No digital marketing campaign is complete without a plan for social media advertising. Although there are a number of options out there, Facebook is now the top destination for small businesses looking to get the most from their advertising budget.
Fortunately for start-ups and more established brands, Facebook has made some updates to their advertising platform that drastically improve the experience.
1. Facebook’s Audience Network extends the power of ads beyond the social network.
Advertising on Facebook now taps into the power of what Facebook calls their “Audience Network.” Facebook ads can now target a collection of mobile apps, effectively extending an ad’s reach well beyond Facebook.
Get to Work:
Selecting the Audience Network is as simple as choosing it in your new ad’s placement options. Facebook reviews each publisher that applies to ensure that the apps included in the Audience Network are high quality.
Customize your campaign with objectives that lead to video views, clicks to websites, mobile app installs, and more so you get the most for your ad budget.
2. Create Lookalike Audiences to extend your reach and impact.
Effective targeting for Facebook ads is based on matching ad campaigns with the interests of the intended audience. When an ad is created on Facebook, they help you find the best audience based on user profiles and the pages with which they interact.
Facebook is able to create a similar, but not exact, list of users that match your best customers based on the extensive amount of information it has on hand about every one of its users. This includes more in-depth data like purchase behavior and the apps they’ve installed on their devices.
Business owners can choose the amount of similarities and other elements in these lookalike audiences, either extending the audience or bringing it in tighter for more precise targeting.
Get to Work:
Start by creating a Facebook ad that’s built to convert. Let’s say your ad leads people to purchase one of your surfboards. When a customer makes a purchase, keep their name and email address or phone number in a list. Save your list in a CSV or TXT format. You’ll be able to use this list to create a custom audience in your Ads Manager on Facebook. For easy step-by-step instructions click here.
When you’ve gathered an audience of those who have completed the conversion and purchased the surfboard, make a Lookalike Audience of those people using Facebook. You’ll refine your campaign so you’re not only reaching people that love surfing, you’re reaching people that are searching for a new board too.
3. Show more of your inventory with a Carousel Ad.
Facebook has now increased the visibility options for advertisers. Carousel ads allow users to add up to 10 different images, headlines, and calls to action in a single ad.
This style of advertising is perfect for any business that wants to draw attention to a variety of products or services. Anyone who sees the ad can scroll though the images by swiping or clicking arrows, making them perfect for both mobile and desktop users.
Get to Work:
Creating these new types of ads is as easy as promoting your Facebook Business page. First decide on a clear strategy that you can measure, then get your copy and photos created. For step-by-step directions on how to create a Carousel ad, you can click here.
You can use Carousel Ads in a few different ways. Describe and show different features of one single product through five or six different images and headlines. Take each piece in a seasonal direction and give it it’s own unique ad within the Carousel. Or, take several images and stitch them together across the panels to give your ad an engaging feel.
These new upgrades to social media marketing are designed to help your business make money on Facebook. For the best results, put the creation and management of Facebook advertising in the hands of experienced marketing professionals. We’ll put engaging copy and professional images in your Carousel Ads for maximum performance.
