Facebook is a two-headed beast: it can be a fantastic way to reach your ideal customer within a specific location, but unfortunately it can also be a money pit for many shop owners, as they don’t always use the features to reach customers in the most cost-effective way. That’s also totally not their fault! People make entire careers from creating Facebook ads and content for brands small and large. It’s a constantly changing system, so it’s a constant learning process
I want to share with you three basics of Facebook ads to help you properly utilize the ads feature, and get the best bang for your buck.
Ever noticed that your Facebook page recommends “boosting” a well-performing post? I have news for you: Facebook is the only one benefiting from the money you invest in boosting your Facebook post.
Facebook’s goal with a “boost” is to get the most eyes on your post for impressions and likes, but you don’t actually gain anything. You probably already know what a “like” is – someone hitting the “like” button on a post. An impression is each time an individual sees a post or ad, no matter how many times it’s repeated. The amount of impressions is the amount of times your post or ad shows up in someone’s feed.
When you pay Facebook to “boost” a post, you’re paying for “likes” and eyeballs alone – they don’t want people to leave their platform! Do you want to pay for that, when there’s a way to have posts optimized to get people on your turf – your website? No – you want to have more control over exactly what you are getting for your money.
Here’s what to do instead: use Facebook Ads Manager. When you create a campaign through it, you can get super specific about both who you target, what exactly you pay for, and how to measure success.
Do you have a website? Do you have a Facebook pixel installed on your site? The pixel is a brilliant tool: it not only allows you to target your website visitors on Facebook, it also allows you to create a lookalike audience. Lookalike audiences are one of the most precise, advanced targeting methods available to you. Installing the pixel, a piece of code, is super straightforward, and Facebook Ads Manager has a guide on how to get it done.
If you don’t have the pixel installed on your site, definitely get it done! Even if you aren’t ready to dip your toes into the Facebook ad universe, you still want to install it sooner rather than later. The more the Facebook pixel can learn about your audience, the better your ads will be in the future.
Now you have the basics of both how to target a specific audience and where to begin creating your ad, so you need to know what to promote, right?
There are two great ways to get people’s attention using a facebook ad.
- Promote a great blog post that you wrote on your business website. This shows people that you are truly an expert in your field. In the next article in this series, I’ll be getting into writing a blog for your website and what kind of blog content works best. Look at the analytics on your website and see what blog posts are doing well and resonating with your audience best.
- A promotion or coupon for first time customers. No better way to build a long term, trust-based relationship than offering a good deal and actually showing up for it. One of the greatest pitfalls shop owners fall into is making too many conditions to their coupons. They use conditions to find a way to get out of honoring the coupon when the customer comes into the shop. If you decide to go this route, own the coupon. Be thrilled that your targeting worked, and remember that every oil change is a chance to make a life-long customer!
There is so much to learn about Facebook ads it’s impossible to put it into 600 words. Work on educating yourself on the subject if you plan on utilizing this method of marketing. Google is both your best friend and a mortal enemy, here: look for the information you need, read and internalize, but then test it out! Trust but verify. If it isn’t working for you, it probably isn’t for you.
Author: Chaya Milchtein
