facebook's plan to show you more of the content you actually care about but has resulted in only seeing about 30% of the feed you were once able to.

This all seems nice and dandy for the average Facebook user who is sharing pictures of cats and viral videos of Jimmy Kimmel. But it can wreak havoc for your business.

The content you are working hard on posting is only getting seen organically by 3% of your followers. Only 3%. You may as well not even have a Facebook page with that statistic.

How can you improve this you may ask? Facebook's advertising service.

Why do you need to use Facebook Ads?

Engagement on your posts

Obviously, when you craft a post, the objective is to generate a conversation. To get people talking about your business and the good work you are doing. With the Facebook algorithm we have discussed, that is nearly impossible without some kind of paid promotion. With only 3% of your potential audience seeing your content, those conversations can be few and far between.

When it comes to increasing engagement, it is helpful to take advantage of Facebook's boosting feature. When you craft a message for your Facebook that you are particularly proud of, you can 'boost' the image. By paying as low as $5, you will see your engagement go through the roof. The more money you put into boosting, the more people you reach, the more engagement on your posts, the more leads that will be generated!

On Point Targeting

Facebook's advertising service is able to be much more targeted than you may realize, in fact way more targeted than other traditional forms of advertising. Businesses can target based on age, gender, interests, different behaviors and demographics. This allows business professionals to define the exact audience that they would like to see the ad. You can even target by life events. If you get creative with the targeting features, you will truly be able to target your dream consumer.

Generates Leads

What is the main reason you have a Facebook page for your business? It could be for branding, marketing or customer service purposes, but when it gets to the nitty gritty, you post on social media to generate leads. And there's no better way than through Facebook advertising.

When you originally create an ad campaign on Facebook, you first have to choose an objective. These objectives range from brand awareness to sales to app installs to lead generation. Lead generation is one of the more common objectives and the one that your business will want to take advantage of. When combined with the proper targeting combined with a compelling call-to-action, your target market should be sure to give your ad a click!

You, as the ad designer, control what happens once the consumer inevitably clicks the ad. Facebook provides pre-written call-to-actions such as 'Learn More', 'Download', 'Like', and 'Visit Website', but you are more than welcome to create your own. Once the CTA is created, it will link back to a web page of your choosing. This could be a landing page to gather potential client's information to schedule a consultation, it could be a link to your website for the consumer to shop, literally any webpage you want the consumer to go to. This will prove to be very fruitful for your business.

Lower Costs Per Lead

As a business owner, you know how expensive and time consuming it can be to acquire new leads. Plenty of paid lunches, hours of phone calls and time spent on LinkedIn may sound familiar, but unsuccessful. Driving those costs down is a key advantage of using Facebook Ads. With the right targeting efforts you can receive maximum lead generating results at a fraction of the price, cutting down your costs.

Now that you know the benefits of Facebook Ads and what they can do for your business, let's get into the nitty gritty, here are three tips on getting the most out of your ad budget!

Facebook Ad Tips

#1: Be Weary of Facebook's Terms and Conditions

Now, with great opportunity, comes great responsibility (that's the saying, right?). While Facebook ads provide detailed targeting and the ability to really get your message out there, there is a review process that all ads and boosted content has to go through. As long as your ad follows their terms and conditions you should be good to go!

One rule Facebook has that could get you, is that there is a limit on how much text can be on an image. The image used in your ad or boosted content cannot have more than 20% of the image. This can be tricky when trying to boost certain types of content.

Another rule Facebook has to be weary of, has to do with your targeting efforts. Facebook has specific stipulations when it comes to targeting based on household income when advertising certain services like house, employment or credit opportunities. I would recommend reading up on these stipulations in Facebook's terms and conditions before proceeding with your ad. After all, you don't want to spend the time crafting your ad if it is not going to make it through Facebook's approval process.

#2: Know Which Call-To-Actions Are Effective

One of the most important elements of your Facebook Ad is the call-to-action. The call-to-action is the element of the ad that you want the consumer to click on. Studies show that the highest preforming CTA's are 'Learn More, 'Shop Now', and 'Sign Up'. Take that into consideration when choosing your CTA!

#3: Be Consistent

The Facebook Ads that you run should be consistent with the brand you are building! As with all marketing materials, the things you put out on your social media are a reflection of you and your brand. So when using Facebook Ads it's important to stay true to your brand. Take Facebook Ads as an opportunity to build that brand you have been working on!

If you need help with managing your Facebook Ads, click here to schedule a consultation!