4 Tips for Advertising on Facebook

There is an old saying in marketing fish where the fish are biting. Currently Facebook gets about 100 Million plus unique visitors each month, that is over 1/3 the US population. With the rising price of Google ad words it makes sense to add Facebook advertising to your marketing mix. I recently read an article “How to advertise on Facebook” was interesting but basic. The following is my version.
On Facebook your competition isn’t other business owners it’s the litany of status updates, party photos and comments that are pouring in…millions per hour. Here are 4 tips that will help you when advertising on Facebook…some pretty obvious.

1. Target your audience
Duh, I’m sure you say… but keep in mind that Facebook users divulge a lot of information about themselves here in their profiles, more and better information than trying to use demographics or rating from traditional advertising means.
Facebook allows you to groups you want to reach, you can target users based on profile info: age, gender, location, college, relationship status and interests. This is FAR more accurate data than demographics; in fact you could call this the U.S. real time census.
More importantly you can use Facebook for behavioral targeting. You can choose to target users that are fans of your company or avoid your fans if you are looking to broaden you prospect base. Facebook also allows you to target customers based on key words that are mentioned in their profile or status updates.
Keep in mind behavioral targeting doesn’t just mean users who see you ad and ones who don't more often behavioral targeting is best suited for targeting content. Changing content to fit the users’ behavior is incredibly powerful and will mean a big boost in clicks and conversions.

2. Test, test, test … Strategically, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Facebook ads are auctioned as they are on Google Ad Words, however you can pay by the impression or by the click. Most advertisers choose by the click and I am a fan of this method as well, impressions are almost impossible to track ROI or activity from.

Testing ads in Facebook as with all online marketing is twofold:
 Testing for click volume
 Testing for conversion rate

The later of these to is obviously the most important. While clicks are good and there are those that will argue that with clicks and impression you are branding you business, I will argue that if the respondent was interested and would remember your brand they would have converted. People are no longer on the internet to find things they are on the internet to do things (Platforms over Pages). Testing conversion is about the customer behavior and experience when they get to the landing experience your click directed them to. It is in the landing experience where you can test strategically.

By combining Facebook’s behavioral targeting for the click with a landing experience behavioral targeting can gain large boosts in your Facebook advertising conversion rate.

3. Track everything
Facebook allow you to track the number of clicks and times your ad is shown, but it doesn't track Post-Click. This is a huge drawback to any online marketing. Using a landing experience platform in combination with Google Analytics you can quickly and easily build, test and track your traffic from Facebook and other online marketing mediums.

4.  Don't miss the message

Message miss match is the number one cause of page abandonment and low conversion. If you plan on advertising on Facebook then dumping these respondents on to your main random access website…do yourself a favor and save the money.  This is the most important tip I can give to any marketer advertising on Facebook or anywhere else on the web. Your message must match what got the click in the first place.

On face book your ad space is limited, typically a short head line 135 charters or fewer and a small image. You are competing with status updates friends photos ect. so it is tough to get noticed. Usually three ads from different advertisers run next to each other so this increases the challenge, “If you put up a traditional ad you're just going to get pushed aside”. Facebook is social so your ad should be social, be irreverent and don't write in traditional copyspeak, be Transparent, Authentic and Genuine (TAG) in your ad “Spring has sprung… time for that convertible!”

Because you have so little space to capture the respondents’ attention it is so imperative that your landing experience engage the customer and match your message. This is a great place for a conversion path: “Spring is in the air and can ABC motors help you drive and breath the fresh air? With our spring convertible collection of coarse….”

Choice 1. See our lineup of great new convertibles
Choice 2. Today’s convertible special
Choice 3. See our lineup of great pre-owned convertible deals

Content isn’t King, the respondent is and the King wants choice so give your respondent kings choices you’ll be rewarded for it with the conversion.

Hope this helps,

Larry Bruce (@pcmguy)
www.pcmguy.com