While it may still be one of the new kids on the online advertising block, independent reports are indicating that Facebook advertising is in fact, for most businesses, proving to be very effective. However, as with Google Adwords, this only applies if you know how to use it properly.
If you have been thinking about diverting some of your marketing budget to try out advertising on Facebook, here are a few tips and tricks that you should keep in mind as you plan your first ads.
Take the Time to Get Your Target Demographic Right
Before you do anything else it is crucial that you make sure you know the target demographic you will be telling Facebook you want your ads to reach. You are given some fairly detailed options so taking the time to go through them. It will all really pay off.
How narrow you make your ad parameters depends very much upon just what you are trying to sell as well as your own understanding of what your target demographic really is. Not all companies, especially smaller ones, actually truly understand just who their target audience really is. If your business is one of them, take care of that research before you start placing – and paying – for Facebook ads.
Get the Copy Right
Facebook allows you just 25 characters for the ad title and 135 characters for the ad copy. That is not a lot so you have to get your point across quickly. Many successful Facebook advertisers have found that asking a question is the most effective way to get people to interact with the ad. It does not have to be anything too clever, just a simple question “Got something for Father’s Day yet?” for example, that at a quick glance people will be interested to pursue.
Images Matter Too
Facebook mandates that your ads have a single, static image. Without any fancy Flash tricks available to you, picking the right striking static image is a must. The space you have is very limited – just 110 pixels wide x 80 pixels high. If the image you choose is not this size then Facebook will resize it for you and you may not get the result you hoped for. Take the time to resize the image yourself so that you know just how it will look when your ad begins to run.
Test, Test, Test
One of the best things about Facebook advertising is that they make it very easy to test a number of slightly different campaigns at the same time. For the best results tweak different things in different ads. Change the demographics for one but the image for another. Add slightly different copy to a few different ads.
Be prepared to test, tweak and test again in order to best identify what will work best for your unique brand. If you would like help with making Facebook Ads work effectively for your business, get in touch.