Facebook Ads For Small Business

With over 1 billion users, Facebook is a veritable gold mine when it comes to advertising. However, before you start cashing in on this platform, it’s vital to know how you want to use it. We’ll talk about Facebook Ads for your small business, and how to effectively set yourself up for success. 

Consider Your Objective

 To create a Facebook ad that produces results, you need to take a bit of time and effort to consider your goals. The first step in this process is considering what your objective is when it comes to Facebook advertising. You can do this by asking yourself what you want that ad to accomplish. Are you looking to generate sales, increase brand awareness, or bring more traffic to your site? If you aren’t sure, consider your target audience, and where they may be in the buyer’s journey.  Having a set advertising objective is essential because you will be able to narrow down exactly how to create an effective ad. You’ll know precisely how to engage your audience.  As an example, if you are trying to reach potential customers who are not aware of your brand yet, having an ad that encourages them to buy will not produce effective results. They will automatically scroll by because you will be just another company in their face trying to sell them something.  If your goal is to create awareness, you’ll want your ad to convey value and not sales.  Facebook has several ad formats you can use depending on your objective. If you are trying to push conversions for example, you can add a Call-to-Action or CTA that will direct the consumer to “Shop Now”   

Know Your Target Audience

Not understanding your target audience can render a Facebook marketing campaign ineffective. For example, if your business sells hearing aids, having your targets set to reach a young audience will not lead to many conversions.  However, age is only one factor when considering demographics. You’ll also want to understand the interests of your target audience. A company that sells flashy toys for young kids won’t be very successful running commercials during a late night talk show. Ad copy offering the lowest prices, may not be effective if you’re selling luxury goods. Facebook can help your filter your target audience by:

• • Age
  • Interests
  • Location
  • Gender 
  • Language

You can also target or exclude users with specific interests. Going back to the toy company we mentioned earlier, they could target users who are parents with young children.  Facebook will also allow you to create a customized audience which is based on existing followers, app users, or website visitors.  After considering both your objectives and your target audience, creating your ad will be much simpler. You can move on to marketing assets. 

Setting a Budget

You don’t need to have a large budget to advertise on Facebook. You’ll want to determine how much you want to spend on Facebook advertising on a daily basis, then decide if you want your ad to run for a specific period of time, or continuously. You will also be able to choose if you want specific placements, or automatic placements. Automatic placements are recommended by Facebook, as it saves you time and extra effort, letting the platform place your ad where your target audience is more likely to see them.  After setting a budget, you will select your ad format, add text, and upload the appropriate images or video. Facebook will then review your ad (checkout our article on the Facebook Ad approval process), after which it will go live if you have selected the ad to run immediately.

Is a Facebook Business Page Required to Advertise?

You do not need a Facebook business page to advertise, but you’ll want to create one to get the most out of your ad placements.  If you do not have a Facebook business page, you will be limited to running Right Column ads. These are more likely to be missed by your target audience.  By creating a Facebook page for your business, your ads can appear in the user’s Newsfeed as Sponsored Posts.   

Monitoring Your Ad

You can monitor your ad campaign’s performance using the Facebook Ads Manager dashboard. It will provide useful data such as performance, engagement, clicks, conversions, etc. You will also be able to use this tool to customize your metrics, as well as compare your ad’s performance with other campaigns your business runs, and the time periods when your ad is most effective.  Using ads on Facebook to reach new users, and obtain conversions with existing customers is a great move for many small business owners. It’s fairly easy to do, and will allow you to meet and exceed your advertising goals for your small business.