What are Facebook Ads and how can it help my online business?
Facebook alone is one of the best ways to connect to a wider target audience than you could on any other platform. Now I’m not saying to drop everything you're doing and focus solely on Facebook, but, as one of your core platforms, it could work really well for your business growth and brand awareness!
And what in particular is awesome about Facebook? Facebook Ads of course! Although paid advertising isn't something I would recommend doing straight off the bat, it definitely shouldn't be pushed aside as a very efficient type of marketing for your business.
This week we had the amazing Jessica Tutton on the podcast to talk about all things Facebook Ads and how they can help scale your business (if done properly). So, if paid advertising is that next step for you or you’d like to find out how and where to start, have a read below and make sure to check out Jess’s Instagram here!
What are Facebook Ads?
Facebook Ads are a paid form of marketing on the social media platform used by all kinds of businesses and organisations to reach a wider target demographic.
These types of ads are all around you and you probably didn't realise it! Whenever you scroll past a post on Instagram or Facebook that says “sponsored” (these can even be on IG stories), that means someone has paid for that ad to be there.
When you decide to start paying for Facebook ads, you are paying for more people to see your content. Then, you can lead people to sales for courses, products you’re launching, or even to your email list if you’re looking to build that up.
If you’re looking to boost that reach, FB ads could be the way to go!
What makes up Facebook Ads?
Facebook is a data-driven platform and if you are strategic enough and have done your research, you can tap into the brains of it all and not only gain reach but also leads and conversions for your business.
If you’re looking to take on Facebook ads as a means of marketing, there are so many ways you can go about it and different options to choose from. In this fantastic article from Hootsuite, they explain all of the different forms of Facebook ads that you can use to reach your target audience!
Image Ads - simple, first-glance type advertising that catches your target’s attention
Video Ads - these can show your team, product, or service in bite-sized action snippets
Poll Ads - encourages interactivity where you can see instant results
Carousel Ads - can use up to 10 images or video snippets to showcase your business
Slideshow Ads - short video ads from a collection of still photos, text, or existing video clips
Collection Ads - only offered on mobile devices, this allows a direct click from ad to purchase
Instant Experience ads - full-screen ads that load 15x faster than normal websites outside of FB
Lead ads - designed to allow people to give you their contact information quickly with the least amount of taps
Dynamic ads - targeted advertising that links your product/service to those most suited to it
Messenger ads - places your ad in FB Messenger
Stories ads - allows you to maximise screen viewing with vertical ads on stories
There are so many types of advertisements that can be utilised on Facebook alone, this is why FB ads shouldn’t be ruled out as a marketing tactic for your business! Imagine the reach you could get with just some of these options - the opportunities are endless if done correctly!
How to start with FB ads
With all of these options and advice, it can be tricky to know where to start, luckily we’ve got you covered!
There are a few things to keep in mind before jumping into Facebook Ads - make sure you’re always revising and reviewing before investing in your marketing!
Map out the customer journey and know the goal for your ad before just creating and submitting them - this can really help you make sure you’re targeting the right consumer
Have a well thought out strategy around your ads before you start
Have a think about what your campaign objective is. Is it more views and reach to traffic and conversions? Is it building up your following? Is it increasing your email list? L=Know this well before designing and beginning your ads.
FB ads can retarget your followers (all those who kn0w, like, and trust you) so make sure you know what your target audience looks like. Think about their likes, what attracts them, and their pain points - these can all help you save time later down the track
Where can my ads be seen?
So when you eventually do decide to invest in Facebook ads, where will they end up?
Well, with Instagram and Facebook now connected, you’ll have the option on where you want them popping up! You can choose to show them on IG stories, your main IG feed and/or your main Facebook feed.
No matter the combination you choose, your ads will work to boost your content and reach a wider audience than you would with solely organic marketing.
The designing of your ad
Now we get to the designing part!
When thinking about what your ad will look like you need to remember the platform it will show up on. For example, if you’re targeting IG stories, you might use a video recording; whereas an IG feed post might be an image instead.
Either way, your ad needs to appear like organic content because at the end of the day, no one goes onto social media to have ads thrown at them. Make sure to keep the ad raw and authentic, just like your content would be for your target audience, this is the best way to warm up your consumers to your new marketing style.
Quick need-to-know on Facebook ads
If you’re still unsure whether Facebook ads is something you want to take on or not - here are some quick-fire 'need-to-know’ about Facebook ads!
Utilise Pixel! What is a pixel? The Facebook pixel is an analytics tool that allows you to measure the effectiveness of your advertising by understanding the actions people take on your website. You can use the pixel to: Make sure that your ads are shown to the right people. This is a piece of code you put on your website
Apple’s new update has given you the option to turn tracking off for ads
If you run a campaign for more followers, you are paying Instagram and Facebook to boost their platform, not yours. Look to do ads to generate leads to your email list, something for YOUR benefit
FB ads shouldn’t stop you from organic content! It should work together to boost your content rather than substituting or taking over your organic marketing
It is ONE element of your marketing strategy - Facebook ads should never take over and be your sole strategy
What stage of business do you need to be in to start Facebook ads?
One last thing that is important to think about before investing in Facebook ads, is where in your business are you at right now?
People have an expectation that FB will save their business, when more often than not this isn’t the case. You need to first have a solid strategy around the goals of your marketing first and validate what you are offering before starting paid advertising.
If your business is doing really well, ads will then boost this and help your business grow, but you need to have that foundation and brand awareness first - you need to know that people will pay for what you’re offering.
Master your messaging and tone first, work on your brand story and build up the trust that people have in your business. Talk to people and do some market research so that your ads are pointed toward the right demographic and you know the people you want to reach.
Once you have all of this covered, then look at where you want to be in the near future and see if Facebook ads are the best thing to get you there.
Final thoughts
Facebook is an awesome platform for you and your business at any stage of development, and Facebook Ads are a great extension of this. While Facebook Ads can be awesome, make sure this isn't your only form of marketing. Use organic content marketing in conjunction to continue to grow your audience whilst paid ads to amplify your message!
Think about the things above before diving into paid ads headfirst - work on your organic content and go from there. Because like we always say, brand awareness is key before anything!
If paid advertising is the next step you'd like to take in your business, make sure you connect with Jess for all of your Facebook ad knowledge and needs!
AND if you’d love some more handy tips and guides like this, join the Content Queen mailing list through the button below - we’d love to have you there!
