Advertising on Facebook, Is It Worth It?
At Black Tie Digital Marketing, we are constantly looking for ways to boost your online presence. Organic reach is always what clients strive for, but participating in paid search is one of the most effective ways to get your message out there. Our paid search team works tirelessly to research what types of campaigns will work best for your company. With so many companies using social media, we are often asked if paying for ads on Facebook is worth it. To answer this question, we must look into some key areas of your business.
The Structure of Facebook
Facebook first launched in 2004 as a way for college students to connect with one another. It wasn’t until 2007 that they began to allow businesses to connect with their customers. This social media platform is ubiquitous in both the business and intrapersonal world. In an effort to keep things in the best interest of the people who use Facebook for keeping up with family and friends, Facebook limited the amount of general, business posts that users see on their feed. To be profitable, they have offered advertisements to businesses.
This way, businesses pay to have their posts seen by more people. It may seem unfair to business owners that a service that was once free and easy to reach customers with seems to be asking for money at every page click. But, when you think about it, how else can a company like Facebook make money? And, how can you get away from thinking that you shouldn’t’ have to pay for something when paying for it can easily help extend your reach to your customers?
Why Facebook Works
Facebook is a great platform for some users, because customers spend a great deal of time throughout their day scrolling through their feed. You can pick your audience with extremely precise markers – location/age/friends of friends who can act as word of mouth. Humans are social beings by nature and that means that reading testimonials from real people resonates more and creates a sense of trust in the product. If an ad pops up on a Facebook user’s page and they are able to see that some of their friends liked the company or the product, the user is more likely to click on it. Facebook creates a social environment for marketing to thrive because users feel comfortable, they’re with their friends.
How Does Facebook Advertising Work?
To create a Facebook Ad, you start by going to the Ads Manager Page. Facebook has worked extremely hard to make creating an ad as user friendly as possible. They have even created tutorial videos on how to make the most successful Facebook Ad as possible.
The next step is to choose who you want to see your ad. Location, demographics, interests, and what they buy online and offline all go into play when it comes to choosing the audience for your ad.
After deciding who will see it, you design what they see. Facebook offers tips for clear writing and choosing the best pictures to assist you through the designing process, but the way your ad will appear to the world is pretty much all up to you.
One of the greatest things about Facebook ads is that you receive updates on how your ad is performing. Tracking how many people saw it and how many people actually clicked on it can help give you insight and provide you with information to improve your ad even more.
The ads that are created appear on the sidebar on Facebook, within users’ newsfeeds, or get shared by friends who enjoy the content. The ads can either drive users to your site or your Facebook page, where there are other interactive options, such as encouraging a user to buy a product from your online store or increasing your Facebook page likes.
The price of Facebook advertising depends on how much you want to spend. The more money, the more times it appears on your targeted audience’s sidebar. Starting out on the lower end of the price range is a good idea because it gives you the opportunity to evaluate how the ad will do with the targeted audience and make adjustments before investing more money into it.
What Kinds of Businesses can Benefit From Facebook Advertising?
Some of the greatest success stories of Facebook advertising done well come from non-profit organizations. Because Facebook is a social platform, it encourages users to engage with pages and sites that have their personal interests in mind and tug at their heartstrings. Facebook ads give non-profit organizations a larger audience than just a website or a flyer. It also encourages users to spread the word and raise awareness for good causes, which helps boost donations.
Companies who have a goal of boosting sales have found success with Facebook ads by playing into the social and interactive elements of Facebook. By holding a vote on favorite flavors or asking to see pictures of customers wearing or using a product, site views increased and so did sales.
Should You Try Facebook Advertising?
Whether you are a small business, a large business, or an online business, there is proof that Facebook advertisements can boost traffic on websites, increase sales, and raise awareness of your product. Yes, it does cost money. As the age old saying goes, it costs money to make money. Skimping on effective marketing can cost you more money if you are not choosing your advertising methods wisely. So our answer is yes, try Facebook advertising and enjoy the profit.