Facebook is the most effective social media marketing player for small businesses.
They have the best targeting and ad creation features. With their in-depth analytics, you can track your results on a granular level.
To begin, here are some terms you need to be familiar with:
- Impressions, in simpler terms, are opportunities. When an ad is posted, it means someone can potentially see it.
- The number of clicks on the ad divided by the number of impressions calculates the CTR.
- Landing pages are the destinations where users are brought to upon clicking the ad.
- Facebook charges you a set amount per click or impression, but allows you to set a maximum budget at which point to end a campaign.
- You may also choose to pay for your ad space whether or not anyone clicks on them – this is called CPM.
- The reach is the number of individuals who have seen your ad while the frequency is the number of times each user has seen it.
Now that you know the basics, its time to get to work. Here are 3 Facebook features you should be using right now.
1) Boosted posts
This is the simplest form of Facebook advertising. If you’ve been posting on a company page for long, you’ve probably seen the boost post option. You’re essentially paying Facebook to put your post in front of more people.
You can target people based on their geographic locations, interests, and demographics. You can also opt to just get your post in front of those who have liked your page, or even friends of those people.
2) Create an ad from scratch
This method is a bit more advanced, as it involves using the Facebook Ads Manager. Using this option, you can split-test multiple ads to see which elements work best.
How to set up the Facebook ad:
Step 1) Log on to your Facebook page. On the drop-down menu near the home button, click on “Create Ads.” This will bring you to the Create Ad Page.
Facebook will ask you to link a Facebook page or a website. You may link it to a product page or your company’s website.
Note: You can choose to boost a post from here as well.
Step 2) Set an advertising goal. There are 3 options.
Option A) Get More Likes – Choose this if you want to drive fans towards your Facebook page.
Option B) Promote Page Posts. Choose this to promote specific Facebook content, such as posts or a photo.
Option C) See Advanced Options – to lead users to a different website, select the last option.
Step 3) Design your ad with a 25-character headline, a 90-character description, and a thumbnail. You can edit these in real time, even if the ad is already up and running.
Step 4) Select the ad’s target audience. Choose your demographics, geo-location, and interests.
Step 5) Name your campaign, set its schedule, and set your ad budget. You may choose whether to go for CPCs or CPMs. I recommend using the CPC option, as this is a better determination of how well the ad actually converts.
Step 6) Enter payment information and you’re good to go.
Pro tip: Review your results and consider split-testing elements of your ads.
To do this, run the exact same post with only one thing changed. For example, keep everything the same except for the image. After 2 days, delete the loser and put the remaining budget into the winner.
3) Lead Ads
Lead ads make it easier for your target audience to fill out forms, especially on mobile.
These serve as replacements for off-site landing pages. Normally, to get opt-in info from Facebook users, you’d have to take people off-site. Once on your landing page, they have to fill out a form.
Using Lead Ads, users get a pre-filled form, still within Facebook. The info is actually pulled from their Facebook profile information. They do have the option to add and edit each field before clicking submit.
Check out this video from Facebook to see exactly how it works.
Make sure that the message is clear, and the requirements are in full view for your readers. This will help maximize conversions.
These 3 features will help you get serious results from Facebook right away.
If you need help, feel free to reach out to us.
