My social media 121 clients often ask if Facebook advertising is really worth it. My response is simple, Facebook is a free marketing asset, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve organic reach on a platform that was never intended for business use, so why not throw a few quid at it and see what happens?!
1. Number one reason to boost a Facebook post is to advertise your message. It’s quite simple, £20 for a weeks advertising can increase your reach massively and get people to your event, make a sale on your product or just let people know you’re out there.
2. A/B testing with post boosts. If you want to embark on a larger Facebook advertising campaign, try boosting the two most popular posts relevant to your goal and see which one has the best reaction. Choose that post for your larger scale campaign.
3. Beat the algorithm. Back to the ‘Facebook is for friends’ argument. At the start of 2018, Facebook announced it was taking the platform back to it’s roots and making it more difficult for businesses to appear in the news feed. If you want to make sure you get around the new algorithm, your best bet is to pay for it.
Tips on Facebook ads
For a larger campaign with Facebook advertising, you could consider these four things…
4. Keep it simple
A Facebook ad has to look a certain way for it to pass. It can’t have too many words in the image, so a poster you have in pdf form for an event may not work. Get a simplified version from your graphic designer, that way you can add the detail in the post, but the imagery is still consistent with your whole campaign.
5. Try video advertising
Motion captures the attention better than still images, and it’s been proven time and again that videos are the most popular type of social media content. Video ads are no costlier than images, just make sure they look great!
6. Who are you talking to?
Let’s take it as read that you know Facebook is the right place to be advertising. Check your Insights and in particular the ‘People’ and ‘People Reached’ section before you start, to find out who is engaging with your page. This will help when you set the targeting of the ad. If you want a general ad to increase likes, choose the area and interests carefully when you set up.
7. Use stories to sell your message
We all enjoy a good story and brand story telling is a massive part of marketing your business. Can you convey your company’s story in an advert?
Get stuck straight in with Facebook ads, or if you need assistance, you can call me, Hilary for a Social Media 121 on 07825 031036.
Next time, we’ll delve deeper into the types of advertising objective on offer with Facebook…