Seems more and more small businesses have drunk the Facebook “Kool-Aid” and launched Facebook ad campaigns to promote their Page or website. These owners are probably getting a good understanding of what is to be their own mini ad agency running a social media ad campaign. 

But, I wonder, are they getting a good return on their advertising budget? I ponder this because I also see these same small businesses launching poorly executed ads that are quite simply – and very obviously – wasting good money.

How is this possible? One reason is Facebook (like Google) makes the incentive and convenience of their ad platforms deceptively easy to throw money at. Another: when it comes to writing the message and setting the campaign expectations, it’s the business owner that must ensure their advertising well crafted and the campaign expectations are properly aligned. To help DIY digital marketers improve their advertising results on Facebook and see social media success, and counter the most typical issues, here are so here are 3 tips on creating great Facebook ads for that maximize budgets and results:

Tip #1: Set Real Objectives

What’s the objective for your campaign? Capture a “likes”, add new email subscribers, boost contest entries or general branding?

• Don’t start your campaign without setting a goal. As an example, this could be a certain number of “Likes” at a specific dollar rate per Like. Do you want to spend $1.50 per Like? Make sure you assign an appropriate and realistic budget before you activate your ads.
• Gauge your progress regularly by tracking metrics from the start of the campaign. Without benchmarks, you wont be tracking your ROI other than a basic cost-per-click.
• Prioritize: If your Page numbers are low, you may want to boost your Likes and community first. Alternatively, you can drive traffic to your site or webpage, and add social buttons there that encourage Likes.

Call To Action Is A Must

Tip #2 Create a Clear Call-To-Action

Too many ads have no benefit or reason to take action (see examples.) Don’t be one these advertisers! Define your offer value and be specific. The more unique and compelling your offer, the better the chances your target audience will take action. Spammy offers are a social no-no.

• Create ad copy with a clear benefit and call-to-action and be sure to provide an example image. Not sure what your call-to-action should be? Consider the user’s question “what’s in it for me to click an ad?” Your answer should be something similar to “click to like and (get a free sample) ’” or “click to sign up (to get free information” or “enter our contest now.”
• Optimize your Facebook ads by creating several variations with different ad copy and images to maximize your ad click through rates. Regular review of these ads will show best performing choices. I typically run a minimum of 5-10.

Tip #3 Targeting Your Audience

Too many home-grown campaigns have no geo-targeting parameters, and while it might appear great to potentially target 15,124,000 people, if you have hair salon it might be a bit of a stretch to expect business from another province (or country for that matter.)

• Your targeting should be set with realistic expectations. Primary importance is location and demographics.
• Focus on your demographics: typical age, male and female breakdown – base this on your actual business.
• Avoid the temptation to go large. Stick with your city, and surrounding and satellite cities if they apply.
• Smaller – but qualified – target audiences can produce good results. Again this depends on your goals.

Lastly, employing Facebook Page management best practices is also a must before you embark on the campaign. Make sure your Welcome or Landing tab is well designed and promotes value-added interaction, not spam messaging.

Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many elements to consider when starting a campaign such as budget, bids, reach and more. Employ these three tips and I am sure your next Facebook ad campaign will get better conversions when users do come to your Page.

For more information, see:

http://www.facebook.com/marketing and Facebook Business Ads: http://www.facebook.com/business/ads

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