Simply put, you should look at Facebook Advertising for your small business because your competitors might not be.
But, here’s a further analysis of that simple answer…
Advertising on Facebook is now even easier to set up with improvements made to keyword targeting and its interface. Comparisons might be drawn between Facebook’s advertising module and Google Adwords but actually, it can be used quite differently, or in conjunction with, but significantly Facebook is a lot more user-friendly.
Here’s some further points:
Ideally it’s better to use Facebook Advertising if you have a Facebook Fan/Business page set up (and it’s a well-looked-after page too).
Ads can be very cheap. You can set up an advert for £20 which could last 5-7 days.
Page Posts that are placed in the news feeds are the best option.
The size of audience on Google Adwords may be much larger but on Facebook they may be more responsive. However this isn’t a post about which one is best, but merely more about the benefits of Facebook Advertising on its own.
Keyword Targeting
With Facebook you have the option of selecting keyword interests. For example if someone has an interest in Italian sports cars you can target those who specifically like Ferrari’s. Facebook’s keyword targeting has become a lot easier recently so now is a great chance to get started.
When you are looking at keyword targeting it’s better to be as specific as possible to achieve the best results. But if your audience size is too small or you wanted to think about a broader range then brainstorm some further options. For example if I was looking at a campaign for the popular music group Queen then there are other related interests as well such as the below:
Facebook Advertising Screenshot Example
But then I might look to go further and target those who have an interest in similar bands e.g. T-Rex, Abba.
Targeting locally
Let’s look at another example – A local florist and it’s coming up to Mothers Day. The florist can target those living in the local town and within a 5 mile radius. They could also select those with an age range of 20-50.
In this example I’d advise that there’s no need for specific keyword targeting. Do they need to target those who have stated they have an interest in flowers or Mothers Day? No – Me personally, I have shown no interest in flowers on my profile but I’d sure be interested in sending my mum flowers on Mother’s Day if I’d like to see the light of day again!
Aren’t Facebook Adverts a bit spammy?
Facebook Ads can appear to look quite spammy and unrelated at times. This can actually be down to your own profile – If you have specific information up there about you, (where you live, your age, your interests etc) then adverts are likely to be more related.
However despite this some ads may appear quite unrelated anyway – but, here is where the opportunity lies. Say I live in the city of Bath and advert comes up near Mother’s Day saying “Flowers for Mother’s Day from your local Florist in Bath” this has a far greater chance of catching my eye as it’s more related to me.
Do it because your competitors might not be
Recently a friend of mine who plays in a modern country band asked me whether it was worth spending a little on Facebook Advertising to promote a new album. Now, country music is probably associated with typically older, male-orientated traditionalists, but that’s not to say there isn’t a large audience on Facebook.
As with many ideas of marketing, being the first mover, or being different to your competitors and taking advantage of an opportunity can give you an extra step up.
With the example above there’s a large audience on Facebook who have an interest in country music, but because country may be seen as rather traditional there aren’t as many groups advertising – Therefore there’s an opportunity there to be one of the first to take this.
What should I do then?
Facebook Advertising can be fast and easy, and you might want to think about setting up a trial budget of just £20 for a promotion about your business.
Page Posts are the better Facebook Advertising method in my experience – I’ve seen higher click-through rates, they are quicker to set up, they appear more natural in the news feed and they take up more space too.
If you’re a small business think about how your competitors are using social media, if at all. If they are not, then maybe you could be the first mover and take advantage of the potential large market available.
If you’d like further help or advice in setting up Facebook Advertising then feel free to contact us.
