When it comes to marketing your business these days, the options seem to be endless and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities: your competitors are making videos and you don’t want to miss out, but then there’s that blog you should be writing, the networking events you really shouldn’t miss, the SEO to keep on top of, the email lists to build…and on and on….
But the fact is that you can’t do everything, especially as a small business owner with a limited budget and a million other things to juggle. If you really want to see a successful return for your efforts, then I recommend focusing wholeheartedly on two fabulously low cost AND super-effective forms of marketing: email marketing and Facebook ads.
I’ve extolled the wonders of email marketing in previous blogs, but here I want to explain why Facebook ads are great for your small business.
Your audience is on Facebook
Let’s begin with the fact that Facebook is the largest social network in the world with over 1.5 billion monthly active users and 22 billion ad clicks per year. It’s a safe bet, then that a significant chunk of your target audience is on there somewhere, and they’re clicking on ads.
You can target exactly who you want
And the real beauty of Facebook ads is that they offer unprecedented targeting capabilities which enable you to really hone-in on the specific audience you want to reach. When you consider that the list below represents just SOME of your targeting options, you’ll begin to see just how deep you can dig to make sure your ads will be seen by the right people:
- Language
- Age
- Gender
- Workplace
- Interests
- Job titles
- Categories
- Your own email lists
- Relationship status
- Education level
Facebook ads are cheap
The days of being able to rely on the organic reach of your posts are over, so you’ll have to put your hand in your pocket if you really want to get seen. But the great news is that you won’t need deep pockets, because a little goes a long way in terms of spend on Facebook ads, which cost only a fraction of what other online marketing channels cost.
Facebook allows you to go as low as £1 per day, so it’s easy to set a reasonable daily budget to make sure you don’t exceed what you’re able to spend. Start small (around £3 a day should do the trick) and adjust according to the results you see.
But be clear about what you want to achieve before you start.
Before you create a Facebook ad campaign, make sure you have a clear objective; is it to get more clicks to your website, generate Facebook likes, increase email list subscriptions? Whatever type of engagement you want, being clear about it from the get-go will help you to produce effective ads and, in turn, measure their success. Be prepared to adjust your campaign based on the data you receive as you review the results. Be patient, stay on top of the responses and nurture your campaign and its rewards at it evolves.
As long as you enter into Facebook advertising with a clear focus and follow a simple strategy, you should soon be reaping the rewards of this gloriously cost-effective and irresistibly powerful form of online marketing. Trust me, if you’re not already advertising your business on Facebook, you should be!
I’ll be offering loads of tips and advice on how to create and use Facebook Ads (the right way) for your business in next month’s Branching Out Hub!
