Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of my Facebook friends complaining about the types of ads that are showing up in their sidebars and as sponsored posts. Not surprisingly, most of the complaints come from women who have noticed an influx of advertisements for breast augmentation, the next big diet trend, and other products that seem to be preaching a message of self-loathing.
The thing is, Facebook ads don’t have to be an irritant. A good ad can reach its target audience and attract customers, not complainers. It can be just the thing to help your business attract more followers, improve its reputation, and start promoting products to a receptive audience.
Of course, you can hire an expert marketing and branding company to manage your social media advertising, but if you choose to go it alone, the following tips can help you make friends instead of enemies on Facebook.
Consider Your Targets: Facebook ads allow you to really customize who will see your advertisements, and it’s smart to make use of those filters. Chances are, your product or service is aimed at a specific demographic that goes well beyond age, sex, or location, so use filters to make sure that the people seeing your ads are truly likely customers.
Be Creative: People want to “like” pages that will end up adding useful or humorous content to their newsfeeds. Better still, they’ll be more inclined to tell their friends or share your updates if your posts have something unique to offer. Giving prospective customers a discount on your products or services when they follow your Facebook page is a great way to provide something useful and promote sales.
You Catch More Flies with Honey:Don’t forget the old adage, “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” People don’t like seeing ads that make them feel bad about themselves. If your ads are positive and uplifting, more Facebook users will be inclined to click.
Consider Your Goals: Do you want users to like your page, or do you want them to click away from Facebook to visit your URL? When someone “likes” your company’s Facebook profile, it gives you a continued opportunity to interact with them by posting status updates, photos, videos, and other content to engage your followers.
As your ads run, you will have the chance to see how well they’re performing. Don’t just set them up and let them go – check back often and don’t be afraid to try new things to make them more successful. Facebook advertising is a great way to reach new customers, but your success will still require hard work and dedication!
