Facebook Advertising: A Foolproof Guide for Small Businesses

You’ve just released your new product and are wondering why only a few customers share the same level of excitement as you do for the launch. 

This isn’t a rare occurrence. One of the biggest challenges some businesses face is how to build hype for their new product. The fact of the matter is, no matter how great your product is, it won’t go far if you’re failing to market it well. And the answer lies in one simple solution: Facebook ads.

Nowadays, social media is one of the most powerful ways to appeal to your target audience. Gone are the days when billboards, TV, newspapers, and other traditional forms of media were the only channels you could use to advertise your brand. Social media has changed the playing field by allowing you to reach millions of people on the internet—and in just a few clicks.

Why Facebook?

There are a lot of social media platforms out there where you can market your business. These include Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

But what if we tell you that Facebook is the ideal platform for your social media ad campaign? There’s a reason Facebook rules the social media world. Data from Headway Capital shows that 95% of businesses consider Facebook the platform that offers the best ROI out of all the different types of social media. As a small business owner, you can utilize the platform to boost your brand presence even if you’re on a low budget. 

Target Your Customers with Better Accuracy 

Just like other forms of digital marketing, Facebook allows you to choose who sees your ads. And this is what gives it an edge over traditional forms of marketing like billboards or TV commercials, for instance. Even though they’re effective advertising mediums, you’re limited by the people who pass by your billboard or watch TV when your ad comes on. 

Online marketing, on the other hand, allows you to reach anyone on the internet. And the best part is that you can set up your campaign in just a few minutes. 

Facebook is a platform that allows you to zero in on your target audience and appeal to their wants and needs. You can tweak your ads according to location, gender, age, and interests for even greater accuracy. This level of customization can draw in qualified leads to boost conversions even further. After all, building hype for your product is one thing, but getting people who are already invested in your brand to make a purchase is another.

Creating an Effective Facebook Marketing Campaign

Every good Facebook campaign starts with an effective strategy. With 1.59 billion active users on the platform every day, you might think turning followers into paying customers is easy. 

But before you start running ads, you’ll need a plan that will put you ahead of the game. Documenting your strategy can help you maximize your marketing efforts. It’ll also allow you to map out your entire campaign so you can maximize your budget and achieve the best results.

Here are a few tips that can help you craft a strategy to launch your brand to the top:

Define Your Goals

The first thing you have to determine when creating a social media marketing strategy is what your goal is. Ask yourself: What do you want to get out of your campaign? Knowing what your end goal is can help you create the right ads and track relevant metrics. 

These goals will set the tone for everything else that follows in your campaign. Some examples of goals include:

• Boost brand awareness
• Increase community engagement
• Generate leads or sales
• Higher web traffic
• Higher ROI 
• Content distribution

Keep in mind that your goals aren’t set in stone. They can change depending on what your company needs.

Setting Your Goal on Facebook Ads

From your Facebook home page, click the top right-hand corner of the screen and select Create Ads in the drop-down menu. In the next window, enter your Campaign Name and select what your marketing objective is. 

Your marketing objective should describe what the most important outcome for the ad is. Facebook will provide you with three options: awareness, consideration, and conversion. 

Awareness involves generating interest in your product, service, or brand. Consideration, on the other hand, is a step in the sales funnel when a person has already identified the problem they want to solve. They’re at the stage where they’re considering buying your product or service. Finally, conversion means crafting a targeted ad that encourages people to take action—which could come in the form of booking a flight or setting up a free consultation. 

Below these three options, you’ll find see subcategories that narrow down your objectives further so you can create more targeted ads.

Know Your Audience

Understanding who you’re marketing to is crucial. After all, you won’t get the most out of your Facebook marketing campaign if you aren’t reaching the right people. Think about the people you want to reach—gamers, artists, teachers, or dog lovers—and consider what would make them want to click your ad. 

But if you haven’t worked out who your target audience is, that’s okay too. The Facebook Audience Insights tool provides aggregated info about people on your page and other Facebook users so you can create content that resonates with their needs. Using Facebook Lookalike Audiences can also help you expand your reach and find people similar to those in your current audience.

Selecting Your Audience on Facebook Ads

Use what you know about your target audience like their age, location, and other details, to single out the demographics, interests, and behaviors that reflect your target audience. Defining who sees your ads make it easier to increase your ROI. Once you’ve defined your audience, click Save Audience. 

Set Your Budget

Are you wondering how much you should spend on Facebook ads? A successful campaign can only take off if you allocate the proper budget for your campaign. 

Setting a budget for your Facebook ads starts by identifying what you want to achieve in your campaign, whether its lead generation, higher conversions, or brand awareness. Keep in mind that your objective is getting the most out of your money.

Set Up Your Budget and Schedule on Facebook Ads

Facebook helps you determine how much you’d like to spend, and where you want your ads to appear. Through these limits, you can make sure you aren’t spending more than you’re comfortable with. 

Choose between either a daily or lifetime budget. Daily budgets allow you to set a limit to what you want to spend in a single day. This can help you to set the pace you want for your ad, so you can plan and control your marketing budgets better. It is also the ideal option for evergreen campaigns. 

Lifetime budgets, on the other hand, is the choice for those who want a clearly defined budget for their entire campaign. Facebook will then adjust your daily spend levels depending on how well your campaign is going. So if you fare well, expect Facebook to spend more of your budget. 

Plan Your Content

Successful ads require a lot of planning, especially in terms of content and visuals. After all, people consume ads within three seconds—and this means your ad should capture a person’s attention right from the get-go. 

This means you won’t make an impact with unattractive ads. You’ll need to incorporate aesthetically-pleasing images or videos with killer copy (and an enticing call-to-action). Most importantly, your copy and visuals should speak to your target audience.

Determining What Your Facebook Ad Will Look Like

A successful ad opens up possibilities for conversion. And this is because of its different parts, which include:

• Images – This will be the first thing that hooks your audience’s attention and will most likely be what sustains their interest for your ad. 
• Ad copy – These are the words that accompany the image. If they’re compelling enough, it’ll entice your audience to click on your ad.
• Call to Action (CTA) – Once you’ve caught your audience’s attention with the image and copy, you’ll want them to follow through with a conversion. A well-crafted CTA helps achieve this.

Once the ad has been set and launched, the next thing to do is to monitor its performance. Another advantage Facebook ads have over traditional ads is that it gives you the freedom to tweak and calibrate your campaign based on real-time results. You can use the data you’ve gathered from previous campaigns to optimize your next ones and maximize your impact.

Optimize Your Social Media Platforms Today

Facebook is one of the most effective platforms where you can expand your reach and raise awareness for your brand. But to cut through the noise online and get your message across, you’ll need an effective social media strategy that promotes your brand through organic and meaningful conversions. 

Partner with Growth Rocket and bring your business to greater heights. Together, let’s optimize your social media platforms for maximum engagement. Get in touch with us today.