No matter what its current dispute with the Australian government might be, nor what the eventual result of said dispute will end up as – Facebook is undoubtedly an important platform for connecting with your audience.
After all, it is the world’s largest social network.
In Australia, Facebook has the biggest reach of all social media sites, and its 16.5 million local users spend an average of 19 minutes a day on the site.
Interestingly, Aussie Facebook users are the fourth most active ‘likers’ and ‘ad clickers’ in the world.
As a platform Facebook advertising, then, it is one you cannot really go past – even if its algorithm does make it a challenge to reach your audience organically.
Facebook ads, though, are great because of the unique targeting options made available by the platform, meaning you should only pay to reach the most valuable customers.
There are a couple of different ad options available to you.
Firstly, image ads which are probably the most basic. These can literally be made just by picking a picture from your Facebook page and boosting it.
Then, there are video ads which can either appear in users’ news feeds or can show in the middle of longer Facebook videos.
A relatively new ad type is video poll ads. These allow users to interact with the ad.
Then, if you are looking to showcase multiple products or services – there are carousel, slideshow, and collection ads. All these types will display multiple products in the one ad. Collections also allow users to buy your products directly without ever leaving Facebook.
Lastly, there are lead and dynamic ads. Lead ads only work on mobile devices and are designed for users to be able to give you their contact information – like an email address etc. without having to do much typing at all.
These kinds of ads can be great if you are trying to get users to sign up for a free trial or for your newsletter.
Dynamic ads are also highly effective. These target users who are the most likely to be interested in your products – especially ones who may have already visited your site but then never completed the purchase.
When ads for the same product then appear in their news feeds, it means they may be more likely to return and complete it.
Of course, you can target other areas of Facebook – using Messenger or stories to create ads as well.
Do not forget as well that the Facebook network goes larger than just Facebook itself. It extends to Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Facebook marketing partners, and more.
It is an extremely popular platform with advertisers, however, with over nine million active advertisers using the social networking platform to promote their products or services.
Therefore, standing out from the crowd is imperative.
This is when those targeting options really come into play. As well as simply reaching out to the incredibly large user base, Facebook gives you access to its data on demographics, location and interest.
However, what is also great is that you can combine your own data with theirs.
One of the first things the Facebook Ads Manager will ask you to do is to specify your objectives with the campaign.
Here, it pays to think about whether you are interested in running a broad strategy aimed at finding new targeting opportunities or a more hyper-targeted campaign focusing on a niche audience.
It also allows you to choose a selection of your best customer groups so you can target the users who are most likely to convert based on shared interests, demographics, and traits.
Of course, the other way of standing out is all about the creative side of the ad.
The visuals and messaging must be powerful enough to stop the users in their tracks. They need to work ‘in the moment’ and capture their attention immediately as the user is scrolling through their personalised feed.
All the ad types we mentioned before have different purposes, so take a bit of time to consider which ones are likely to deliver the most bang for your buck.
Building your own Facebook advertising strategy can be somewhat of a challenge to navigate, especially as the algorithm is constantly updated.
Therefore, working with a Facebook marketing partner or digital marketing agency can be a great way to simplify all the noise and confusion, and get your Ads campaigns working for you.
Agencies which have received this badge have to meet the highest standards of performance as defined by Facebook.
It is quite like the Google Ads Premier Partner or Partner program, so not all agencies or advertisers receive the certification.
Facebook allows these agencies access to data and insights, as well as exclusive training and resources.
If things go wrong, there is much more peace of mind – Facebook’s technical gurus will come straight to the rescue.
After all, you need your products and services to be on Facebook, but that does not mean you have to go at it alone.