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Introduction Facebook has become a huge part of our daily lives. Visiting it is almost effortless and second-nature for most people. Whether you use it to stay connected with friends and family, or to participate in conversations about hobbies or interests, there is no doubt that it has emerged as an unparalleled social media powerhouse. In the time of the COVID-19 crisis, it became an even more popular way for people all over the world to participate in social distancing while still being able to connect to and interact with others. As of late 2020, Facebook has over 2.6 billion active users. Of those, approximately 1.73 billion users visit the site on a daily basis - sometimes multiple times a day - and spend approximately 58 minutes a day on the platform. With this massive of an audience, it is impossible to ignore Facebook’s reach - and it’s an excellent reason for business owners to use that reach to their advantage. During recent times when many businesses were forced to temporarily close due to the pandemic, many of them used their Facebook pages to stay connected to their customers, keeping them abreast of things like reopening dates and reductions/changes in hours of operation. It was also an easy way to direct traffic to their website in order to continue making sales while their storefronts were shut down. If you have a business - even a very small one - you probably already have a Facebook business page (approximately 80 million small businesses worldwide do). And as a business owner, why wouldn’t you have a Facebook page? It’s free, easy to set up, convenient, and helps you strengthen customer relationships as well as build awareness for your products and services. But...what about advertising on Facebook? How does that work? Should your business do it? How do you get started with it? In these pages, we will discuss these things and more. We will explain how Facebook ads work, how you can use targeting, how to develop your message, and many other things you need to know about using this advertising medium to aid in your business’s success.
In today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever to make sure you are using your advertising dollars wisely. We are here to help. Let’s get started! 2
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Determine if Facebook Advertising is Actually Right for You.
I’m sure that any person who sells advertising and marketing services will immediately scoff at this statement and jump in to say that Facebook advertising is for EVERY business! But the truth is...it’s really not. While it does have a broad audience and reach as we discussed in the introduction, there are some brands and products who would best serve their advertising needs by using a different platform, such as Instagram. For reference: Instagram was launched in 2010 as it’s own entity, and was bought by Facebook in 2012. Instagram is independently managed (i.e. different accounts, different features, etc.). However, there are several points of integration between the two platforms, including the ability to run Instagram ads from the Facebook Ads Manager. You actually don’t even need an Instagram account to run ads on Instagram (though it is a good idea to have one).
The best way to know where your business fits in this realm is by making sure you know who your customer is, aka your customer avatar. Who are your customers? Where are they located? What age are they? What is their annual income? What occupations do they tend to be? (To help you build this, we have included a customer avatar worksheet at the end of this book.)
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Once you have a firm idea of who your typical customer is, you need to determine which social platforms they usually hang out in – and that will help you make a decision as to whether or not Facebook ads would be a good idea. Research has shown that frequent Facebook users tend to skew an older demographic, while Instagram skews a younger one. So if your product is something that is most commonly purchased by someone who is 16-20 years old, then your ad dollars may be better spent on Instagram.
There have been a number of studies done and statistics gathered about social media demographics – the subject is vast enough to merit it’s own book. Since this e-book is primarily about Facebook marketing, we will discuss some of the data that has been published regarding demographics for that platform only. A few interesting tidbits that have been determined in research stemming from 20182020 regarding exactly who is using Facebook the most: • The fastest-growing group of individuals using Facebook are individuals who are 65 years or older. This is a trend line that began rising in 2019, where it reached almost 40%, up from 26% in 2018, and continued to rise in 2020. •
Fewer teens continue to be regular Facebook users. In looking at data from 2015, it was estimated that around 70% of teens were active on Facebook. From 2019-2020, that number dropped to 51%, with many of them spending more time on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, all wildly popular amongst this demographic.
•
While approximately 48% of Facebook’s ad revenue comes from the US and Canada, only 10-12% of Facebook users live in these countries. (Therefore it stands to reason that businesses who can sell internationally have a great opportunity for global reach in markets with lower competition that in North America.)
• Facebook use is prominent among high-earning individuals - those who’s annual income is over $75,000. It is estimated that approximately 74% of them are active on the social network regularly. • The highest traffic activity on Facebook occurs Wednesdays and Thursdays. • Revenue from Facebook Ads comes overwhelmingly from users on mobile devices - 94%. This is important to keep in mind when creating your content so you can be sure it is as mobile friendly as possible.
Now that we know a little more about who uses Facebook...this leads us to the question: What types of things are people buying on Facebook? The following page contains a “cheat sheet” which gives you examples of what types of products/services tend to sell well on Facebook, based on market research over the course of the last 5 years. It also covers which products/services sell well on Instagram, and which have proven to be successful on both platforms. 4
Types of Products That Sell Well on Facebook
Electronics Deals/ Subscriptions
Kitchen Gadgets/ Appliances
Medical/Beauty
Crowdfunding
(Aging & Health)
(Kickstarter, IndieGoGo etc)
B2B Lead Generation
Events
(Facebook event ads)
Infomercial Type Products
Barcode Deals/ Offers
Types of Products That Sell Well on Instagram
Fashion/Swimwear Apparel
Photography Products
Influencer Products (Selfie Ring Lights, etc.)
Beauty Products (Makeup, etc.)
Trends/Fads
(Fidget spinners, etc.)
Travel Deals/ Services
Lifestyle Focused Brands
Types of Products That Sell Well on Both
Skincare Products
Shoes/Apparel
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Local Businesses and Services
Note that this is by no means an exhaustive listing, but it should give you a good idea of what types of businesses have had good results with social media advertising on which platforms. If your industry was not included, don’t worry. Every brand is different! It may still be worth your while to test the Facebook platform to see if it can work for you as a tool for growing your business, or if it can help you break your sales into a new demographic of customers. For example, if you sell beauty products and have an anti-aging line, you can test introducing those products to an older audience by running Facebook ads - while keeping ads for products that track with younger customers on Instagram. In these cases, it would be best to start with a small campaign where you closely monitor things like click through rates, cost per click and cost per action in order to determine effectiveness. Like most other advertising vehicles, Facebook ads can be a bit of trial and error process. It is key that while you are testing ads that you keep close track of what is working best – so you can do more of that – and what is not working as well so that you can adjust your messaging as needed.
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Do Some Research! Another good way to figure out whether or not Facebook advertising can work for you is to simply check out what your competitors are doing. This is something that you really should be doing with your business anyway, but for this purpose, determining what they are offering and what type of messaging they are putting forth could greatly help you determine your own course of action. Here are two tips on how to get started with that: 1.
Build a “swipe file� of ads you have seen. A swipe file is basically a place where you can collect information and get inspired with ideas for your business. There are a number of apps you can use to do this, many of which are free - such as OneNote, Evernote, or even Google Sheets. You can use Pinterest as well if that is your preference.
2. Use the Facebook ad transparency tool to see what ads the company is running. You can access this by going to their Facebook page, click on the Info and Ads tab, and then select a region from the drop-down menu. This will show you all of the ads that the page is currently running. There is also an option to see ads from pages which are related to that business (from the View Active Ads from a Related Page in a box on the right side).
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Make Sure Your Product/Service is Easy to Understand at a Glance
Once you have decided that Facebook would be an effective platform for you to use to advertise your business, your next step should be crafting your message. There are a variety of different types of ads that you can run on Facebook, and we will cover what they are later in this book. But regardless of which you choose, it is very important to remember that you a limited amount of room on any one of them for your messaging. So, you must make sure that you use that space as effectively as possible. There is no doubt that you have heard the expression “Less is more“, coined by poet Robert Browning. This tenet is especially true in advertising. If you have spent any time really taking a look at advertising and how it works, one of the first things you come to learn is that simplicity rules. People must be able to understand your message quickly and easily for maximum effectiveness. Even the best advertising concept in the world can flat if it is not put together the right way.
There are 3 basic areas to focus on when creating your ads’ message: Target Market, Creative & Copy, Call to Action. The next two sections in this book covers the topics of on targeting and building creative in more detail. So let’s discuss the basics behind this, and the call to action in this section. BUT...prior to even reading further, make sure that you have your customer avatar built so you know where you should focus these 3 areas.
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Once you figure out who is most likely to purchase your product or service, make sure that you have a clear message for that audience, so they can feel confident about clicking through your ad and buying from you. Namely, you should be asking yourself:
➊ ➋ ➌
What does my product/service do exactly for our customers? What pain point is it addressing? What solution to a problem is it offering?
Ensure that these questions are answered right off the bat with clear copy, and an image that supports that message. Keep your headlines short but impactful. (If more information is necessary to explain the product or service, save that for the post text and not the graphic part of the ad.) And finally, provide a clear call to action. That means you tell the viewer/reader exactly what step you would like them to take next (i.e sign up for something, visit your website, call you etc). Getting prospective customers to do what you want them to do can be, at times, like herding cats. They click all over the place. They abandon their shopping carts. They don’t sign up for your newsletter. And so on. It seems elementary to try to solve this problem by simply putting “Click Here to Buy” on an ad, doesn’t it? But guess what? It is actually pretty effective - especially if it’s done in a compelling manner. A call to action should not only give the prospective customer a specific directive, it should also create a sense of urgency to act NOW versus later. Put a time limit or some other type of exclusivity on the offer. This type of thing is used in advertising of all types, all the time, because quite frankly, it works. Nobody wants to feel like they are “missing out”. Everyone loves to think they are getting the “best price”. So it’s your job as a marketer to make sure you capitalize on these very common human behaviors. Another effective tactic to use in a call to action is personalization. It’s one of the reasons why you so often see pictures of happy people doing fun things on ads for places like spinal surgery centers or hospitals. You aren’t going to either place to have fun, and your conscious mind knows that. But your subconscious sees a smiling lady on a bike and thinks “I could do that too if I didn’t have this back pain!”. And that’s what the surgery center is hoping compels you to pick up the phone and learn more. So how does this work with a Facebook ad? Making your call to action something that personalizes what your selling helps with making it more familiar. So if you sell custom items, instead of saying “Buy Now”, try “Build Yours Now!” If your ad is asking people to sign up for a newsletter, how about using the friendly “Stay in Touch with Us!” If you are offering something free, instead of “Start Free Trial” why not say “Give Us a Try - It’s Free for 14 Days!” which sounds much more personal. (A playful or casual tone doesn’t work for all products and services, of course, so you should use your discretion on when and where it’s appropriate.) Your call to action is often the last thing your target will see before either clicking through...or clicking away from your ad. Make it compelling and irresistible! 9
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Specifically Define Your Target Audience
Even if you have only the most basic knowledge about marketing, you probably know that you can have a beautiful ad with a great offer but if the right audience is not seeing it...it will not be effective. That’s why making sure you target the correct audience is the most important step in successful advertising on Facebook. One of the best and most innovative features of Facebook advertising is that it allows you to set very specific, laser-focused audiences that you want to reach with your ads. For example, if your ideal customer is a 35-41 year old woman who collects antiques, likes cats, and lives in Portland, Oregon - then those are the types of parameters you want to use to ensure that Facebook shows your ads to that demographic. The Facebook Audience Insights (FAI) can help to identify who your ideal customers are by providing you with data on your Facebook business page’s engagement. This will give you insight with which to measure who your audience is, how you can best target ads, and what type of relevant content you can create to engage them. When starting with FAI, you are prompted to choose who you wish to reach with your ads. There are 3 basic options: • People who are connected to/”like” your business page • People in a custom audience • People on Facebook in general
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If you wish to run targeted ads, you want to select the custom audience option. From there, FAI’s user interface allows you to select your targeting options using criteria such as: • Age and Gender • Geographic Location • Relationship Status • Life Events (ie children etc) • Interests/Hobbies • Purchasing Habits • Languages Spoken • Education Level • Pages They Like • Devices They Use to Access Facebook • And much more It may be tempting to choose broad categories because one assumes that will reach more people, but that is actually the opposite strategy you should implement. For best results, try to avoid using generic interests such as “computers” or “pets” – and choose more specific things like other brands that your ideal customers might like, other websites, or even other Facebook page likes.
Which options you choose in creating your custom audience should also be based on the specifics of your business. For example, if you are a record store in Tampa, Florida, or a t-shirt store in Ridgefield, New Jersey - and the majority of your business comes from people physically visiting your storefront - then you want to select those areas as the regions to run your ads in. If you also have the option to ship your goods or have an e-commerce website, then you can include other areas - however, make sure you keep it limited to places you can ship to or where shipping costs are reasonable. If you are an online business or a service based business who services clients all over the world, then you want to include other countries in your audience. Note: This can seem a bit daunting when getting started, but if there are things you are not sure about yet, you can always leave them blank. Another good thing about using FAI is that you can always return to your options and tweak them as you begin to run ads and gain more insights on what is working. It may take a few tries to get the right parameters set for your targeting, so it is recommended that you look at your analytics often and study what type of engagement your ads are generating – and what their reach is. If you have a very “niche” or specialty product, you may find that adding some slightly broader or related interests as part of your targeting is beneficial as well.
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You can get started using FAI at: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/audience-insights
Brand Building Facebook Page “likes” aren’t nearly as valuable as they used to be for marketing purposes. But they do still have value...especially for building your brand. One of those “things” about online advertising that nobody seems to talk about is one of the simplest: LOOK THE PART. That means that if you are going to spend money on advertising, you want to make sure that when people go to check out your Facebook presence, they see a business that looks legitimate, credible and trustworthy. It is a little exercise that will go a long way to help you with sales. There are a number of ways to help your business page get more “likes” most which are low cost and don’t require a ton of effort. The obvious one would be to invite friends, share your page, and ask others to share it. There are so many more that it would be impossible to cover them all here, but just a couple of additional tips include: • • • •
Make your page easy to find, and advertise it on other mediums, such as your email signature or even your business cards Post high quality content that your audience will want to see - and share Run a contest that requires entrants to like your page Engage with other brands and communities on Facebook
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Use the Right Images to Attract Attention
There’s a reason why the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” has endured in popular usage for so long: because it’s true. To put it quite simply - people like pictures. As such, they can be extremely effective tools - they can evoke emotion, convey a feeling, bring to life a message...and sometimes, all of these things at once. If you think about advertising being a stage - then the Facebook Newsfeed is a chance for you to give a solo performance. Alright! Finally your time to shine! Or...is it? Because you see...the stage is very crowded. There are a lot of other people giving their solo performances too on that Newsfeed. So in order for yours to stand out...you must make it compelling. And one of the easiest ways to do that is by choosing an image that is eye-catching, and marrying it up with the right message. Facebook has a text to image ratio that you must follow in order for your ad to perform well. It is called the “20% rule” - and it was put in place after it was determined that the Facebook algorithm works best with ads that have very little text - less than 20%. This sounds complicated, but there’s a tool to make it easy: Facebook’s own native Text Overlay Tool, available on the site, allows you to upload your image and test for compliance.
There are numerous places you can acquire images which you can use in your advertising - and there are tools out there that can help you put together some basic graphics. These tools often have their limitations, however, so if you are looking for something that is a bit more unique or highly customized - or you just would rather leave the creative part to someone else - it is recommended that you seek the assistance of a graphic designer. Graphic designers are professionals who specialize in aesthetics, layout and color theory - all things that can be critically important to the success of an advertising campaign. Many are fairly well versed in marketing as well and can help you with crafting an overall effective message for your ads that includes effective copy. If you really want to get serious about your advertising, this is a great step to take. Leaving advertising creation to an advertising professional lets you focus on the other things you need to work on for your business to grow. 13
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Use Testimonials and Other Social Proof
Social proof - aka testimonials, reviews and other accolades - are some of the most powerful selling tools you can have in an advertisement. In fact, sometimes it can be more effective and persuasive than the actual ad itself. Why? Because it has been proven time and time again that people are much more likely to trust a service or product when they see that lots of other people have used/bought it and had a good experience. Think about your own personal shopping habits. Do you read reviews when you are considering making a purchase? What about going to a restaurant? Planning a vacation? Seeing a dentist? I would venture to say that if you are a savvy consumer, you probably do it for all of the above, and you might even ask friends, family or other people in your social network for recommendations too. We are more inclined to do this when making a purchase we don’t know a whole lot about, or going to a place we have never been, or using a service from a provider who is new to us. The point is here that consumers today have more information at their disposal than ever - and as a business person, you should know how to use this to your advantage by using social proof. So how do you get social proof to work for your Facebook ads? One of the easiest ways is to use some customer reviews as your ad copy. This may not generate a lot of comments or “likes” on an ad, but it DOES show that you have satisfied customers who love your product/service. People like stories from other people, and are a lot more inclined to read those over something that looks like a blatant, pandering advertisement. This human element also builds trust. Trust translates into clicks, conversions and sales...and profits! You should, for all intents and purposes, collect testimonials from customers whenever you can, because it is a good business practice, period. However, another good way to increase your social proof is also to leverage your customer base. When someone reads a statement like “Over 5000 Sold!” or “2500 Customers Served in (Your Town)!” they will very likely ask themselves: “How could ALL those people be wrong?”
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Figure Out What Kinds of Ads Work Best for Your Audience
A feature of Facebook ads that many people like about this medium is that there are a wide range of ad types that you can use. Some of the options include: • Image
• Collection
• Canvas
• Video
• Carousel
• Messenger
Below is a brief description of each. Which works best for your business may require testing, and many businesses who advertise on Facebook try several options in order to determine which communicates most effectively to their target audience. Image Ads These ads are mostly visual in nature (i.e. a compelling image takes up most of it) and drives people to a website or app in order to obtain more information or make a purchase. These are the most common ads you see on Facebook and work well for service based businesses. Video Ads These ads use sound and motion to draw people in and look at your product/service’s features. You can either upload a video you have personally taken, or create one in Facebook’s Ad Manager tool. Collection Ads These ads is a dynamic option that shows the viewer a number of products that you offer, encouraging them to browse and shop. This is a great option for someone who sells multiple products, and clicking on each panel will take the viewer to that product’s page. (This is an ad format that is widely used by many retailers such as Amazon.com, Target, Walmart, Best Buy etc.) Carousel Ads These ads display up to 10 videos or images within a single ad, each with it’s own link when someone can make a purchase. You can show either one long image that people can swipe, or display different images of the same product. 15
Canvas Ads These ads a full screen ad experience that is immersive and helps a brand tell a story that brings it to life. It is commonly used for vacation experiences such as cruises and luxury brands to create digital “lookbooks” for things like holiday catalogs etc. Messenger Ads These ads work much like image ads, but are delivered to the viewer via Facebook’s Messenger app versus the news feed. Below are some examples of different Facebook ad options:
Image Ad
Carousel Ad Video Ad
Collection Ad
Canvas Ad 16
Messenger Ad
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Check on Your Results in the Ads Manager Tool
One of the cool things about Facebook ads is that you can view how your ads perform quickly and with ease in the Ads Manager tool...something that is not nearly as easy or even possible with say, a print ad, billboard or many other mediums. Some of the data that you can optain in the Ads Manager includes: • The number of people who are seeing your ads • The number of people who are clicking on your ads • The amount you are spending on your ad Here is a simple way to do this: • While in the Ads Manager, Click Campaigns, Ad Sets or Ads. • Click View Charts to open the insights side pane to see a visual representation of your ads’ performance. While in this expanded view, you are actually able to see 3 insights: Performance, Demographics or Placement about whichever ad or campaign that you have selected.. The Performance chart shows the number of people who click on your ad, the number of people you reach and the overall cost of your ad. If you scroll over the line chart, you’ll see individual results for that day reflected in the chart. If you want to change the results you see in the charts, click Custom and choose the metrics you want to view. The Demographics chart shows how your ad performs across gender, age, etc. You can scroll over each section of the chart to see individual results for each data group. The Placement chart shows your ad’s performance across different placements, such as Facebook or Instagram. Depending on where your ad is eligible to appear, you’ll see where your ad is receiving the most delivery. You can also click the dropdown menu to see where your ad appears on mobile and desktop devices. Needless to say, the ability to see this type of data is very useful for determining how well your ads are working. From there you can determine things like placement and split tests, which we will cover in the next section. 17
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Experiment with Placement and Do Split Tests
With just about anything, one of the best ways to figure out what works - and what doesn’t - is to experiment, right? Facebook advertising is no different. In this section we will discuss how you can do that using placement and split tests, and what the fundamental difference is between them. Placement In any kind of advertising, putting your ad in a place where your target audience is most likely to see it is critical. This is especially true in Facebook advertising, as your ad is competing with other things on your target’s Newsfeed. As of this writing, Facebook has three different options for ad placement that it offers: • Desktop Newsfeed: This format supports longer copy and link descriptions. It gives you the maximum space available for your message to be shown. •
Mobile Newsfeed: This option is similar to the first, but your copy space is shorter, and so is the space you are allotted overall. While this doesn’t sound ideal at first, it is actually a highly effective way to give your customers a short intro to your business and encourage them to click to learn more without having to read a whole lot to get there.
• Desktop Right Column: This method uses smaller image and less text. It is the least expensive method of Facebook advertising but has proven effective in converting with people who are already familiar with your brand. Market research has indicated that users on mobile devices tend to click “Like” or other reactions more frequently - almost 13 times more - than desktop users.
Split Tests Instead of just choosing news feed right-column ads or going for all news feed ads, try a split test with a couple of placements. Ideally, you would have 3 ad sets or campaigns – one for each type of placement. This allows you to control the budget to a higher level than if all of your ad were the same placement or campaign.
Name
ADS
ADS
Once you determine which is your best performing ad, create variations of them and change one element at a time, such as the headline, while leaving the rest the same. This can help you see which converts the most effectively. 18
ADS
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Get to Know Retargeting and the Facebook Pixel
You probably already know what retargeting is without being aware that you do! Let’s say that you went to Nike.com and looked at a new pair of running shoes. You do not buy them and move on with your day. Later, you are scrolling through Facebook and WHAM! Here’s an ad for Nike, showing you those very same running shoes...and maybe some other similar ones too. That’s retargeting in a nutshell. It’s basically advertising that aims to bring someone back to your website who has interacted with it previously. This is powered by the Facebook Pixel - a piece of code for your website that is triggered whenever someone visits/buys something on your site. This helps you determine when a customer made a purchase after seeing your ad, and it helps you reach them again by making them part of your custom audience. This sounds complicated, but it really isn’t - if you are comfortable making website edits and have access to it’s code, you can add the Facebook pixel yourself. There are instructions available in the Facebook Help Center that will walk you through the process. If you’d rather leave it to the professionals, whoever handles your website for you should be able to add this with ease.
Retargeting’s “secret sauce” is in that it uses familiarity as a tool - it puts your ad in front of people who already know your brand and have visited your website or Facebook page. It has been often said that people are more inclined to buy from those they know, so this is a very obvious positive. Retargeting will show a customer either specific items they have looked at, closely related items they may be also interested in, or, when you introduce new products, it will show those to customers who have purchased from you in the past. This is a great tool to keep your customers engaged, do a little “suggestive selling” and will help you maintain brand loyalty. Think of it like “impulse buys” strategically placed at a brick and mortar’s checkout lane, but for the virtual world. Retargeting works with any ad type, or you can create ads that are specific for this purpose, such as the dynamic ads described above, or sponsored messages, which are used commonly for customers that you have not interacted with in a while. You can set up these types of campaigns in the Facebook Ads Manager, and you can also measure and monitor performance the same way you would other ads in your console. It is helpful to apply the rules to these as far as split testing and placement as well, until you find the perfect formula that works well in boosting your sales. 19
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Set Your Budget Accordingly
Warning: There is not going to be a “one size fits all“ answer to the question of what your budget should be. The below information is simply to give you a guideline of what has worked for others in the past. Like with anything else in business...you have to spend money to make money. Keep this old but still very relevant adage in mind when setting your Facebook ad budget. With that said...for this step of your strategy, one of the first things you want to do when setting a budget is to be aware of what the profit margin is on your product. In general, the more expensive and higher your profit margin is, the lower your conversion rate can be to turn a profit. For a service based business, this is a slightly different equation: most use their rate per hour or something comparable to determine what their margin is. If you are looking to grow your brand with paid ads, many people find that approximately $50/day is a good place to start. If your product is under $200, then 3-5% of your gross revenue is a good range. If you are just getting started, it is suggested that you focus that budget primarily on prospecting new customers and building your website conversion rate, but do also leave some room for remarketing. You can always adjust as needed while you go, which is, again, one of the things that makes Facebook advertising a bit more flexible than many other mediums. You may also want to consider these formulas, which research has shown to be effective: • Create a $5/day campaign that you add all your blog posts to, then target all your remarketing audiences (Website visitors and social engagements). •
Create a $5/day campaign targeting people who have added one of your products to their cart but didn’t complete the check out process.
• Create a $5/day campaign that features your best blog posts/content, then target interests closely aligned with your target customer. As stated previously, the subject of budget varies wildly from business to business, and your mileage will most definitely vary. But, the above information should give you an idea of a starting point you can use to develop your own ad budget according to what best suits your business and your growth goals. 20
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BONUS: What if None of this Stuff Works?
In the words of the great Benjamin Franklin, “...in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Wise words – especially in the world of advertising. There is no ONE set rule or even ten of them that are guaranteed to give you results... and what works overwhelmingly for one business may not work at all for another. You may do a ton of research, then test Facebook ads – and decide that they aren’t for you because they aren’t getting the results you expected. That certainly doesn’t mean you can’t absolutely CRUSH IT in other areas, so take heart! But before giving up on the platform altogether, it’s important to make sure to do some troubleshooting so you can learn from missteps and make a plan on what to do next. Here is an example of two very common problem areas that businesses run into with Facebook ads that are not converting: Do people actually WANT your product? What pain point does your product fix for a customer? Are there enough people out there with this same pain point to make this product successful? And if they do want your product - is your price point too high? Too low? (Yes, this can actually be a thing!) Not consistent with others in the market? How easy is it to make a purchase? (Hint: it should be as easy as possible) Take a look at your overall website experience, your checkout, and how people are getting from landing on your page to pulling out their credit card and buying something. If this number isn’t at least half of your visitors - it may be time to make some changes to the process. Consider adding more payment options (Amazon Pay, ApplePay, etc) or even redesign the site if it is in anyway not super easy to navigate. Keep in mind that if people are not converting on your website...then your Facebook ads are going to have a hard time being profitable too. A good way to get an answer to these things and many other troubleshooting questions is to...well...ASK! Run some surveys and get feedback from others. You’d be surprised how much you can learn by doing this. Use that feedback to adjust whatever needs to be adjusted.
And finally...I saved the very best tip of all for last. LEARN BY DOING. Despite several pages of tips
in this book, the absolute best way to master Facebook advertising is to GET STARTED. Take small steps, measure and monitor results...adjust accordingly. The rest will flow from there! 21
Building Your Customer Avatar Worksheet “If you build it, they will come.” – Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams As we discussed in an earlier section, creating a customer avatar is a vital part to your business’s overall success. Understanding your audience and your target is a key to growth so it’s important to get this figured out before you spend time setting budgets and building your ads. A customer avatar can be a lot like a self-fulfilling prophecy for your business, and here’s why: By focusing on a particular demographic, you are actively choosing who you want to work with and sell to. You may get overlap from other demographics too, and if so then great...that’s gravy. But the real meat is going to be from whatever you focus your efforts on. Or at least...that’s the way it should be. Building a great customer avatar is the first step to getting there. This exercise sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, I promise. Here’s a tip to get you started. Think of an existing customer you already have who is a perfect fit for your business...someone that you may have even thought: “I wish I had more customers like them!“ Build your customer avatar around this person. So what areas will a customer avatar help you with the most - specifically? Here are three: Overall Marketing This one is a given - pretty much every part of your marketing strategy should revolve around this question: Who are your customers? What is their demographic - age, sex, income, occupation, etc.? You can get as specific as you want...in fact the more specific, the better. A lot of people will read this and say “But my product is for everybody!“ And if you have a product that has a broad appeal then that’s a great problem to have in a business. But if you were to really take a deep dive into at who is buying your products or services...you may find that there is most likely specific groups of people who buy from you more than others do. So those people should really be your focus especially if you are working with a limited advertising budget. New Product Creation and Introduction Coming out with something new in a business always involves a level of risk. To have success with this, you should have intimate knowledge of who this product/service will be for and what problem it will solve for them. Very early on in the process is the ideal time, and when you have a good understanding of who your customers are - it makes this process a whole lot easier. Here’s an interesting statistic. Did you know that only one in four consumers in any market - whether it’s a vacation, a new car, or just a new hand cream – is actively looking to buy those things? What that means is three in four, the wide majority, are NOT out there thinking about buying something new, but they can be stimulated into doing it with the right messaging. If the person is already familiar with your brand, then chances are much higher that they will be willing to try something “new” you offer...even something that they didn’t even know existed 10 minutes prior. Content, Copy, Images When you are clear on who your customers are, it is infinitely easier to figure out how to speak to them through your ad copy and imagery. Figuring out what they best relate to is one of the most effective tools in your kit of how to craft a message. You must understand their pains, problems, goals and aspirations in order to help solve them! Ready to start? See the next page for a worksheet you can use to build your customer avatar!
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YOUR CUSTOMER AVATAR Age:
_______________________
Pain Points/Challenges:
Gender: _______________________
____________________________________________________________
Marital Status: _______________________
____________________________________________________________
# of Children: _______________________
____________________________________________________________
Age(s):
_______________________
Location: _______________________ Occupation: _______________________ Level of Education: _______________________ Annual Income: _______________________
____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________
Interests/Sources of Information: Other Information: _______________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Books/Magazines: _________________________________ Blogs/Websites:
_________________________________
Gurus/Inspiration: _________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Other Interests:
_________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Objections/Roles in Purchase Objections: _________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Roles in Purchase:
_________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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Have Questions? Need Help? I sincerely hope you found this little e-book useful in helping you understand more about Facebook advertising and how it can be a great way to boost your sales and grow your business. While it was carefully researched, the digital world changes by the minute - so be sure to verify the continued availability of things like ad placements, sizes and campaign tools before launching your advertising. I will be updating this book periodically as the landscape evolves. If you still have questions or need assistance with creating advertising that will help you implement the strategies outlined in this e-book, feel free to reach out to me to discuss your needs. With over 20 years of advertising experience, I have worked with clients all over the world to create not just Facebook ads but logo designs, brochures/flyers, multi-piece marketing campaigns, creative copywriting and much more.
Get in touch today for a quote...and mention this e-book to receive a special discount!
Connect With Us! artinmotiongraphicdesign
@artinmotiongraphicdesign
@marilynr
813.215.3389
marilyn@artinmotiononline.com
Š Copyright 2021 Marilyn Rodriguez dba Art in Motion Graphic Design, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author. The information presented in this book offers no guarantees or guarantees of results with respect to the accuracy or completeness of it’s content. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your business and are provided as general information.
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