Alexis Kestler
Facebook is the largest social media network in the world, and with 92% of social marketers using ads we could say the largest social marketing network.
Facebook is the largest social media network in the world, and with 92% of social marketers using Facebook ads we could say the largest social media marketing network. So, Facebook is almost imperative for advertisers. There are certain rules and tips we shared with you, as also the mistakes which are best to avoid, but this text is all about Facebook ads. And how to get the best of it.
Every now and then there is a rumor that we will need to start paying for using Facebook. These rumors are mostly shared through inbox or personal feed, ending with a message “if you share this by tomorrow midnight, your Facebook will remain free”. 🙂 Same as chains of luck, this has nothing to do with the truth. Mark Zuckerberg proved it with a simple tag line on Facebook’s home page: “It’s free and always will be.” I am assuming that has shout the rumors because at the moment the tag line is: “It’s quick and easy.”
Why am I telling you this? Because thanks to the fact that Facebook is free, the user can not turn off the ads. Even this can be annoying if you take your time to relax and scroll, and cheap mobile games ads are interrupting your Facebook moment, this is also a great benefit for marketers. No “paid” or “pro” version can save people from being targeted, putting your privacy settings to the maximum is not helping either, Facebook collects tons of information, and the only solution seems to be closing the account. But people are still using it. Let’s see what that means for marketers.
A Few Rules
If you still didn’t, first you need to read Facebook’s Advertising Policies. Understanding that, it will be easier for you to create Facebook ads that will be approved (and successful). With special attention go through “prohibited content” and “restricted content” sections, you might be surprised with some of the things you’ll find there.
Be careful to not use someone’s intellectual property, such as text, pictures, phrases, logos, product names, etc. You could be banned from Facebook, or even sued. Don’t think if your ad is approved that you got away with it. Anyone could report it at any moment.
Also, don’t lie. I understand that sometimes you must beautify things to achieve your marketing goal. But don’t overdo it. Try to compose your text as a fact, clear and unquestionable. And while we’re there, never pretend that you are someone you are not and don’t use fake profiles. You will be discovered (and banned, again) in a blink of an eye.
Advertise only things that truly have value. The greatest Facebook ads come from great products and services. Try to imagine your ad as a promise to the customer, the one you need to keep. Don’t manipulate people, at least not too much. It is ok to use attracting photos and keywords that may trigger the user, but if something feels wrong then probably it is.
How to Create Facebook Ads
Accessing ads creation on Facebook is very easy, especially if you run a FB page. You will find the shortcut on the left side of your page, and when you click on it, that will bring you to the page that will look like this:
With an “automated ads” tool, things got easy. First, Facebook will ask you a few questions about your business. Try to answer as more accurate as you can. Before you even start this part, you need to think about your ad design. (Because you’ll need to choose the photos you want to be featured.) After this part, you will get a generated ad draft:
Here you can do the additional settings, like determining your daily budget, choosing your audience, etc. This option is most suitable if you have a website you want to drive your traffic to. If you want more followers on your Facebook page you will choose “promote your page” before starting. Or, if you want to “boost a post” you will choose that. And so on. We will not go through all of these options because they are quite simple and Facebook will guide you through step by step.
When I said you will need to think about design, that means you will need to decide where you want the destination of this ad to be. If you are creating it for yourself, you will decide this easily. But most of the marketers do advertising for their customers, and except credentials, this is the most important question you need to ask. Simply said: where do you want people to end up after they click on your ad?
Targeting
A really important step in your process is defining which Facebook users will see your ads. The capabilities are great. There is a location attribute, which allows you to choose a country, state, even a city, or a part of the city. You are also able to choose the age and sex of the user, and its interests.
There are also some advanced demographics such as birthday, sex interest, relationship status languages a user may know. But I wouldn’t recommend you to choose those because it is optional information on FB profile and not all the people fill this in. That means you will target fewer people. Do it only if it’s necessary. For example, if you run a dating site, according to Facebook’s terms and conditions, you are only allowed to run an ad that targets single users. Interesting, right? This is why I told you to read it.
Tips for Mastering Facebook Ads
Even if you already know the basics, and you mastered the perfect design for your ad, some tips may help you reach the maximum audience from your effort.
1. Retargeting
If you just started your business, or just joined Facebook, of course, you will want some fresh followers. But in other cases, the audience you already have is more likely to click on your ad, and this is a great opportunity for sales.
There are two different options: to upload your own list (customer base e.g.) or to choose users who somehow interacted with your business through Facebook.
2. Video Always Works Better than Photo
Whenever you can replace the photo with a video, do it. That’s not just for ads, but your posts in general. It is more storytelling than any other media and that is crucial for your business. New generations of Facebook users came and still coming, and those are the people that will not read more than 2 lines of your text. Use videos as an advantage.
3. Choose Placements Carefully
On the screenshot I uploaded, you can see that you can choose whether you want to put your ad to Facebook, Messenger, and/or Instagram. Also, you can choose between mobile and/or desktop devices. This means you can reach a bigger amount of people, if necessary. The different choices will affect your campaign differently. And affect the price of your ads.
4. Custom Audience & Lookalike Audience
A custom audience is mostly created out of your most loyal customers. You can use this list when you want to “wake them up”, or you have some kind of special promotion. So, Facebook gives you an option to create a “lookalike” audience, which means this list is made of users who are somewhat similar to your valuable custom list. This is actually an incredibly worthy option. These people might become your customers because they are based on the ones that already follow you and are engaged in your brand.
5. Use Analytics
Facebook Analytics gives you a good insight into how your followers are interacting with your page. By studying that, you will find out who is your audience and what they like. This information is valuable to you in more areas than just creating Facebook ads, so make sure you take your time every week e.g. to look at the analytics and learn something out of it.
If you are running your campaigns or doing it for someone else, you may know how overwhelming this might be. So much information and options! These tips can get your job a little bit easier. And more effective, I hope so.
