Facebook Ads for Small Businesses: The Most Bang For Your Buck

Facebook ads are among the best forms of internet marketing out there.

But just like anything else, there are tips and tricks to ensure you’re getting the maximum return on investment, especially if you’re a small business owner!

Here are some tips to help you maximize your Facebook ad spend and reach those potential customers. 

Start by Setting Marketing Goals

Don’t keep things open-ended – what do you want to accomplish? Do you want to sell something? Promote a contest? Drive traffic to your website?

Before starting any kind of advertising campaign, you’ll need to plan out exactly what you want to achieve by its end. 

Create an Advertising Budget – and Stick to It! 

Before you spend money on a Facebook Ads campaign, set a marketing budget based on your goals and your available funds. Does it make sense to set a daily budget, or a total budget to spend over a period of time?

In addition, there’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars a month; a well-designed Facebook ad campaign can deliver impactful results for as little as $5 a day.

Be Ready to Narrow Down Your Audience 

But wait a minute – everyone wants to buy something, right? So why would you not want to reach a larger audience?

Unfortunately, that advertising strategy is not necessarily true, and it’s even more dubious when it comes to busy social media platforms where everyone is vying for attention. Don’t waste money on a cold audience; who would be your captive audience?

For example, if you run a restaurant, you don’t want to advertise to people who are searching for the best home-cooked recipes. Instead, you’d be more interested in targeting people with an interest in fine dining, specific cooking styles, or fans of similar restaurants.

Use FaceBook Targeting and Campaign Options 

One of the biggest benefits of Facebook is its ability to create a personalized audience that’s based on demographics, location, and more.

You can choose between broad categories (for example, all men), interest groups (like sports fans), custom audience lists (people who visited your site recently), and keywords (words that describe your product or service).

In addition, Facebook ads offer different types of ads depending on your goal.

For instance, if you want to promote a sale, create a promotion ad. If you want users to sign up for your email list, create a lead generation ad. And if you want to inform ideal customers about a special event, create a regular update ad.

Put Thought into the Ad Content 

It takes more than flashing SALE-SALE-SALE when it comes to running successful ads!

That said, if writing isn’t your strength, here’s some tips for writing the right type of content.

1) Write short, punchy headlines and sentences – shorter is often better! 

2) Include keywords that are relevant to the product or service being sold.

3) Avoid using too much jargon that only insiders would understand.

4) Include a call to action, which is a direction on what you want the user to do next. 

Choose Images Carefully

Images can play a huge role in Facebook ad campaigns, as they show what the product looks like, how it works, and why someone would want to use it.

So, for example, if you’re selling a car, then use high-quality photos of cars that catch the eye.  If you must use stock photos, make sure that the image must be relevant to the product or service being advertised.

Measure Performance Regularly

Don’t just set it and forget it – it’s vital that you track your ad performance regularly, so you know if they are effective.

Look at the numbers: are they performing as expected? What’s the click-through rate?  How is the conversion rate? Are you reaching enough of your target audience?

By tracking performance, you’ll be able to adjust your strategies accordingly.

Don’t Be Afraid of Changing Things Up 

Sometimes, you won’t hit all your goals, and that’s normal!

Here’s where you can test new ideas, like running a carousel ad instead of a single image ad, or test different headlines or calls to action. You may decide that you want to change your budget or audience.

Either way, always adjust so you can continue to learn, pinpoint what works best for your business, and build successful campaigns in the future.

Facebook has become a major business tool in advertising, and can be a game changer for small businesses that build smart marketing campaigns.

If you want to start with social media marketing, connect with potential clients, and build relationships, follow these tips!

Need some more guidance on how to bring your business marketing online? Get in touch with our PPC experts!