TUESDAY TIPS
I have to admit, I was one of those people slightly freaked out by Facebook ads. They somehow always manage to know what I am doing in my life. Planning a vacation? Be ready for cheap flight deals. Have a dachshund? Watch out for all the cute wiener dog products that Facebook knows you should own. Your friends are getting married? Well Facebook thinks you should too… brace yourself for wedding ring and dress ads.
Yes, slightly perturbing, BUT as a business… pretty ingenious. Facebook ads, if used right, are a dream tool for marketers.
In this week’s Tuesday Tips session, we discussed why and how companies can use Facebook ads. Here’s a quick recap of the main discussion points for those of you who missed the class – and for those of us who were there but perhaps not caffeinated quite enough!
Why Facebook ads?
Affordable – Facebook ads, especially in comparison to more traditional ads, can be set up to run at very affordable rates – you could even set an ad to run at just $1 per day. Unlike traditional ads, you can also stop Facebook ads whenever you’d like. You do not have to pay one lump sum and hope for the best. Rather, you can pay a low amount and use the many functions to make sure your money is being spent wisely.
Targeted – Targeting options allow you to find your specific audiences and share messages directly with them. Facebook company page audiences can be very challenging to grow. Through targeted ads, you can hone in on your key audience members and start working to build awareness of your page, product, services, etc.
Easy to manage and edit – Facebook ads can be paused, deleted, or edited at any time. Facebook provides a great platform for managing these ads, tracking their daily results, and compiling reports. Tools like Power Editor make setting up and monitoring these ads even easier.
Tips
Set up multiple ads in one campaign. Vary each ad slightly using different image and content combinations. Monitor to see which ones works best for you and consider pausing the slower ads, allowing the budget to be absorbed by the more successful ads. We usually start with four ads per campaign.
Use targeting options to reach specific audiences. Sure, you could target the whole U.S. or even the whole world and get more likes, but will these likes really benefit you? Figure out who your audience is and strive to gain their attention to build engagement.
Think about what would grab your attention. Play with different pictures and content – see what works and what doesn’t. Be willing to experiment and have fun!
