As most of you already know, Facebook started in a college room as a way for friends to keep in touch as they went their own ways after graduation. Since then it’s grown to become the icon of the social media movement, but with all the advancements and additions that have taken place, Facebook still strives to keep it’s core mission solid: to allow people to represent their true self online.
Along with the size of the network, this core mission is what makes it such a powerful advertising tool for businesses. Because people are expressing their opinions, interests and feelings, businesses have the ability to target people based on these expressed interests. Some may think this is creepy, but Facebook keeps it anonymous and tactful on how the advertisements are presented.
Facebook Advertisements has become more and more popular for it’s ability to target members and generate demand or interest for business offerings. However, it’s not like Google Adwords and it certainly isn’t like placing a page in your local magazine. There are tricks to being successful with these advertisements and we’ve accumulated some of the best advice from the pro’s and tested them for ourselves before bringing them to you!
Tip #1 – Keep it Fresh
Over 50% of Facebook users log in everyday and spend a decent amount of time browsing the site. Therefore, you got to keep the images and the message fresh so the advertisement doesn’t get repetitive. You also need to ensure you are appealing to all user profiles, which is hard to do in one 135 character advertisement! Make sure you run your campaign with a minimum of five different ads and change the ads every 24 hours to a new five ads.
This doesn’t mean you have to create five brand new advertisements each day, it means you should rotate them so that you have five fresh advertisements daily.
Tip #2 – Find Your Target
Make sure you are using the tools available in the Facebook system to target your advertisements accordingly. People like hearing about themselves and the closer you can appeal to them personally, the more impact your advertisement will have.
Don’t be afraid to play with the targeting and get creative with the concepts. Try some broad appeal messages and some really specific ads.
Tip #3 – Keep it in the Family
The Facebook family that is! Advertising your page is the best way to get the most out of your advertising dollar. Think about it – you could send them to your website and you have a chance at converting them to a customer. If they choose not to take the next step, you have to spend money promoting your business to them again. If you promote your fan page, they may decide to merely ‘stay in touch’ which gives you numerous opportunities to promote your business. The commitment to being a fan versus speaking with a representative from your company is a lot less; therefore you have the greatest opportunity to get the most bang for your promotional buck!
Advertise your Facebook page, your Facebook event or anything that you have within the Facebook network.
Tip #4 – Optimize Your Landing Page
A test done by Blitzlocal showed that Facebook pages that had a custom landing tab converted 200 to 300% more fans. These tabs are designed to reflect your branding, what you do and why the Facebook user should be your fan. These custom tabs can incorporate other aspects of your marketing mix, as well. For example, an email sign-up form or a video.
If you are interested in a custom tab for your Facebook page, talk to your linkup coach to get you going in the right direction.
Tip #5 – Focus on the Right Numbers
When looking at your advertising metrics on Facebook, focus on your cost per conversion, not your cost per click. Similar to looking at your website analytics, you want to focus on what advertisements are giving you the best END result, not the most immediate results.
Also make sure you are looking at the various reports available as part of the Facebook Advertising standard package. They have interesting details about who is clicking on your advertisements and when they are clicking. Use these reports to optimize your advertising.
Tip #6 – Ask for the Sale
Over 70% of potential sales are lost because no one asks for the desired outcome. Make sure to ask people to ‘like’ your advertisement or become a fan. Use a strong call to action and tell them how to take the next step. Don’t talk in riddles, don’t be too clever; spell it out so they can easily become part of your Facebook community.
Do you have a tip for advertising on Facebook that has helped you be successful with Facebook advertising? Share with the rest of us!
If you’re not sure how to get started with Facebook Advertising, check out an excerpt from a linkup webinar covering how to get setup and started with Facebook Advertising.
Author Bio: Valorie Reavis
Social Marketer, foodie, closet geekA marketing professional who has focused primarily on the hair and beauty business for of the past decade, Valorie now runs linkup marketing, a digital marketing agency for the hair and beauty professional. Valorie works to engage clients in the marketing process and help them successfully engage with their clients and community. Energetic and passionate about the industry, Valorie focuses on blending traditional and digital media in order to bring salons closer to their clients.
