With 1.49 billion members worldwide and 22 billion ad clicks per year, Facebook is arguably the most important social network in the world. At the very least, it’s one of the most valuable and cost-effective advertising opportunities available today. If your company isn’t advertising on Facebook, you’re missing out on potential clients and revenue. Your ideal audience is somewhere on Facebook—it’s just a matter of finding them. With smart Facebook marketing for your business, you can take full advantage of the many opportunities this social network provides.
How to Advertise on Facebook
Facebook advertisements help companies expand their social reach without busting their budgets. Advertising on Facebook is done through “Facebook campaigns,” with costs hinging on the level of engagement achieved and how long you’re your advertisement(s) stay up for.
First, of course, you need to come up with an advertising goal, for which you should select a campaign objective. Do you want to raise attendance for your upcoming event, get people to visit your website, boost a specific post, or simply promote your page overall? Facebook allows you to select among these objectives and more in order to hone your campaign for maximum efficiency. The type of Facebook ad you use will be based on this objective.
The next step is to select your target audience. Here’s where Facebook really shines. Because Facebook collects so much data on its users, when it comes to advertising, you have an impressive pool of information to pull from. You can select your target audience and target your Facebook ad based on gender, age, language, interest, online behavior, and more. This allows you to create a truly custom, precise target audience for your advertising efforts. You can even toggle between targeting people who already know and follow your business on Facebook and those who aren’t familiar with your business at all. Once you have created your target audience, you simply set a daily or weekly budget, and you’re good to go!
Need more instructions? We’ve outlined how to create Facebook advertisements in this post.
Is Facebook Advertising Worth the Cost?
Absolutely! Actually, the cost of Facebook advertising is mere chump change compared to what other online marketing channels cost. In fact, for quite a paltry amount, you can get great results. Even with just $5 a day, you can get hundreds of new unique website visitors, more sign ups, new clients, and more! If your wallet is light, simply set reasonable daily Facebook budget caps so that you don’t spend more than you can afford.
Simply put, Facebook advertising works. It allows you to find new qualified leads, appeal to a highly customized target audience, and expand your social reach with relatively little effort. It’s a must for any savvy small business.
Related eBook: 18 Examples of Facebook Ads
What to Include in a Facebook Ad
Although Facebook ads are effective, many business owners shy away from them because they don’t know what to advertise. Creating a Facebook ad isn’t enough. Advertisements need to be unique, interesting, and eye-catching. They need to be able to compete with the other thousands of visuals users witness on a daily basis.
Strong example Facebook ads share common characteristics. It’s important to have all of the elements of your Facebook ad or else you could be wasting your time and money. Here’s what you should include in your Facebook ad.
Strong Call to Action
First and foremost, they feature a strong call-to-action—that is, they encourage their audience to click, buy, or sign up for something. Use words that will drive your target customers to a specific action—ex: “Buy now!” “Sign up today!” “Click to learn more,” etc. Keep in mind you have very limited space for this, so your word choice needs to be curated and powerful. The limit for headlines is 25 characters (roughly 5 words) long, while the cap for body copy is 90 characters long.
Size-Optimized and Minimal Text
Additionally, Facebook ad images should be no larger than 110×80 pixels, less than 5 kilobytes in size, and feature no more than 20% text on the image (or else it will get rejected by Facebook’s filters).
Eye Catching Graphic
Perhaps the most important part of a Facebook ad, other than capturing leads, is what the ad looks like. Your Facebook ad should depict your business and instantly catch the eye of your target audience. If your have a fitness studio, that means showing an ad of people working out. A contracting business should use an ad with a photo of a contractor working. Whatever your business is, there are endless options when it comes to Facebook ads.
Facebook Ad Examples
If you’re not sure what great examples of Facebook ads look like, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Below you’ll find some well thought out and cleverly placed Facebook advertising examples. Need more examples, check out our Examples of Facebook Ads eBook.
Yoga Studio Facebook Ad
Here’s an example of a Facebook ad for a yoga studio that is looking to get new clients. The call to action for this advertisement is signing up for a free week of yoga classes.
The advertisement uses a clever hook to get new customers to sign up. By offering a free week of yoga, the ad creates a “no-commitment” appeal. The advertisement becomes a cost-free opportunity, rather than a mere swipe at a user’s wallet. This advertisement appeals both to those looking to get into yoga and those looking to switch yoga studios.
Salon Facebook Ad
This is a Facebook ad example for a hair salon looking to get new clients on Facebook. Instead of offering a free service, the salon is providing a 20% discount for new customers. The objective with this Facebook ad example is website conversions and new bookings.
The ad directs interested users to a landing page on the salon’s webpage, which features a contact or appointment form so that users can schedule their first appointment. The photo featuring attractive women with beautiful hair appeals to people who want to look good, while the discount pushes them to take the offer.
Professional Services Facebook Ad
Here’s an example for a professional services ad on Facebook. Those in professional services professions, such as accountants, financial planners, tutors, etc. can often do well by offering free content as opposed to a discount on their services.
Free content in the form of an eBook or checklist is not only a generous boon to new and old clients alike—it helps you establish a reputation as an industry expert. Here, this tax accountant advertisement offers a free guide to tax deductions. That, plus the photo of a frustrated business owner, appeals to business owners who need tax advice.
Realtor Facebook Ad
This Facebook ad example for a realtor is trying to collect event sign ups for a free seminar about first time home buying. Like the ad for hair salons, this ad directs users to a landing page with information about the event and a signup form. The event is a win-win for all parties involved; it provides useful information for first home buyers, and it provides the realty company with opportunities to interact with new customers face-to-face—all in the same location!
Facebook ads are a great way to get more of the right types of customers to your business. If your business isn’t listed here, check out these other examples of Facebook ads for small businesses.
