What do you guys know about Facebook ads? I know, oh, nothing. I mean, I know they’re important, effective, and a great use of your marketing dollars once you get them figured out. But every time I log into the dashboard my blood pressure doubles and allofasudden it’s more more important that I take the dog for a walk.
To that end, I brought in Facebook Ad Expert Jenn Stevens to give us a super simple walk through of how to use Facebook ads. Like, written in non-tech speak. Did you know you really shouldn’t use the ‘boost this post’ option?! Read on.
Raise your hand if you’re addicted to Facebook.
I know I am. I’m on there multiple times and I know I’m not alone in this! It’s estimated that a whopping 20% of all internet traffic is spent on Facebook alone. Whoa.
As small business owners, we should be putting our advertising dollars where our audience will actually going to see them. Since your audience is already hanging out on Facebook, Facebook ads are a pretty smart place to begin!
Facebook ads are actually my favorite type of ad. Thanks to the wealth of information that Facebook has on each and every user (!), they can offer a unique way to connect with your audience – ways that Pinterest or Google Ads just can’t match. You can create different types of ads and campaigns and then target each ad to an audience of your choosing – right down to the city if you like!
While Facebook ads great marketing tools, they’re also not exactly intuitive — especially for beginners. Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered.
5 steps to create simple Facebook ads for your small business:
1. Use Facebook’s Power Editor option
Facebook ads can feel confusing because there are multiple ways to make them. I recommend that you only use one: The Power Editor.
It might look scary and technical at first glance but I promise, this tool is the best way to give you maximum control over your ads.
Do not use the Promote tab from your business page and definitely-no-matter-what do not use the “boost your post” function. Neither of these methods give you as much control as the Power Editor does.
Even if you target the audience on a boosted post, you’re basically paying good money for likes from people who will never see a post from you again. Not smart! Plus paying for a boosted post sends very little traffic to your actual site. You might still find the boost-your-post option useful to reach more of your own audience (for a promo or contest post). But other than that, I suggest refraining from using that function at all.
2. Zero in on the right target
Here’s a good rule of thumb for Facebook ads: the more targeted your ad is, the more likely it will be to convert into sales.
Why? Well, not everyone on Facebook is going to be into your stuff. There’s no point showing your ad to an audience of uninterested people and it’s definitely not worth spending money on! It’s much smarter to find people who already like you or like people who are similar to you.
Finding the optimal target audience will require a bit of experimentation, but here are a few suggestions:
- friends of your existing fans
- fans of magazines or publications that are related to your business
- fans of your competitors or industry leaders
But my favorite Ninja-level tool for Facebook audiences is something called Lookalike Audiences. You know all those happy people who are already kicking it on your mailing list? Well, Facebook can actually put their incredible database of knowledge to work and find you more people that are just like them.
As you can see, there’s a huuuuge potential for finding more people who will love your stuff! So get out there and experiment with your target audience.
3. Test your graphics
As you surely know, posts with images get a lot more interaction than text-only posts; using images for your ads will help more people to notice you. But there’s a catch! Facebook will not accept any ads that have more than 20% text in them. The fastest way to get your ad rejected is by using the wrong graphics.
However, there are free online image checkers that will tell you whether your ads qualify or not. Or you can do what I do: just create a 5×5 grid over the top of your image in Photoshop then make sure any text that you use doesn’t occupy more than 5 of the boxes. (Hop on over to my blog for a free Facebook ad dimensions PSD template download!)
4. Create a campaign
Although Facebook can get you in front of the right people, all your hard work will be for naught unless you create a tempting offer for people to click on.
Straight up selling goods on Facebook is not such a hot idea. It’s actually much smarter to target your ideal audience and offer them something of high value to convince them to sign up for your mailing list. Giving away products or services might seem a little nuts, but it’s a great way to build your list. Trust me!
Make them want what you’ve got! Since many people seeing your ad will have never heard of you before, giving away a product is a great way to begin building trust. If you have a free email class or worksheet, you’ll have a much better chance of attracting future customers.
Give away something free > get them to join your list > slowing build trust > nurture the relationship > then sell them something.
Facebook ads are a long game. Use them to find your tribe and build your audience; don’t look at them as a one-time shot or a get-rich-quick scheme.
5. Write amazing copy
Graphics are crucial, but they only tell part of the story. Since we can’t use much copy in the graphic itself, we need to concentrate on concocting a great headline and ad copy.
Again, there are limits to how much you can write. For most Facebook ads means:
- Text Limit: 90 characters (This appears at the top of the ad, right under you business name.)
- Headline Limit: 25 characters (This appears in a large font, directly underneath your graphic)
- Link Description Limit: 30 characters (This appears under your Headline.)
As with all advertising copy, make sure you focus on the benefit to the reader and not on the product itself. So if someone downloads your free DIY guide to eyebrows, what are they getting out of it? Saving money? Feeling sexy? Increased on-fleek-ness?
Whatever that benefit is for your product, make sure it’s clear to the reader!
As you can see, Facebook offers incredible power for your marketing efforts. Just remember that creating effective Facebook ads all boils down to one simple thing: showing irresistible content to the exact right audience. Have fun creating your new ads!
Thanks sooooo much for sharing your insights, Jenn! I’d love to hear from you guys – are you using Facebook ads? Having any success?
This guest post comes to us from Jenn Stevens. She’s a small business strategist and creator of Solopreneur Babes. Her passion is working with creatives, coaches, and alternative practitioners to create an irresistibly unique and authentic online presence. Download her Facebook Ad tracking guide from her free library of resources at solopreneurbabes.com
P.S. 9 ways tech-free ways to improve your blog (no coding required!)
far and away the most helpful breakdown on using facebook ads that i’ve read! thank you!
Helpful. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing! Perfect timing as I’m ready to do my first Facebook Ad. I’ll follow these simple steps. Cheers!