You have a business page on Facebook and are considering advertising to reach more potential customers. You may be wondering at this stage whether Facebook advertising is worth your time. Advertising on Facebook can be so much more than just boosting a post and armed with the right knowledge you can expand your reach even further.
There are two ways to reach people on social media. One is through organic reach when someone finds your page by searching for your business or through some other means that was not a direct result of paying to have your ad shown to them. The other is paid. Whether you do paid advertising through Google, Facebook, or a site like YouTube, there are benefits to paid traffic. But how do you know where to spend your money—without wasting it?
Organic reach is golden. That’s free traffic, but sometimes it’s not enough. Paid traffic is highly targeted and helps you reach your goals faster. It allows you to speak directly to the type of customer you’re in search of, the type of client or customer that will grow your business.
Why Facebook Ads are Like an Ace Up Your Sleeve
What if you could speak directly to the very customer that you’re looking for? You know you have the solution to their problem, and can help them, but they don’t know you exist. That’s where targeted advertising comes in, and Facebook does it like no other. Facebook allows you to target specific demographics ranging from sex, age, job titles, interests, geographic location and much more.
Have you boosted a post? Maybe you only got lukewarm results. Sure, that offers a little bit of visibility, but it’s completely different than creating a Facebook ad. Let’s look at the way that using Facebook ads can benefit you.
Benefits of Facebook Advertising
- Lead generation, to find new customers
- Retargeting ads, bring back potential customers who’ve shown an interest
- Defined audiences, reach a specific segment of clients, don’t waste time on the wrong leads
There are a variety of different ad types you can choose from, but let’s quickly look at the benefits listed above.
Lead Generation Ads: By attracting potential clients to your business, there’s an opportunity to reach a fresh batch of customers that didn’t know your business existed. And according to Pew Research Center, 7 out of every 10 American adults use Facebook. You can’t afford not to be using Facebook as a resource.
You can create lead generation forms that capture email addresses or additional information. It cuts through the noise to get you the contact information you need.
Retargeted Ads: Have you ever visited a website and then either left without taking any action or abandoned your cart, deciding not to complete the purchase and then started seeing ads on Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc.? That is retargeting (aka remarketing). Your cookies were captured in their code allowing them to follow you around the internet and show you their ads.
Facebook offers businesses the ability to add a pixel to their website that collects information about the users. It then feeds that information back to Facebook, and businesses can then access the details in the tab called insights. What that means is that businesses can target an ad at somebody that has already visited their website.
Maybe they were interested but left without taking an action. With retargeted ads, you can speak directly to them. It’s like a gentle nudge, saying, remember me? They are warm leads, and it’s a perfect opportunity to bring them back to finish a transaction or to grow their awareness.
Targeted Audiences: Do you offer more than one service or product? Say you’re a travel business and want to target a retired segment of your audience for a special promotion. Facebook ads allow you to drill down to the people that match that segment. Do a lot of business with newlyweds? Maybe you have access to great honeymoon packages that only come around once in a while. This is when targeted audiences are a superstar in your advertising reach. You can narrow things based on demographics, interests, regions, and more.
Different Types of Facebook Ads
Once you get on board and are ready to tackle Facebook ads, there are a few choices to make. Not only can you specify what action you want your potential client to take, but you can also test different types of ads to see which perform best for you.
- Videos
- Static photo ads
- Slideshows and Carousels
- Dynamic Product ads
You may find that some customers react better to video ads, over static ads. Video is huge and is expected to grow larger. Video marketing is a good source of ROI (return on investment), according to a study done by Smart Insights.
But, don’t let that sway you away from more traditional ads, like a static, traditional ad, or slideshows and carousels. Many people avoid video or don’t want to be bothered with it. And a static ad can often blend into a feed more naturally, which people will be drawn to. The goal is to look native to the feed but stand out enough to get your customer’s attention. You don’t want to scream, this is an ad, but you do want a well-defined feel that helps people recognize your brand or product.
The difference between a static photo ad, a slideshow, and a carousel is how many pictures it displays, and how it displays them.
Dynamic product ads help show your inventory to those that have already shown an interest. Remember that Facebook pixel we talked about earlier? When Facebook knows a person either visited your site, or showed interest in your Facebook page, a dynamic product ad can be a great choice.
Help With Facebook Advertising
In today’s new economy, it’s more vital than ever to reach the right customers that will help your bottom line grow. With well-targeted Facebook ads, you can create ads that are specific and defined, down to different interests. You can’t afford to ignore this opportunity, and with advertising rates down across the board, it’s a great time for you to get in there and get started.Facebook ads can be tricky to navigate. For help with your social media ad campaigns, give us a call today at 443-343-2313 or by sending us a message via our website.
Leave a reply