Ah, Facebook ads. Those things that show up along the sidebar while you’re falling deep down a rabbit hole of loose acquaintances’ photos at 1 AM because you can’t sleep. If you are a small business owner, you have probably wondered whether you should do some of those. There is also a chance you decided it wasn’t worth it. If that’s you, you should seriously reconsider because Facebook advertising works. Really well.
One of the main reasons that Facebook ads work is that they have massive reach. Facebook has about 1.5 billion active users. Yes, billion. With a “b.” Considering that there are about 7 billion people on the planet, that’s pretty impressive. So, with a Facebook ad, you know that at least one person is going to see your ad. It’s more likely to be a lot more than just one person, though. That also means that you are pretty much guaranteed to find your target demographic on there. Facebook has groups for everyone: knitting enthusiasts, Dungeons and Dragons players, deep-sea fishers, Botox fanatics. Whatever floats your boat, you can probably find something about it on Facebook. Which means whatever floats your business is on there too.
Another reason is that Facebook has some pretty good algorithms. It’s an ongoing debate about whether or not Facebook knows too much about its users. Does it know too much? Probably, but here’s your chance to use our digital overlords’ all-seeing eyes to your advantage. After all, having a wide audience is excellent, but having a specific audience that is more likely to buy your service/product is even better. When posting your ad, you can get really specific about who you want to see your ad. For example, when making an ad for protein powder, you can target it to males, ages 20-30 who “like” lifting and Vasa Gym. Of course, if you know that your product attracts a not-so-stereotypical demographic, you can specify whatever applies.
The fact that the ads are visual helps a lot too. Who doesn’t like things that look pretty? Visual appeal and beautiful aesthetics are going to stick pretty hard with people when they see them. Even if they see them while scrolling through photos of their friend’s unfortunately ugly baby (or in that case, would the comparison make it stand out?). Pretty ads, fun ads, ads that make people think are all going to catch the eye and stick with them. This is true of all visual media platforms, but now people are going to see it while wishing their sister’s boyfriend’s co-worker a happy birthday.
If the information above hasn’t convinced you, this might; Facebook ads are cheap, dirt cheap. Like, $0.24 per click cheap. Which, yes, does add of if you are getting a lot of clicks. But in theory, if you are getting a lot of clicks, you are getting a lot of business. So, that’s not too bad. The prices do vary depending on what you are advertising and what format of ad you are using. But the averages never get higher than $3.77, which is much cheaper than a TV ad (and will probably work better in these days of streaming services).
There is one crucial thing we need to address is the annoyance factor. We have all been annoyed by Facebook ads at one point or another. When ads annoy you, do you click on them? Probably not. If you’re like me, you probably store that brand away in a file in your head marked “Don’t give these guys money” and spend the rest of your life actively avoiding them. If the ads bug you enough, you may even mark them as spam, or say they aren’t relevant to you or do whatever it is that you need to do to make the ads go away.
You are going to want to keep from making people block your ads or avoid your company like the plague. The best way to go about that: make a list. I know, a content writer advising you to write something, what else is new? But I mean it. Try making a list of the ads that annoyed you and why they annoyed you. They were poorly made; they had nothing to do with you; they made wild claims that are impossible. Now, do the opposite. Having that all laid out in front of you can be so helpful when you start making your ads.
Another thing to pay attention to when making your Facebook ad is to what you like about ads that you, well, like. What is it about them that you find appealing? Is it the images they use? Is it the content on the ad? What about them makes you want to click on their ad to buy or learn more about them? If you can pinpoint what that “it factor” is for you, you can then translate it into your ad. But remember your demographic. What may work on a woman in her 30s may not work on a man in his 60s. You may have to do some adjusting to fit your company’s overall vibe.
The short answer to our big question is, yes. They are not expensive; they reach a lot of people, especially your target demographic, and, if you do it right, people won’t find your ads too annoying. They could help bring in a lot of new business and remind old business that you’re still there for them. If you have decided against Facebook ads in the past, it may be time to look into them again.
If you’re worried about your ads not looking or doing great, check out this article from Forbes that talks about the dos and don’ts of Facebook ads. If you would rather not have to worry about making the ad at all, shoot us a message here at Avant8. We’re pretty good at this stuff.