Thoughtful Tips on Facebook Advertising

There’s a tremendous amount to talk about when it comes to social advertising. And there’s a lot of information to dive into about Facebook advertising alone. We talk about the importance of visual identity and images on social quite a bit on the Dowitcher blog, so I’ll skip talking about the importance of the creative…for now.

If you don’t think you need to advertise on Facebook, consider that over 2.2 billion people use the social platform per month, with more than 1.4 billion daily users. Because of that huge global audience, Facebook has become a key marketing platform for near every savvy business. But the pesky, ever-changing algorithm makes it really challenging to reach fans organically and is why you need Facebook ads. Targeting features allow marketers to reach their target audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and location, meaning it’s relatively easy to get your message in front the the right people.

Before you start advertising on Facebook, here’s what you need to know:

If you’ve never set up a Facebook ad, there are few things to know. There are two types of Facebook ads at your disposal:

1. Sponsored posts: These appear directly in the Newsfeed. Users see ads as they scroll through their feed. They can include a lot of copy.
2. Right-hand column ads: These appear on the right hand side and are smaller but can’t be scrolled past, the way sponsored posts can. Marketers often use these for retargeting purposes.

Then there are a variety of formats to choose from: photo, video, slideshow, carousel, collection, Instant Experience, lead, dynamic, and Messenger ads. Photos ads are simple but a great way to get your toes wet. With just a few clicks, you can boost an existing post that has a photo, right from your Facebook Page.

Facebook Ad Objectives and Settings

How do you know which Facebook advertising campaign is right for you and your business?

Facebook ads rely on algorithmic learning. The algorithm needs a lot of information in order to decide where and when to show your ad, as well as how much it costs. When you set up your Facebook audience targeting you provide some of that data but other considerations include: the objective, the bid strategy, budget, and optimization settings.

Selecting your campaign objective is the first crucial decision to make. Here are your three main options:

• Awareness: The algorithm will be looking for opportunities to increase reach and drive brand awareness. (Relevant KPIs include impressions and reach.) While ads in an awareness campaign won’t be optimized to to run for people likely to click a CTA button, there is the option to include one. (Relevant KPIs include impressions and reach.)
• Consideration: This tells the algorithm to find delivery opportunities that drive engagement and web traffic. Consideration campaigns are intended for prospects who are thinking about a product or service similar to what you offer. (Relevant KPIs include clicks, engagement, video views, messages, lead generation.)
• Conversion: Choose this and you’re saying “deliver my ads when there’s an opportunity to drive conversions.” (Relevant KPIs include sales and store visits.)

There are then 11 subcategories of marketing objectives which should be chosen based on your goals.

Once you’ve chosen the type of ad you want to run and set your goals, you need to design and write the ad.

Facebook Ad Messaging

“Write compelling Facebook ad copy,” they say. But how?? My top tips to consider when you sit down at your computer are:

1. Use Facebook targeting to narrow your audience. Knowing your audience makes it easier to write for them. To be effective, write like you’re talking to one person. (Got your personas handy?) Perhaps your ideal customer is a 35-45 year old woman in California interested in health and wellness? Write to her!
2. One ad doesn’t fit all. Facebook’s main strength is in its targeting capabilities so create several variations of an ad that might appeal to different people.
3. Have ONE call to action. You need a clear goal. Are you selling a product? Trying to bring in more donations? Aiming to increase brand awareness? Have one, clear call to action so that users will know what it is you want them to do.
4. Keep it short and simple. You can fit a lot into a Facebook ad but that doesn’t mean you should. Concentrate on value and keep it concise. And keep in mind the language, i.e. don’t be verbose or pedantic. Your message should be easy to understand for anyone. and the user should be able to know right away what you’re offering, how it is beneficial, and what to do next.
5. Test your copy! The only way to improve is to run tests. Spend a small amount of money on one version and a small amount on another. Keep the image the same but switch up the copy to see which one resonates more with your audience. To see which of the two performs best track rack likes, comments, and conversions.

~ ~ ~

There’s a lot that has to come together in order to make a Facebook ad successful, from the right targeting, to a great image or video, to compelling copy, and more. While this blog doesn’t include everything Facebook advertisers need to know, it’s a good start to setting up your campaigns and creating Facebook ads that convert.

Stay tuned for articles on Facebook ad targeting and how to measure success!