Does advertising on Facebook work for everyone?
Facebook is a new social media platform since 2004. A new brand of website that was that was designed mainly for people to chat, flirt and share pictures.
However, Facebook advertising is very much what the platform is all about now, a platform for businesses to sell their products and services to people locally, nationally or globally.
Right now, if you advertise on Facebook, your ads can reach 2.17 billion people; in other words, close to 30% of the world’s population. Plus, the platform’s active user base continues to grow.
We are so used to scrolling through Facebook and seeing ads that we almost don’t notice them, and for marketers, this is a powerful tool. How can you put Facebook adverts to good use for your business and see that all-important return on investment?
Maybe Facebook is not the right social media platform for your business?
Advertising on Facebook is a great way to get a brand known, for a brand to make itself known and for overall brand awareness.
However, it can be expensive, bearing in mind it is quite difficult to target in many ways and anyone could click on an advert by accicent (and often do) costing you money.
Setting the right campaign objective is the most important thing you can do to control Facebook ad costs. Getting this right also increases your chance of success.
Image ads are simple to make and can successfully display your offering if you use high-quality imagery. They’re suitable for any stage of the sales funnel, whether you want to boost brand awareness or promote a new product launch to increase sales.
There is a long list of companies that use the Facebook advertising platform, ranging from the big brands (Coca Cola, Barclays, Yell.com) down to cat pampering companies or companies selling marble worktops.
Like Instagram, Facebook ads appear throughout the app, including in users’ feeds, Stories, Messenger, Marketplace, and more. They look similar to normal posts but always include a “sponsored” label to show they’re an ad. Facebook ads include more features than regular posts, like CTA buttons, links, and product catalogs.
A key thing to remember with Facebook advertising is the people you reach aren’t actively looking to buy your product or service. They’re relaxing, engaging with friends, looking for funny videos, etc., and you’ve interrupted that with your advert.
This is all about branding, very few companies will use Facebook advertising to sell products, that is what the internet is for.
Unless users are 100% genuine and complete all the information in their profile (including music they like, places they have visited, schools they have attended etc.) the data will not be completely sound..
Facebook needs to try and fill in the gaps.
However this is one of the issues that cannot be policed. There are millions of users that set up profiles for their pets, ghost profiles, duplicate profiles, celebrity profiles etc. Many with information either fraudulently filled in, partially filled in, or not filled in at all.
This means that adverts that are served are un-targeted.
Facebook have integrated the adverts into your news feed, making it likely that users will click on your advert without realising it is an advert. Sponsored ad’s are labelled ‘Sponsored’ but it is not 100% crystal clear.
If someone likes sports, and is interested in sports, this should come across in their ‘likes’ or the kind of information they have provided.
This is part of the Facebook algorithm that is used to target users and deliver relevant adverts to users.
Businesses can aim their adverts to appear to these kind of clients, to clients in a certain area of the world (or region of a country) and the cost per click should be cheaper than Google.
Advertising on Facebook is great for branding. As mentioned above, roughly 30% of the world will have access to your brand. This is why global brands like Coca Cola use the platform.
The best business model that fits Facebook advertising earns revenue from their users over time, not all at once. A user may have given you their email, but you’ll need to build more trust before they are likely to buy anything.
Social media marketing is going to be hit and miss, like any online advertising.
As mentioned, people are not on social media platforms to buy products or services, that is what the internet is for. However using a social media influencer to ‘market’ your products/services can be like marketing gold dust.
There are going to be people that click on your adverts by accident. There are going to be people clicking on them just to cost you money (maybe competitors) and there are going to be customers that genuinely will come, and then go.
But Facebook advertising can work, some companies have used it very successfully and are really pleased with it.
Does advertising on Facebook work? Maybe it is worth a go?