Facebook ad campaigns are a great way to reach out to customers beyond your profile or fan page, letting them see a small snippet about you on the sidebar of their profile. They are an easy, customizable, and relatively inexpensive way to advertise.
For your advertising dollar, Facebook ads can actually give you terrific bang for your buck, because they are very targeted. You can be specific with who will see your ads, down to just a handful of people if you want. And you’re only charged when people view or click on the ad.
But how do you actually use it? Here’s how to create a Facebook ad campaign in eight steps.
1. Figure out what you want to promote.
Promotions can include a Facebook Fan Page, event or app. You can also use things like rewards, coupons, or contests. If you don’t have a Facebook fan page yet, you can learn all about that here. For this example, you’ll see I selected my comedy fan page, Andy Shaw Comedy.
Look for “Promote with an Ad” on the side of your page, or go to http://www.facebook.com/ads/create.
2. Choose your ad type
If you have more than one business associated with your account, make sure the right one is selected. Then you’ll have to decide which type of ad you want, and this is critical because it dictates your entire campaign. You’ve got two options:
Sponsored Stories means your news feed – or status updates – will get published as ads. The ads will be updated based on your latest news feed post. This is a great option to raise brand awareness and show people what you’re up to.
Facebook Ads is where you can provide a customized message. This is the best option if you have a specific idea you want to convey.
3. Write short, memorable ad copy
(If you went with Sponsored Stories ads, skip this section)
You only get so much space. The purpose of ads is to get people to click, so make sure you have an “action phrase” as you write your copy.
Why would anyone click if you don’t give them direction and incentive? Instead of “Brand X is the best company for shoes. We’re No. 1 for customer service,” try “Why is Brand X No. 1 for customer service? Click to see how we give back to our customers!” Facebook recommends you include your business name and highlight benefits or key information.
You may have the option to give your ad a title, too. If that section is gray, that means it’s making you use your page title.
You also can upload a photo. Make sure the photo, which will be small, is easy to identify. Something blurry or distant won’t catch the eye of users. You want to grab their attention. Simple is better with something that small. A company logo could work, but why not show some personality with something unique?
4. Choose your target audience
You’ll want to decide which users can see your ad. To set your audience, look in the Targeting section. Some types of ad campaigns automatically have a few restrictions, but in general, you can narrow down who you want your audience to be.
This is where Facebook ads can really get special, because you can make them hyper-local. That can mean setting the Facebook ad to only show up on the profiles of users who live in your zip code, or only women ages 18-35, for example.
You can also use Precise Interests to get an audience likely to be interested in what you do. If I have comedy group, I might type in “jokes” or “Comedy Central” as interests. People who have listed those as interests on their profiles will now be included in your target audience.
Connections can let people already following your page or invited to your event be the only users to see the ad, or just the opposite. You may decide you want to make an ad to get new customers, users who are not already connected to you. One approach that can really work: Targeting people who are friends of those connected to your brand. Many reports on social marketing show that people are more likely to trust an ad that’s connected to someone they already know.
5. Determine your reach
You’ll notice that the more specific you tailor your ad audience, the smaller your “Estimated Reach” will get. That’s the pool of users who likely will see the ad. You want a nice balance: Small enough that only people who likely will have at least some interest will see it, but large enough that you hit a wide swath. Tinker with the settings.
You’re allowed to go back after the ad is approved to adjust the audience base, if needed. In fact, it’s encouraged, because you can use Facebook’s statistics to see who is seeing and interacting with the ad.
6. Pick the budget for your ad
You’re going to want to run your ads for at least a few weeks to make your campaign worthwhile, in all likelihood.
You can either do a per day budget, or a lifetime budget. Make sure you select the right one; you wouldn’t want to find a bill for $350 because you did a $50 per day budget when you meant to set $50 for the entire campaign.
7. Decide on pricing.
This can be confusing, but don’t overthink it. You can do Cost Per Impression or Cost Per Click. Impressions means it is based on how many people see the ad on their profile. You pay for every 1,000 impressions. Cost Per Click means the user physically clicked on the ad.
If your goal is to get users to interact with your ad, it may make more sense to go with the Cost Per Click option. That way, you’re only paying for people actually taking action, rather than those who may or may not have even seen the ad on the side of the page. But if you’re going just for general awareness, impressions may be your better bet.
You’ll also have to set a Max Bid. Facebook gives you a suggest bid range. Try going low to start. If your bid is too low, Facebook will reject your offer and you can try again.
Once you hit your budget total, the ad stops appearing and you’re no longer charged. You can always increase the budget.
8. Finally, check your stats!
You can your campaign statistics by going to http://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/campaigns and clicking on your campaign title. You can get demographic information and see if your ad is actually being viewed. Plus, you can see how much money you’ve spent. Not happy with your ad? This is where you can adjust your copy, images, titles, and target audience.
Interested in learn more about optimizing your profile and getting the most out of Facebook? Check out some of our lessons and resources on ExploringSocialMedia.com:
