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Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Advertising

Are you internet savvy? Yes!! Congratulations! So, you also think like many other internet users that Facebook ads are nothing but useless! But sorry folks! You are WRONG.

Facebook is one of the leading social media platforms and as per many recent reports, it is about to make more than $4 billion in revenue in 2020 from ads only! Surprised? Do not as worry as we are going to shed some light on every possible aspect of Facebook Advertising.

But when you are running an ad campaign on Facebook, then how do you get your users to click on the ad? And the most important thing is how do you get your users to purchase your products or services?

Some so many marketers have tried FB ads for their business recently and now think that they do not work well! We will only say that DO NOT BELIEVE THEM.

If you are a new player, then it is good to consult with a digital marketing company and then deep dive into this post focused on Facebook advertising. In this detailed post, you will get to learn about businesses that are perfect for such campaigns and the ways to make every campaign successful!

We will also try to cover common mistakes that most marketers make and factors that have a direct impact on the campaigns. So, let us begin with this post.

Table of Content

  • Introduction
  • How to Facebook Ad Campaigns Work?
  • Who Must Opt for Facebook Advertising?
  • Ways to Target Facebook Advertising?
  • Importance of Creative for Your Facebook Ads
  • How to Find Impressive Images?
  • How to Write a Copy for Your Facebook Ad?
  • How to Bid on Facebook Ads?
  • How to Track the Performance of Your Facebook Ads?
  • Conclusion

How to Facebook Ad Campaigns Work?

A few times back, we do not have many options when it comes to Facebook ads. Thanks to evolving technology and continuously evolving algorithms, now we have so many varieties to choose from. You can promote pages, posts, and/or even the whole website through Facebook ads. Regardless of increasing focus on ‘native ads’ and maintaining traffic on the website, as a business, you can still be succeeded by sending the targeted users from the ads to your official website.

The best thing about FB ads is that they are targeted to the right users. These ads are typically based on the location, profile, and demographics details of the users. There are so many options that you only get with FB ads. You just need to create an ad, set the budget and bid for every click, etc. for it. When you set all these, your targeted users will start seeing the ads in the sidebar.

Also Read: Top Social Media Goals You Must Set for Your Business

Still, wondering why to invest in Facebook ads? Do not fret!! We have prepared this guide for you so that you can drive traffic to your business website and achieve the desired results. Furthermore, you can make the best use of these ads for brand awareness and engagement as well as for direct response. Continue reading this post for more details.

Who Must Opt for Facebook Advertising?

Some businesses think that Facebook is a common social media platform so it is perfect for advertising their services and products. Sadly, this is not the case!! Several businesses drastically fail at Facebook ad campaigns. What are the reasons according to you? Well! The answer to this question is quite simple – they are not the best fit for such ads. It is good to try new marketing channels after a regular interval but make sure to CONSIDER your business and the usefulness of the platform chosen.

When it comes to Facebook ads, they are more like display ads. So they must be used to generate demand not fulfilling it. You must understand that social media platforms like Facebook are more used by people to stay connected with their friends, not to search or buy any product or service. If you are in dilemma, then check out the following points to be more familiar with this advertising platform:

1. Low-Friction Conversions

To be successful with your Facebook ads, you have to use ‘low-friction’ conversion. It means you will need to ask your users to ‘Sign Up’, not to ‘Buy’. Just understand this with the following:

Visitors on your official website were not looking for your services or products. They only clicked the ad on a whim. If you are counting on them or indirectly forcing them to buy something immediately to make your ROI positive, then you must note down one thing – YOU WILL DRASTICALLY FAIL.

See, FB users are fickle and to be expected to click back on your ad if you ask them for a huge commitment i.e. purchase in the beginning. Rather than this, you must stick to a simple conversion plan such as signing up for the services, submitting an email ID/phone number, or filling out a small lead form.

Even if you have products to sell, you must consider focusing more on the intermediate conversion such as a sign up for newsletters. After this, you can up-sell through email marketing. If you want to see some good examples of successful Facebook ad campaigns, you must check out the deal websites like Fab, AppSumo, etc. When you click on their ads, they will only ask you to provide your valid email ID and they will only sell you on deals later.

2. Business Models

It is said that a good business model for FB ads is the one that earns revenue from its users after a while, not all at ONCE. A visitor might have shared their mail ID with you but you will need to develop more and more trust so that they can buy something from you.

In business, multiple small purchases are ideal, instead of one big purchase. Everyday deals and subscription-related websites are the greatest examples of business models that can help you thrive and survive on Facebook.

Ways to Target Facebook Advertising?

The most common mistakes that every marketer makes with these ads are not ‘targeting’ users correctly. See, the targeting options with Facebook ads are unequaled. When focusing on Facebook, you must target your users based on the following:

  • Location
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Interests
  • Connections
  • Languages
  • Education
  • Workplaces
  • Relationship Status

Depending on your precise business requirements and targeted audiences, every option can truly be useful. Not all aspects, but every marketer at least focuses on location, age, gender, and interest.

Ways to Target Facebook Advertising

Selection of the LOCATION allows you to focus on users within a specific country, city, region, or even zip code where you provide your services or products. AGE and GENDER related targeting must be based as per your existing customers. For instance, if you deal with beauty products and have existing customers of 25-44 years of age, then you must target users of this age group in your next Facebook ad campaign.

Now, come to INTEREST TARGETING. It is one of the most powerful but HIGHLY MISUSED features of FB ads. While creative ads, you will come across two options – Broad Categories and Precise Interests. We have explained these categories below so that you can decide better:

  1. Broad Category Targeting: This category includes topics such as Horror Movies, Gardening, Consumer Electronics, etc. Recently, this social media giant has added some new targets like Expecting Parents, Engaged (1 year), Birthday in 1 Week, and Away from Hometown. This category is quite efficient when you want to reach a larger audience. If you do not want to spend more, then avoid this category.
  2. Precise Interest Targeting: This category allows you to target or focus more on users based on the details available in their profile i.e. pages they like, listed interests and likes, apps used by them, and other timeline content. If you want to get more ROI for your business, then it is a perfect option for you.

Some marketers target the larger size of groups. But THIS IS A HUGE MISTAKE. Such groups are not just expansive but less targeted as well. Instead, target ‘broader’ terms for your precise niche such as digital marketing company, SEO services, etc. based on specific interests.

Spend sufficient time in knowing which blogs and websites your customers follow the most, which they follow on other social media platforms i.e. Twitter and Instagram, and which related products/services they purchase. If you use this ‘laser-focused’ interest, then the chances are quite higher that you will reach those who are more interested in your products/services and can spend money on it.

Check out the following example to understand this better:

You run a website having an online course and added a new DJ course, then do not only target the interested ‘DJ’. Rather, create FB ads targeting publications, magazines, etc. will help you make the most out of it. You should combine smaller but related interests to improve the chances of conversion.

Importance of Creative for Your Facebook Ads

Importance of Creative for Your Facebook Ads

The most important part of a social media ad campaign is the IMAGE. Even though you can write electrifying ad copies but your writing skills will go in the bin if you do not use an eye-catchy image and do not get any click on it!!

Just because you need to use an image with your FB ads, it does not mean you can use anything. Do not use low-quality images or any image that you do not have any right to use. Never try to steal anything from Google Images as it will be a subject of copyright. If you do so, you will be in great trouble.

So, now you know the ‘NO’s’ of FB ads creative. It means you should buy images, create yourself, or simply use ones with no such copyright. Below, we have listed some more pointers that will help you understand which type of image works best and where particularly to find them.

Just take a close look:

  • People: These images work best, preferably ‘face’ images. You can use close-ups of eye-catching faces to resemble your targeted audience. Younger ones are not always better, especially if you are targeting retirees. In this situation, using an image of 25 years old young girl would not make any sense. See, FB ads images are small in size with 100 x 72 pixels. Therefore, focus on the face only and crop if needed. But DO NOT USE DARK OR BLURRY PICTURES.

Advanced Tip: Always use the images facing the right direction. A user who is following the subject line of the sight is more likely to read the ad text. Apart from models and well-known personalities, you can also feature the minds behind your business success or showcase some of your customers with their permission.

  • Typography: Readable and clear type is quite important to attract clicks. You can use bright colors to make your ad text stand out. Just like with text copies, use questions or explain the benefits of your products/services. Image text should be the extension of your ad copy.
  • Funny: Using funny and crazy pictures is a new way to attract clicks. You can check out some memes posted by 9GAG or any other popular brand to get some inspiration for your creative.

Unluckily, even with impressive ad text, Facebook ads do not always convert well. Still, if you want to use these ads for your business, then set the lowest possible budget and keep a track of performance. We are saying this because these ads often attract so many curious clicks that won’t convert into buyers.

How to Find Impressive Images?

When you want to create images for your Facebook ads, you will have three options to find pictures – buy images, find free images, or simply create them.

There are so many image websites i.e. Pixabay, Unsplash, etc. to buy high-quality pictures as per your business. You should know that people will immediately ignore your ad if they find stock photos in it. Rather than finding out-of-the-box images, give pictures a personality by editing or applying some filters. For this, you can use Canva or Pixlr for editing your pictures.

If you do not want to spend money on buying photographs, then you can go for images listed as Creative Commons Licensed. The last option for this is to create the pictures yourself. You can hire a graphic designer to create striking pictures for your Facebook Ads to attract clicks on it.

How to Write a Copy for Your Facebook Ad?

If you have an eye-catchy image for your ad, then the chances are higher that your users will read the text. Regardless of the 25 characters ‘headline’ and 90 character ‘body text’, you can still use the most powerful and successful AIDA formula to prepare an impressive copy.

What is this AIDA formula? Check out the following to know more about it:

  1. A (Attention): You can draw your targeted users into the ad by writing a compelling headline.
  2. I (Interest): Describe the benefits of using your products or services briefly to the interested users.
  3. D (Desire): Give special discounts, limited period offers, exclusive deals, or free trials to create an immediate desire for your products/services. •
  4. A (Action): Just put a Call-to-Action (CTA) at the end. This formula fits easily into 115 characters. You can add 5-10 ads until you can put the right sales pitch into your Facebook ads. Still, puzzled?

Here is an example for you so that you can understand this formula better: Become an SMM Expert Learn everything required to become a successful social media marketing expert. Save 60%. ENROLL NOW!

Also Read: How to Start a PPC Campaign for Your Business?

How to Bid on Facebook Ads?

Like PPC ads, strategic bidding is the key to make the real difference between a failed test and profit. Once you are done with ad creation, Facebook will automatically provide you with a suggested range for bidding. If you are new to this segment, then it is advised to bid near the lowest.

Your Click-Through-Rate (CTR) will immediately start to dictate the cost you will need to pay. If this CTR is higher, the suggested bid automatically decrease. If CTR is low, then the bid will be higher for every click. So, it is good to optimize your Facebook ads and focus more on increasing your CTR.

Moreover, your bidding will also tell you how much audience you can reach! A good digital marketing company, offering the best social media marketing services will help you understand this fact better.

How to Track the Performance of Your Facebook Ads?

Well! Facebook is no longer offering conversion tracking feature to its users. Although Facebook Insights are the best for data, they cannot provide you with information on users. To keep a track of the performance of your ads, it is good to use analytics programs such as Google Analytics.

You will also require monitoring the performance of your ads within the interface of Facebook. The most essential metric to track this performance is through CTR as it affects the number of clicks you will get and the amount you pay for per click.

Conclusion

Even after the learning curve involved, this social media channel can be a great platform for your business. All you need to keep in mind is the specific interests of your targeted users, using attention-grabbing images, low-friction conversion, crisp ad copies, and tracking. After spending 2-3 weeks, you will get to know what works best for your business and what should be done from your end to get the desired results.

Reference: https://neilpatel.com/blog/deep-dive-facebook-advertising/