Whether you are perusing your social feeds or searching for a prompt remedy for your headache on Google, you are most likely cognizant to the fact that digital advertisements are everywhere. Indeed, as most age groups are beginning to or continuing to navigate around the internet and social media, digital marketing practices are now being proven to be more effective than traditional marketing strategies. More specifically, out of all of the ways in which you can market products or services digitally, social media has been found to be the most effective in getting more impressions, clicks and conversions.

We could be here all day discussing the various social media platforms that you can advertise on. Today, however, we’re talking about Facebook. This feels like an apt place to start, as Facebook is reportedly 7 times cheaper than the next most affordable social media ads channel, which is Twitter. On top of this, if you know how to use the Facebook advertisements to their utmost advantage, they can be super profitable.

In order to succeed with Facebook ads, and to maintain a positive return on investment, us here at Artemeis Media are here to gloss over some of the main dos and don’ts for Facebook advertisements.

Do…

Narrow down your targeted audience

One of the great parts about Facebook advertising is that you can target users based on their location, demographic and profile information – much of which are only available to Facebook.

It is certainly worthwhile considering the interests of your audience, too. Recognising the interests of your audience allows you to gauge many things, such as what exactly they would like to see based on their passions, and how they are likely they are to engage with particular posts. For example, if you are a brand that sells cameras or photography paraphernalia, your best bet is to target an audience that is into the likes of photography and art. Otherwise, your advertisement will be irrelevant to a lot of people.

The same goes for location. By setting up a location advertisement targeting a specific address or area, you are thus refining the audience to the people that live in, have recently been to or are travelling in that area. Of course, it wouldn’t make sense to advertise your services as a bookstore in London, when your targeted audiences live in Edinburgh. Refining your audience’s location is beneficial for you as a company as you can attract walk-in customers; drive purchases during sales events; stand out from the competition and build loyalty and advocacy.

Other factors such as age, gender and languages contribute, too. You are also given the option to go even further into detailed targeting and include factors such as the cars your audience drives, their occupations, or their annual income.

It is important that you utilise these features of Facebook. Without these, not only are your advertisements going to be lost within the millions of users on Facebook and your potential audience, but you aren’t going to have a positive return on investment.

…Optimise Your Advertisements for Multiple Devices

84% of Facebook’s total advertising income comes from mobile advertising. That is too great a number to be ignoring if you’re solely opting to design ads primarily for desktop viewers. Instead, we suggest that you make two different types of ads, for both mobile and desktop viewers. This will increase the likelihood of gaining click-throughs and conversions, and neither audience will be neglected in the process.

…Stay on Top of your advertisement’s comment section

If you are a regular Facebook user, you will already know that Facebook advertisements can display comments from users that come across the ad. You may even be surprised to hear that many people actually choose to read the comments before clicking on the ad. However, as a company, it is important that you manage these comments efficiently. Spam, trolls and negativity can quickly turn a great ad sour – especially if you choose not to regulate them, or provide any clarification.

It is generally ineffective to push out advertisements and leave your audience neglected afterwards. Instead, it is important to connect with your potential customers via these comments: answer queries, provide further insights into your services or products, and be proactive with your audience.

…Try Experimenting with A/B Testing

A/B testing (also known as split testing) refers to the practice of comparing two versions of your advertisement, before ultimately deciding which one performs best. You can do this by messing around with the headlines, CTAs, and graphics in order to gauge which advertisement gets the most engagement.

It may even be important to note that even if you find that your ad campaigns are successful, switching your ad formats up can stop your ads from going stale, and ultimately avoid fatigue for your audience.

Don’t…

…Abandon Your advertisements

One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to advertising on Facebook is that they carefully curate these ads and just abandon them. They don’t check their results, engagement or switch up their audience. In order to maintain a successful advertising strategy, it is important that you check these consistently, and check for the likes of ad frequency, click through rate, conversion rates, the number of leads generated, and clicks by interest.

Ultimately, monitoring these ads frequently will help you gauge whether you need to make changes to your ads, and will keep you informed on what is working for your brand, and what doesn’t.

…Run Too Many Advertisements on a Tight Budget

It is far better to run a complex ad with all of your budget than to try and squeeze as many as you can into your budget. Doing this will reduce efficiency in your ads and lead to a lot of confusion for Facebook.

For a successful ad, you will need around 50-100 conversions per ad set per week. To do this, you would need a sizeable budget. For example, if you wanted to create 3 ad sets, your budget would roughly need to be around $100-$150 a day. Facebook won’t always use all of that budget per day, but it is good to have enough so Facebook can find the best leads and conversions for you.

…Expect Your Audience to Immediately Buy Your Product

It is fact that the businesses that succeed with Facebook ads ask users to sign up – not to buy. In order to be successful, it is important that you use a low friction conversion.

Indeed, it is most likely that when clicking on your ad, the visitor wasn’t looking for your product. Instead, they probably clicked on the ad on a whim. It is unrealistic for them to immediately purchase your product or service solely based on this.

Instead, it may be best to stick to simple conversions, like encouraging customers to sign up to your products or service, fill out a short lead form, or submit their email address. You can up-sell to the customers later, through email marketing or Facebook retargeting ads.

…Just Use Your Advertisements as a Sales Funnel

In a bid to get your ad-game on point, it is crucial that you are using your ads to tell your viewers your brand’s story. This allows them the opportunity to connect with you. Opt to include things like brand reviews, delivery benefits, industry recognitions and testimonials. Not only do these increase your validity as a brand, but it also shows that you care about how your audience and customers perceive you.

Don’t know where to start with Facebook ads? Contact us here at Artemeis Media, today!