By now, you’ve probably heard about Facebook ads. But what you haven’t heard about is how valuable they’ve become. Facebook has continuously improved the ads platform since its launch in 2007 and today, it’s one of the most powerful ways to reach specific buyers for the products you sell. If you don’t already have some winning Facebook ads strategies in your back pocket, then it’s time to get some and you’ve come to the right place!
FACT: Facebook is now pay-to-play.
In other words, without Facebook ads, anything you post goes practically nowhere. Facebook began ratcheting down “organic” reach two years ago, partially to prioritize what users see in their newsfeeds and partially to increase Facebook ad revenue. There were just too many companies vying for the limited amount of space and something had to give.
User experience has always been very important to Facebook and they continually make efforts to improve it. Protecting user experience is key because without it, users leave. Without users, there’s no one to advertise to!
Most companies now know they need to be on Facebook. The dilemma is that many are not aware of how Facebook works or how to make it work for their business.
Like all digital marketing today, Facebook ads strategies begin with the right objectives and ideal content designed to meet those objectives. It’s not enough to simply post content on your page (which is already hard enough!). Now, you have to make sure people see your content and take those actions you wish them to take.
A critical part of your strategy is to employ one or more people inside the company to manage all the constantly-moving parts:
- Brainstorm, create and publish website and social media content.
- Design and administer Facebook ads.
- Monitor and manage online reputation.
- Serve as the “community manager” to keep an open dialog between your customers and the company.
- Analyze the data that comes from Google Analytics, social media and reputation monitoring.
If you’re already thinking about how to re-organize your workforce to accommodate the complicated process of digital marketing, congratulations, you’re ahead of the game. Most companies I meet are not managing this very well.
I met with a business group leader recently who said to me after a group discussion on social media, “We just finished a 35-minute conversation about something no one truly understands! A lot of members have cut off traditional marketing but they’re not sure where to go from here. Those who are thinking about turning more toward digital say, “If I do go this direction, what’s the ROI? How will it grow my business?” I’ve provided advice and guidance to many companies who get stuck right here.
Facebook ads are a game-changer but you have to suit up and play in order to win.
Now that I’ve got you considering changes in your operation to handle social media and digital marketing, let’s talk about where to focus your efforts. For today, it’s Facebook ads strategies.
4 Fantabulous Facebook Ads Strategies to Grow Your Business
It’s crucial to set objectives before you begin any type of marketing. The following are the four most common goals in Facebook marketing and the Facebook ads strategies that will achieve those goals. Here are the four Facebook ad options we’ll discuss in this post:
1. Objective: Grow Your Page Likes
Ad’s Manager Option: “Promote Your Page”
It’s still very important to grow a community on Facebook that mirrors your real life community. The best and quickest way is to target your market area and use ads to promote your page.
Creating a vibrant, engaged Facebook page fosters customer loyalty and increases the likelihood that fans will turn into customers.
Use these general rules when creating all your Facebook ads:
- Decide what you want to say in the ad and create a compelling message.
- Don’t forget a call-to-action.
- Choose an image that will stand out in the newsfeed. Show people using your product instead of just the product alone. Make sure it isn’t cluttered with text or your ad will be unsuccessful.
- Determine who you want to reach and be specific as possible. A local business will want to target people in their market area (or your competitor’s market area). We typically recommend choosing the name of the city where the business is located +50 miles.
- Include specific attributes about your audience that you feel are important. Narrowing the target audience keeps costs in-line and your message resonating.
- If you’re new, start with a budget of $10/day. That way you can learn without going broke.
- Track your results daily and make changes as needed to achieve your objective.
The “Promote Your Page” design recommendations:
- Recommended image size: 1200 x 444 pixels
- Headline limit: 25 characters
- Text limit: 90 characters
- Image should include minimal text
2. Objective: Increase Engagement (Likes, Comments & Shares)
Ads Manager Option: “Boost Your Posts”
Engagement is still the driver of successful Facebook marketing. The best way to get people engaging with your content is to promote your posts so that people see it in their newsfeeds.
The “Boost Your Posts” design recommendations:
- Recommended image size: 1200 x 900 pixels
- Right column size: 254 x 133 pixels (Note: ad can be placed in the newsfeed, right column and/or mobile)
- Text: 90 characters (longer posts may be truncated on smaller screens)
- Image should include minimal text
Target “Fans and Their Friends” to start and test it. I find that it’s better to build engagement with people who already like you and if their friends see it, the “social proof” aspect kicks in and increases the size of your Facebook community. Many campaigns to increase engagement end up getting a lot of new page likes as a bonus.
Pro Tip: ONLY promote your own content. Don’t spend money to send people away from your brand. Consider these best practices for boosting the right posts.
3. Objective: Drive Traffic to Your Website
Ads Manager Option: Send People to Your Website
The big news is that SEO is not the only means of traffic generation out there, and if you’re focusing solely on search traffic, you’re missing out. Social media has evolved from an engagement medium and is now a major source of website traffic, and we all know that more traffic equals more opportunities.
Use this Facebook ads strategy to:
- Grow your email list.
- Send people to specific product pages on your site.
- Increase blog readership and influence.
- RSVP for events.
- Participate in contests and giveaways.
The “Send People to Your Website” design recommendations:
- Recommended image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Headline: 25 characters
- Text: 90 characters
- Link description: 30 characters
- Image should include minimal text
Pro Tip: Give yourself time to get proficient in the first two strategies we’ve outlined. Jumping too soon into the more advanced Facebook ads strategies can cause overwhelm and lead to failure.
4. Objective: Convert Visitors Into Leads
Ads Manager Option: Increase Conversions to Your Website
This choice is the most advanced option of Facebook ads strategies because it’s got a lot of moving parts. Facebook ads that promote conversions on your site can generate higher-quality leads but you have to do them right.
The “Increase Conversions to Your Website” design recommendations:
- Recommended image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Headline: 25 characters
- Text: 90 characters
- Link description: 30 characters
- Image should include minimal text
For this strategy you’ll need:
- A website landing page with a compelling offer, a lead form and a call-to-action.
- Install the Facebook Conversion Tracking Pixel on your site to track your ads’ performance.
- Be very deliberate with targeting the right audience for each ad (target who is most likely to buy).
- Be diligent with analyzing how your ads are performing.
- Be nimble with making changes needed to improve your results.
Pro Tip: Make sure someone will monitor the leads for follow up. You can use a tool like Zapier to integrate your leads into your CRM.
Facebook Ads Strategies That Work to Grow Your Business
Facebook ads are a very smart, lucrative way for companies to achieve their marketing and sales goals. People may complain about ads in their newsfeed but when it really comes down to it, they’re seeing ads for items specific to their interests. Your job as the advertiser is to continue to connect with them so that when they decide to take action, it’s with you rather than your competitor.
Phenomenal advice, Kathi – as usual! Any insight into which types of FB Ads you’ve experienced having the most significant impact? News Feed sponsored post, Left Side Tile, Mobile vs. Tablet vs. Desktop, Video vs. Link or Image, etc…
Hi Adam! There’s really not one type that crushes all the others. I’ve seen impact with all of the above. It truly depends on your specific audience and their habits. We just did ads for Kruse Control and found that Right Column ads had the most impact. They were the cheapest too! .49 per action as opposed to 3.47 per action on Mobile. What also came into play there (we think) was that the market for Right Column ads wasn’t as saturated as Mobile. The best bet is to strategize and test 🙂 Hope you have an awesome week!