This blog post is part of “The Ultimate Guide to Lead Generation” blog series.
Are you on Facebook? Of course you are. Think about how much time you spend on Facebook, and multiply that by 1.65 billion active users! That’s an enormous amount of time and information, all of which is at your fingertips when you’re using Facebook for advertising. Facebook is an amazing engine for advertising because it allows you to input so many different variables to let you narrow down your audience so your ad goes directly to the users that are the most likely to be interested your product or service. Here are some tips on how to have a successful Facebook ad campaign.
- Test multiple design variations- It’s important to test multiple variations of your ad to find what your target audience responds to. For example, you may think that an illustration will convey your message better, yet research shows that an image of a real person gets a better response. Test everything.
- Narrow is better- Facebook has access to a vast amount of data about its users, and you can use this information to enter specific keywords that will help you define and reach the people most likely to buy your product or service. You really want to create the most precise audience possible so that you’re not wasting valuable advertising dollars on people that are not interested in your product and will likely skim right past it.
- Create your audience in Facebook audiences- By using the Facebook Audience insights tool from your business manager, you can better see what your target audience looks like. After you have entered all your information into the tool, you can see how your audience is divided up by their age, gender, education level, relationship status, pages they like, and many more helpful insights. These insights allow you to get a better understanding of the audience you’re targeting and you can use this information to further narrow your target.
- Never lie, your ad should always go where you said it would- Everyone hates clicking a link expecting pictures of cats and instead finding dogs. Annoying, right? People love getting what they expected, so if your ad doesn’t take them to where they expect to go, then you’re only hurting yourself. When you take someone to a page that delivers what you offered, it will increase your credibility with your customer. It’s important to build your credibility because potential customers are more likely to give you their information if they feel they can trust you and your brand.
- Run multiple ads to better reach your target market- If you’re trying to reach mothers with children and 20 year old college students, a single ad will be far too broad to reach either group successfully. To better reach these different groups, it’s best to split the ad into two so you can reach both audience separately. This doesn’t mean you need to create two completely different ads though. You can duplicate the ad and then attach it to two separate ad sets, each with the more narrow target audiences which will increase the response to your ads.
- Optimize the ad for mobile- Knock knock. Who is it? It’s 2016! Guess what, we’re using mobile phones that are far more powerful than the computer I am writing this blog on. And if you’re not optimizing your ads for the mobile world, you’re instantly missing nearly 54.2 percent or just a smidge below 1 billion (that’s right, BILLION) users. Mobile is quickly becoming the primary way people use Facebook, how they keep in touch, and how they research products. As you’re making your Facebook ads, be sure you’re checking what it looks like on mobile devices and Instagram, and be sure the ads are optimized to get your full message across in the few characters you have available.
- Timing- If your ads are not performing, you might think you need to change it up immediately. I totally understand, when you see your ad not performing at the level you want it to, all you want to do is change it. Don’t. Always give your ad a few days time to work before changing it up. Facebook uses an algorithm to help optimize your ad so it reaches only those most likely to click on it. That being said, it’s important to give the ad time to work before making any changes because as people click your ad, Facebook is finding why they clicked and then seeking out similar people.
Facebook is a huge player in the social media advertising market and with 1.65 billion users, it has a massive database of insights on all of its users. You can use it to create an ad that targets your market with precision. The keys to a successful ad campaign are narrowing your audience, making specific ads to hit the your specific audience rather than a general audience, and most importantly is make sure your ad is optimized for mobile and/or the medium your audience uses to check Facebook. Using these tips will be your first step towards a successful campaign that can give you the most return on your investment.
This blog post is part of “The Ultimate Guide to Lead Generation” blog series.
