Learning Facebook Ads was on our list to do back in 2012. Lots of things have changed on the massive platform since then, but Facebook Ads continue to be a major piece of our business.
Facebook Ads have helped us build our email list, attract new clients, and grow an amazing network marketing team.
However – you will hear horror stories on Facebook ads.
- They don’t work.
- I lost $20 (anything higher…just don’t tell us! Ouch!).
- The people actually commenting are not my ideal client – at all!
- Just – what the heck is going on?!
Learning Facebook Ads can take time and a lot of tweaking, but it’s those small changes that make a huge difference in who you are attracting.
First – What Type Of Facebook Ads Work Best?
Some people will tell you if you aren’t using “Increase Conversions on Your Website” objective you’re wasting money.
In fact- Increase Conversion on Your Website is what the “big wigs” use. This objective allows you to take a little piece of code, copy it, and paste it to your website or an opt-in page like a leadpages.net page. The code acts like a secret button on a site. You and the reader can’t see it, but it’s like a little tracking device.
You can put a pixel on the first page you want them to see, like “add your name and email here” or even the thank you page once they have given you the information. Facebook will see how many people go to the page with your pixel on it.
They charge you on how many “convert” – meaning how many people do what you wanted them to do.
This works well if you have an opt-in page and some sales experience. It’s recommended by the pros because it’s the ONLY one you can track into how many emails you received sales made (depending on what goal is on the page you put a pixel on).
Sounds hard if you’re just a girl trying to get some engagement on a Facebook post though right?
For people just starting their online business or like page – I recommend using “Boost Your Posts.”
Facebook ads in and of themselves are a learning experience so it’s okay to dip your toes in with these 2 objectives in my mind.
“Boost Your Posts” allow you to create or choose an existing post on your Like page. You’ll want to choose one with a call to action or a post asking the reader to do something – like, comment, click here, etc.
This will tell people exactly what the next step is.
Tip 1: Give Good Value & a Call to Action
This is a good Boosted Post for a few reasons.
- It offers something valuable to the target market for free.
- It has a call to action — the person needs to COMMENT, TAG a friend, and FOLLOW the page.
- The picture is not a logo or something salesy. You also want to keep font to a minimum on ads.
- It shows personality.
Another cool option for a call to action is to have them comment with a choice.
For example, include a side by side picture of two things and ask “Do you prefer A or B?” We did this along with a contest a few months ago. The reader was not entered for commenting – they had to click the link which then asked for their email. By setting it up as a Boosted Post though we were able to get in front of more people that would click to eventually give us their email, and the call to action helped us reach people without an ad too.
Tip 2: Avoid the Boost Button & Promoting Your Page
Never, ever click this button. Boosting straight from your page doesn’t allow you to target in on your ideal client. It often targets too broad which costs you more money, and it doesn’t always find your ideal client.
Also, the “Promote Your Page” button does not do much for you. A “Like” on Facebook is cool, but it doesn’t give you real access to work with that person. It offers no extra step. Why pay for a like when there is no relationship behind it? What if Facebook just disappears? It won’t matter if you have 2 or 2 million likes.
Plus a lot of the time, the other ads will still result in someone liking your page, and it doesn’t cost you anything more.
Tip 3: Keep it Personal
When we are creating a post, we can go into “Business Mode.” Skip this mindset if at all possible.
When creating your audience, make sure to use the Demographics section and select what your ideal client looks like. Something as specific as “U.S, Women, 23-35 years old, Married, Stay at Home Mom with Kids Between 1-5 years old in a household with an income of $50,000+” is great!
It’s okay to be specific!
Aim for a Target Market of 250,000-1,000,000 on the right-hand side of the demographics.
The same personal touch should be made on the creative part of the ad too. Don’t be afraid to have fun on the picture and words. Ask yourself, “Would this stop myself if I was scrolling through Facebook?”
Our Bonus Tips…
Avoid using logos, lots of fonts, before or after shots, hashtags, and overused words like “lose weight” — and focus on why YOU believe in the product and the next step for the person.