Facebook is one of the largest social networks with approximately 2.70 billion monthly users. This is approximately a quarter of the world’s population! Notably, people spend at least 2 hours on social media daily and it makes sense to find them where they hang out.
With a massive user population on Facebook, the platform has become an excellent avenue for marketers to effectively reach their target audience through Facebook ads. If you’re a beginner looking to launch a successful Facebook campaign but unsure of where to begin, this article is precisely for you!
What Is Facebook Ads?
Facebook ads are paid posts that businesses use to promote their services or products to potential customers using Facebook and Instagram. The adverts offer businesses an option to target potential customers based on demographics such as age, gender, location, interests, and so on.
Usually, a business will set an ad budget and bid for clicks or impressions that the ad attracts. Ideally, Facebook ads will appear on the stories, Messenger, timelines, and the marketplace. While these posts are similar to others, they will always appear as “sponsored”. Unlike regular Facebook posts, ads will have extra features such as links to a website, CTA buttons, and product catalogues.
You can promote videos, content, audio, events, and offers on your Facebook ads. The versatility of the platform makes it a great marketing tool that every business should leverage.
How Much Does Facebook Advertising Cost?
There is no specific Facebook advertising cost because the ads budget varies from user to user based on several factors outlined below.
- Timing
The time and day you want to display your ads may affect your ad budget.
- Bidding strategy
You can bid on the lowest cost or you can place a bid cap.
- Ad placement
If you bid on high competition placements they will cost you more.
- Relevance
Ad relevance depends on the quality score, engagement and conversions and the more they are, the higher the cost of your ads. - Target Audiences
If your ads target high-competition audiences, you may spend more on your Facebook ads.
Generally, the average cost of a Facebook ad putting into consideration the above factors ranges between 97 cents per click to $7.19 per 1,000 impressions. Ad campaigns aimed at gaining likes, followers, or downloads cost between $1.07 per like and $5.47 per download.
How Does Facebook Ads Work?
Facebook allows advertisers to group their ads into campaigns. A single campaign could have one or multiple ads. Once an ad is set, it will appear on the feed, Messenger, or Marketplace sections of the target audiences.
Usually, views get recorded as impressions while likes and comments are engagements. Clicks that redirect the audiences to pages, websites, or stores are known as clicks, cost per click, and click-through rate.
Setting Up Your Facebook Ads Manager Account
Before you can start advertising on Facebook, you will need to create a Facebook Ads Manager Account.
- Step 1: Log in to your Facebook account
- Step 2: From the drop-down menu or the top right corner, select ad
- Step 3: At the bottom left corner, click Ads Manager
- Step 4: Create an account and get started with your first ad campaign
Create Your First Facebook Ads Campaign
Step 1: What’s your Goal?
You need to first determine what you want to achieve with your Facebook ads. Facebook provides you with 11 objectives to choose from for your campaign.
- Brand awareness: you want to let people know of your brand, products, or services.
- Reach: You’re looking to pass your message to a wider audience.
- Traffic: you could also seek more traffic to your website, online store, or Messenger for enquiries.
- Engagement: You can also achieve more likes, comments, and even followers from your ads.
- App downloads: If you have an app, a Facebook ad can help you gain more downloads.
- Video views: Attract more viewers for your videos with ads.
- Lead generation: get leads of potential customers for your products or services.
- Conversations: Get your target customers to ask about your products in your Messenger through targeted ads.
- Conversions: Get your target leads to become customers or apply your call to action.
- Make sales: connect your ads to your product catalogue for customers to buy their desired products.
- Physical traffic: from your ads, people will find directions to your physical store increasing foot traffic.
Step 2: Set your Budget and Schedule
First, you need to name your campaign so that it’s easy for you to track it. On your ads manager account, set your budget, bid strategy, and delivery type. When choosing a budget, you can select a lifetime budget or a preferred daily ad spend. Also, remember to set the start and end dates for your campaign. Moreover, you can schedule your ad to go live immediately or on a future date.
Step 3: Determine your Audience
How well you target your audiences determines your success with Facebook ads. Facebook allows you to target custom audiences who comprise people already familiar with your brand such as old and new customers or people who’ve visited your website. Custom audiences are your best bet if you want more conversions and engagement on your ads.
You can also take advantage of Facebook lookalike audiences. These are people that Facebook feels share a lot in common with your ideal customers.
Step 4: Where do you want to place your Ads?
When utilising social media marketing for Facebook, you need to select where you want your ads displayed. In our experience as a leading PPC management agency, we find automatic placements to be the best option.
With automatic placements, Meta determines where to place your ads for optimal results. Your ads may thus get displayed on all or some of Meta’s affiliates such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.
Step 5: Safety and Bidding Strategy
Choose between a low-cost strategy and a target-cost strategy depending on what you want to achieve. Also, scroll down to the Brand Safety Section and add your blocklist and which sensitive information to avoid with your ads.
Step 6: Decide the ad format
Determine the ad format you want to utilise depending on what you want to achieve. Here are the different ad types you need to know about.
- Photo
Photo ads provide a sleek and straightforward format to showcase captivating visuals and compelling text. Use high-quality images or illustrations to effectively communicate your identity and the nature of your work. - Video
Unleash the power of sight, sound, and motion to narrate your story. Video ads offer various lengths and styles, ranging from short, mobile-friendly ads that you can enjoy on the go to longer videos meant for relaxing on the sofa. - Stories
Stories provide a personalised, immersive experience that allows you to captivate people with your content. Take advantage of this format to tap into their interests and motivate them to take action on mobile devices. - Messenger
Utilise Messenger ads to initiate conversations with individuals interested in your business. Establish a personal connection with current or prospective customers, and incorporate interactive or automated features to enhance engagement. - Carousel
Carousel ads enable you to display up to ten images or videos within a single ad, with each having its own link. Utilise this format to spotlight various products or weave together a brand story that unfolds across each card. - Slideshow
Slideshow ads combine motion, sound, and text to create video-like advertisements. These lightweight clips enable you to tell your story seamlessly across devices and various connection speeds, resulting in a visually appealing narrative. - Collection
Collection ads provide an opportunity for individuals to explore, browse, and make purchases from your offerings. By tapping on an ad, people can gather more information about a specific product, all within a fast-loading and convenient experience. - Playables
Playable ads provide individuals with an interactive preview of an app before they download it. Use this try-before-you-buy experience to attract users who are more likely to have a higher intent to engage with and ultimately download your app.
Tips to Run Effective Facebook Ads
So many businesses invest in Facebook ad campaigns but if done incorrectly, they may not achieve the desired results. Here are some tips that can help you create winning ads for social media marketing.
Use Catchy Headlines
If your headlines don’t capture the attention of your audiences, they will not view your ads. Your headlines are the main determinants of your click-through rate and the pay per click (PPC). Luckily, Facebook allows you to do split tests to determine which headlines perform better.
Also, keep your headlines short – 60-100 characters otherwise they will be cut. You want to ensure that your audiences can decode your message from your headlines.
Trigger Emotions
Use powerful words to trigger emotions from your target customers. Trgiiering their emotions will get them to click through your ads, like, comment, or even go to your website landing page.
Create a sense of urgency
Businesses have discovered how to take advantage of the fear of missing out (FOMO) common among online users. You want to make them feel like they are missing out if they don’t heed to your call to action.
Use Numbers
Show your ideal customers exactly how much savings they will make with your offers. Use numbers to show potential customers how many other clients have benefitted from your services…get the drift?
When starting out, we recommend that you start with smaller audiences and lower budgets until you find out which ads work best for your business. No matter your expertise with Facebook advertising, this is your ultimate guide to help you create your first ad.
Alternatively, you can get started on the right track by hiring professional Facebook ads management services like Buzzword. Get in touch and let us can put your business in front of the correct potential customers and scale your business!