Running ads on Facebook can make or break your bottom line. While Facebook offers an amazing platform through which you can communicate your message, running successful advertisement campaigns through the social media giant can be confusing. The fact is, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it could end up costing you big time. To avoid costly mistakes, follow these tips to demystify the elusive world of Facebook ads.
Know Your Target Market
There are two major objectives when it comes to utilizing Facebook ads to attract people to your business. The first is to increase the number of people ‘liking’ your Facebook page. The benefit in doing this is increasing your page’s rank on this popular channel. The second is to increase your click-through rate and engagement on your website outside of Facebook world.
For the sake of this example, let’s assume that your intent is to increase your site’s click-through rate. In order to do this, you must first know who your target audience is. You can do this by running reports to find out who is interested in what you are doing. Visit your Facebook Ads Reporting page and follow the directions found there.
Tell a Compelling Story
Now that you’ve figured out your target market, it’s time to reel them in. The average consumer is exposed to roughly 4,000 or more advertisements per day. With that fact in mind, it is up to you to conquer the daunting task of snagging your consumer’s attention and get them to engage.
Start off with a compelling image to draw your potential buyer’s attention. Any Facebook ad gives you 25 characters to create an appealing headline, and 90 characters to work with to create actionable ad copy. Use proper grammar and punctuation when creating your ad and be honest in your approach. Potential buyers will only convert to customers if they trust you.
Test and Tweak
Beware! Running A/B testing on your Facebook advertisements is only advisable if you have experience and/or a massive budget. What you can do is schedule your campaigns and play with the timing that your advertisements are released. You may find that certain times of the day, or certain days, increase the potential of click-through and engagement.
As a general rule, you stand a greater chance of exposure on the weekends as opposed to the weekdays. Successful times of the day can vary depending on your brand and target market.
Spy on Your Competition
Watch what your competition is doing in their ads. While there is no way to tell how many engagements your competitors are achieving for certain, you can get an idea of what they’re doing by watching their campaigns. If a competitor’s Facebook page seems to be booming, that is a good indication that something they are doing is working.
Borrow their ideas and tweak them to make them your own. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Don’t be afraid to use what is working for others in a similar field to increase overall engagements for your business.
Since most businesses have a fixed advertising budget, it is important to utilize a strategy when it comes to advertising on Facebook. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little, but be careful to not color too far outside the lines. Using these tips, you’re certain to minimize your risk of spending your entire ad budget on campaigns that simply don’t work. Not only do you stand to increase the fans to your Facebook page, but you should also be able to convert those fans to buyers on your website.