What are the Do’s and Don’ts When Advertising in Facebook?
With a whopping 1.39 billion active users (and counting!), there’s no doubt any brand can benefit from Facebook advertising.
The fact that Facebook has become a major player in terms of online advertising can be attributed to an ecosystem that not only allows sharing but also helps brands target ads with laser precision.
However, a Facebook campaign that’s poorly planned can also be detrimental to your brand (and your wallet).
Make the most out of your Facebook campaign by keeping in mind the do’s and don’ts of Facebook advertising.
DO’S
Identify relevant metrics and marketing objectives before launching a campaign.
Facebook advertising can be utilized for numerous purposes—from building overall brand awareness to promoting specific actions—so it’s crucial to determine what you are looking to achieve before spending money on it.
For instance, if you want to boost your Facebook friend count, it would be wise to calculate first the cost-per-fan. Doing so will help ensure you will be able to effectively scale up your brand’s social media presence.
On the other hand, if your goal is to generate more brand buzz, tracking engagements (shares, likes, comments) and the cost-per-engagement would be recommended.
Make exclusive ad offers.
If you want your ad to effectively capture people’s attention (and earn those coveted clicks), you have to ensure you offer people a deal they won’t be able to find anywhere else.
If you want to take the campaign a notch higher, you can require people to “like” the brand before getting access to your offer.
However, while this strategy might be a good method to gain new fans, there is always the possibility fans can simply “unlike” the page once they have gained access to what they want.
Determine your ideal audience and ensure your ads are carefully targeted.
While segmenting your audience can be time-consuming, the process can help ensure your ads will reach relevant audiences. This process can also significantly boost your ad’s performance in the long run.
Fortunately, Facebook provides some of the most granular functionality in terms of demographic targeting compared to other networks.
That means you have the option to target people based on age, gender, education, interests, and geography (i.e. 25-35 year-old males with college degrees in California who likes ESPN).
You also have the option to target your ads with connections as the basis. This strategy would allow you to focus your ads on your fan’s friends alone and drive more clicks by leveraging social proof.
DON’TS
Send users to an irrelevant page when they click on your ad.
Getting users to click on an ad is just one part of the strategy. Effective Facebook advertising should also involve directing the users to the right place once they click on the ad.
Your Facebook wall or your company’s home page are two destinations you should not direct users to as both are too generic and does not provide users with an immediate call-to-action (so they can move on to the next step).
To help ensure clicks translate into conversions, send users to a custom landing page or a relevant Facebook section sub-page that delivers what the ad promises.
Forget to track your campaign on a consistent basis.
Since Facebook ads can provide data on how your ad is performing, it is easier to keep track of the campaign status on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that just like other online advertising mediums, Facebook ads will need constant tinkering and trial and error if you want it to produce the results you want.
Bottom line, if you want to maximize your Facebook ad campaign ROI, it is recommended that you treat your campaign as an ongoing optimization quest as opposed to a one-time event.
Use Facebook as a tool of mass broadcast.
While there’s no arguing Facebook’s tantalizingly broad reach (everybody from your grandpa to your little cousin probably has an account), it should not be treated like a megaphone where you can blast messages that are one-size-fits-all.
When it comes to dealing with ads, it would be safe to assume most users value authentic engagement and relevance so ensure your ads are tailor made for your audience. This strategy can help you fully maximize all the benefits your campaign has to offer.
Robert is all about making the complex seem simple. He distills knowledge from diverse fields into bite-sized, easy-to-digest pieces. Join him for practical tips, life hacks, and a friendly chat.
