WHY FACEBOOK?
Facebook is HUGE! In fact, it’s over one billion potential customers huge! Those numbers mean great potential, but they also mean stiff competition for attention. However, there is no need to worry. We’re here to tell you how Facebook advertising can help your business grow by using it to your best advantage, but before we look at the specific marketing tools Facebook advertising offers, we figure you might have questions.
You may be wondering, “Why advertise on Facebook? I have a business Facebook page. Isn’t that enough?” Our answer to that is a simple “no!”
Why not? Because the general posts on your business Facebook page only target customers who have already landed there. You simply aren’t reaching all those other users who could become customers. You need Facebook advertising to introduce your products and services and draw potential clients to your website.
Willie Sutton famously said he robbed banks because “that’s where the money was.” You need to advertise on Facebook because that’s where your customers are! In fact, the average adult spends nearly two hours a day on social media, and a big chunk of that time in on Facebook. That’s where you need to be, too.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
When you venture into Facebook advertising, be forewarned: Facebook advertising is not the same as traditional advertising (or even Google AdWords, for that matter). You need to be aware of the differences or your traditional advertising approach could fall flat.
Here are the essential differences you need to be aware of:
- Not the same as direct sales. Facebook is a social network. When people are on social media, they are interacting with others and building relationships. They didn’t log on to search for a product or service, so it’s essential that your Facebook advertising efforts establish a relationship with potential customers or clients. Before you make the sale or create a hot lead, you need to be liked.
- Requires a long-term strategy. Once you establish the relationship, sales will follow. In the meantime, you may need patience. The “one day sale only!” approach might not work the way you hope it will on Facebook. It takes a long-term strategy to build a loyal fan base, but it’s worth the effort. It will pay off in time.
WHAT FACEBOOK ADVERTISING OFFERS
With those caveats, Facebook advertising can help your business grow. Here are three important reasons you should pursue Facebook advertising as part of your overall marketing strategy.
Targeted advertising
Facebook takes targeting to the next level. While AdWords and traditional advertising target the product or service keywords customers use to search online, Facebook advertising focuses on people. This needs to be your new mantra: “People not product.”
You know your product, but you should also know who your people are. These are a few of the ways Facebook advertising helps you target customers:
- Age. If retirees are your customer base, you want to avoid the under-30 market. Or vice-versa.
- Gender. Maternity wear is gender-specific. Then again, your product may not be gender-specific, but you want to make different appeals based on gender.
- Demographics. You control your demographics anywhere from the penny-conscious purchaser to the billionaire’s club. You don’t need to waste your marketing budget on customers who can’t afford your service or would have no interest.
- Interests. Are you seeking yoga-loving, latte-drinking film-buffs? Or is your ideal customer a kayaking outdoor adventurer?
- Recent purchases. Yes, you can target potential customers by what they bought online.
- Life-changing events. New jobs can mean an upgraded wardrobe to a cross-country move. Is that the potential customer you’re looking for? New parents obviously have new needs. Likewise, even a retiree who is downsizing has new needs!
- Region. You can narrow your target down from “the whole world” to your city, your state, or just your little piece of paradise.
These factors and more help you find the needle in the Facebook haystack of potential customers.
Superb analytics
You advertise because you want to increase your customer base. You also need to know whether your marketing campaign is effective. Facebook has tools to help you evaluate exactly that. Track all the metrics that are important, for example:
- Reach, or how many different people per week saw your ad
- Number of clicks or actions (e.g., “likes,” shares or comments)
- Cost data, whether cost per click or other factors
- Highest performing posts
- How you stack up to your competitors
Your return on investment will never be a mystery with Facebook’s analytics. Facebook makes it easy.
Affordable Advertising
If you think a dollar doesn’t get you much these days, you would be wrong when it comes to Facebook. You can buy into Facebook advertising for as little as $1.00 per day. Still, you want the biggest bang for that buck. Facebook offers four options. They are:
- Cost per mille (CPM). This is the cost per thousand impressions. How many thousands do you want to reach? Reach as far as you’d like.
- Cost per click (CPC). If you want something more than increased exposure, cost per click means you pay for those who actually click on the link to your website or page.
- Optimized cost per mille (oCPM). Optimized means Facebook will bundle your thousand impressions to a group of users most likely to respond to your ad.
- Cost per action (CPA). With this option, you pay for an action, typically that action Facebook users are famous for: Liking.
You choose the option that works best for your business.
SO NOW WHAT?
With targeted advertising and useful analytics at your disposal at affordable rates, there’s a lot to love about Facebook advertising. Are you ready to sign up?
You can check out Facebook’s business guide to advertising for yourself. If you do, you might expect the site to be well designed, and it is. You might expect the site to show you how easy it is to launch a Facebook advertising campaign, and it does. You might be tempted to tackle a marketing campaign on your own. You might even succeed.
But looks can be deceiving. Doing it yourself is not always the wisest choice. You can change a light bulb, but you call an electrician to rewire your house.
WHERE SOLUTIO FITS IN
In a nutshell, you now know how Facebook advertising can help your business. You’re ready to put that knowledge to work for you. Theoretically, you could do it yourself. But realistically, could you? This is how Solutio, Inc. can help you:
- By avoiding rookie mistakes. Let’s face it, unless your business IS marketing, you will need to set aside time to get up to speed on the latest trends in marketing. We’re already on trend.
- By preserving your precious time. You have a business to run. Can you find time to master the technical side of Facebook advertising? Or time for the creative side of advertising? Or time to maintain a campaign, not just mount it? Solutio, Inc. specializes in digital marketing. We have the time and expertise you need.
- By saving you the aggravation. Facebook advertising offers options and then some. It can be overwhelming trying to decide among them. Solutio’s staff can help you sort through the options so you don’t waste your money experimenting with the wrong options until you discover the one that succeeds. Get it right the first time.
Turn your marketing campaign over to us, and free your time up for what you do best—providing products and service for your customers and clients.
Call us at 989-780-0684 to discuss how Facebook marketing can help your business increase its bottom line. Or stop in—the coffee’s always on!
LINKS:
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-rules-for-advertising-on-facebook-2009-7