Social Media Advertising Is Huge – Facebook Ads Top the List
I think by now we have all heard that if you want your business to compete on Facebook, it’s no longer free. Meaning: you have to run ads. With all their new algorithms and updates, the ads are starting to get a lot more reach and priority than just organic posts to your page. But, what if you’re a small business instead of a multi-million dollar corporation? Are Facebook Ads right for you, too? If your audience is on Facebook, then the answer is probably YES.
There are a variety of different types of Facebook Ads, but the three most popular are:
- Like Ads
- Boost post/Engagement Ads
- Conversion Ads
While each one has their pros and cons, all will help build your brand awareness and show your expertise. Let me take a quick minute to give some highlights…
Like Ads
- What they are: As the name suggests, these are meant to promote “likes” on your Facebook page and get more people to connect with you.
- Pros:
- They are pretty simple and easy to create, and don’t take up too much time to run
- They can be inexpensive to run
- They increase your fan-base quickly
- Your company gets credibility and attention
- You can use an image or a video
- Cons:
- They only build your fan-base; if you want people to comment or engage more on your page or ad, this is probably not the best option
Boost Post
- What they are: Posts whose goal is to get people to see and engage with your page more through your posts. Do NOT confuse these with the “Boost” button on an individual post! These ads are created through the Ad Manager or Power Editor and allow you to do mo
re targeting, budgeting, etc. - Pros:
- These are still pretty simple and easy to create, since you can use an already-published post from your Facebook Fan Page
- Allows people not only to engage with your post, but also like your page! Two-for-one!
- Cons:
- If your fan base isn’t 500 or over, you may be showing your ads too frequently.
- If you want a new post for the ad, you have to create it first in your timeline (or schedule it)
Conversion Ads
- What they are: Ads that offer an incentive (usually a freebie or give-away) to “opt-in”, which grows your email list which you can use for marketing a product or service.
- Pros:
- Builds your email list
- People can still “like” your page from the ad
- Increases traffic to your website (even if they don’t convert and sign-up)
- Builds your email list
- Cons:These take a bit longer to set-up in Facebook and on your website, and may require more “techie” skills.
- You need to have a landing page for people to sign-up on
- You need to have some sort of email automation set up to deliver your freebie.
The Rest of the Facebook Ad Family
As I mentioned before, these are the three types you hear about the most. Here are the other ad-types and their descriptions (taken from Facebook Ads Manager):
- Clicks to Website – Increase the number of visits to your website
- App installs – Send people to the store where they can purchase your app
- App Engagement – Get more people to use your Facebook or mobile app
- Local Awareness – Promote your business to people who are nearby (this one is fairly new, but a great option for businesses with a storefront and sales going on!)
- Event Responses – Promote your Facebook event to increase your attendance
- Offer Claims – Promote timely discounts or other deals for people to claim in your store
- Video views – Promote videos that show behind-the-scenes footage, product launches or customer stories to raise awareness about your brand.
Since not all businesses have an App or a storefront, it’s easy to see how the other three can become more widely used than these. But, depending on your business, some of these may be perfect for you! Only you can decide what is right for your business as far as advertising goes. One other note: Facebook ads can be a bit of trail and error, and there is some work to find the right target audience sometimes. But, when you put in that work ahead of time, you can get great results!
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