Facebook Ads: The Good News and the Hard News

iStock-458494295-546274-edited.jpgMarketers, we have some good news and some other news to share with you regarding Facebook ads. The good news is that Facebook ads have changed for the better. The other news? It takes some serious time, forethought and a budget to effectively make Facebook ads work on your behalf. The even better news is that it can be done and it’s worth it in the long run. Luckily for our fellow marketers, we’ve done A LOT of initial testing and research to provide you with some time (and budget!) saving tips. Here’s what it takes to succeed with Facebook Ads today:

Take your time creating them

As a social media marketer, I find myself setting up ads on Facebook almost daily. While I do spend ample amounts of time due to the quantity of ads I’m running, it’s the quality of your ads you should really be devoting your time to. If you want your ads to thrive in the crowded Facebook advertising environment, it’s important to put in the time to make sure it’s polished, professional and impactful. Take the time to create a custom image or graphic for your ad that’s the correct dimensions (1200 x 628 pixels), has little to no text, and gets your point across in a creative and compelling way. The last thing you want to do is throw up a photo from your website just to get an ad out there. It’s important to be intentional about your message and assets when it comes to Facebook advertising.

Have a strategy

Advertising on Facebook is nothing if not strategic. If you want your ads to succeed, you’ll have to do some serious deliberating before you hit publish. With all of the rules, aspects, targeting and budget that goes into creating an ad, you really shouldn’t even begin the process without a plan. Map out your advertising goals first by asking yourself who you want your ads to reach, what your ad should look like, what message you want to get across and how much money you want to spend. Sometimes finding the right strategy requires trial and error. We have often found that A/B testing can help you find the best messaging, images, targeting and budget that works best for your audience. Once you have the right plan in place setting up your ads will be much more efficient, and your ads will be much more effective.

Determine a budget

Facebook advertising has become so relevant for brands that it’s becoming more and more likely that you’ll have to spend money to maximize your content. Organic posts simply don’t perform the way we as marketers would like for them to anymore, so financially supporting your content must be included in your marketing budget. It’s ok to start your budget small to get your advertising off the ground, but if you want to continue to grow increasing your spend is the only way to do so. If you have a set budget for Facebook advertising at the beginning of the month, you can divide it into the separate types of ads you will run throughout the month. You want to set aside a larger budget for like ads that will help grow your community than boosted posts that will assist in engagement and traffic numbers.

Following these three basic guidelines will improve your Facebook advertising pro in no time. Although there are plenty of ads gracing our timelines these days, taking your time, having a good strategy and determining a budget will ensure that your ads stand out from the crowd.

Are you finding that you still need help outlining a plan for social media success in 2017? Fill out this form to get in touch with our social media specialists about a comprehensive social media assessment of your networks and a plan for success.