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Why Use Facebook Advertising?
This year, the number of global Facebook users is expected to reach 1.69 billion. With user numbers so high, it’s no wonder that Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform.
In the United States, seven out of every 10 adults use Facebook. The age breakdown for adult Facebook users is:
- 76% of 18–24-year-olds
- 84% of 25–30-year-olds
- 79% of 30–49-year-olds
- 68% of 50–64-year-olds
- 46% of 65+-year-olds
As you can see, you can reach a broad audience of decision-makers and decision influencers on Facebook, which makes it even more important for your brand to have a strong presence on this social media platform.
What is Facebook Advertising?
There are two aspects to Facebook advertising: posting organic content (meaning posts and Stories you create on your brand’s Facebook page) and using Facebook’s advertising content to reach a broader audience, including people who don’t currently follow you on the social media platform.
You should think of the organic content that you post as an opportunity to connect and engage your followers. Rather than having your page serve as a megaphone that is constantly screaming to make a purchase, you should post intriguing content that your followers will find valuable. This includes:
- Tips and tricks for using the products and services they’ve already purchased from you, such as how-to videos or infographics.
- Information about related products and services from industry partners.
- Behind-the-scenes views at your company, which helps your customers feel like they know you and relate to your brand better.
- If it matches your brand, post a little humor every now and then.
- If it’s appropriate for your brand, create holiday messages, including fun holiday posts such as “Happy Pi Day” (which is March 14th in honor of the number 3.14) and “May the 4th Be With You” (which is May 4th in honor of Star Wars).
The more images, videos, and Facebook Stories your brand posts, the better. This type of content receives much more engagement from Facebook users.
In addition to posting organic content, you should also have a paid media presence. Facebook’s advertising platform provides brands with a variety of ways to increase the number of views on their sponsored posts, create ads to reach people who fit your customer demographics but don’t currently follow you on Facebook, and remarket to people who’ve visited your website by having your Facebook ads appear in their News Feeds.
What Should Your Facebook Content Look Like?
The most important thing you can do with your Facebook advertising presence is to display a unified brand message. The content you post on Facebook should have the same look and feel as your website, brochures, point of purchase displays, and other marketing materials.
If you don’t have the internal resources to create branded images and videos for organic and paid Facebook content, don’t worry. We help several companies with creating assets for their Facebook campaigns, and we can help your company, too.
How Often Should You Post on Facebook?
Posting off-the-cuff content on Facebook isn’t an effective plan. You need a comprehensive Facebook strategy, which outlines:
- Who you’re trying to reach (both through organic and paid content).
- What messages you want to convey.
- What actions you want people to take after viewing your content (such as sharing your posts, clicking through to a link on your website, watching a video or Facebook Story you’ve posted in its entirety, etc.).
- How you’re going to grow your Facebook audience.
Ideally, you’ll be posting organically a few times a week. The best way to manage your content is to create a content calendar that specifies what you’re going to post, and when. Make sure to keep this flexible, though, because of last-minute changes in your business or newsworthy events that may either necessitate a post or require you to hold on posting content you had originally scheduled. For example, if you own a restaurant in Florida and a hurricane is predicted, that week isn’t the best time to invite people to check out your updated menu.
Why Facebook Advertising Works
Facebook advertising works because even paid content shows up in your audiences’ News Feeds. And people love scrolling through Facebook. The latest research shows that 51% of Facebook users log in or spend time on the app several times a day.
Given how much time users spend on the social media platform, Facebook’s remarketing features are also a fantastic way to remind people of your products or services after they’ve already visited your website.
How to Use Facebook Advertising to Create Targeted Audiences
Another reason that Facebook is such an effective marketing tool is that its advertising platform allows you to laser focus on your target audience. Ad targeting options include:
- User Age.
- User gender.
- The language used on Facebook.
- Interests and/or behaviors, which Facebook determines based on the other pages a user likes, and how the user has interacted on Facebook previously.
- Location, for geo-targeted ads, which is huge when you’re trying to reach people who are currently near your business and on their mobile device.
- Existing connections, so that you can either include or exclude people who are already followers, have your app, or have responded that they are going to your Facebook event.
As you can see, since you can pinpoint who you want to reach with your Facebook ads, you’re able to use your budget more effectively.
Get Help With Facebook Advertising
As a marketing agency with expertise in social media marketing, we work with several brands to create Facebook advertising strategies, make Facebook images and videos, and create and manage paid advertising. We can help you, too! Call us today to schedule a Facebook advertising consultation at 949.484.9104 or fill out a form here.
