Facebook has emerged as a preeminent marketing channel for all types of businesses, large and small. From a mom and pop shop in a small community, to multi-national corporation advertising across borders, Facebook provides an undeniable opportunity for all.
The other great opportunity afforded by Facebook is that it evens the playing field, like never before, by provided small businesses with the opportunity to compete with big businesses head to head. Large companies, and their accompany large budgets, may be able to get in front of more eyes, but the same ad types and targeting capabilities are available to all businesses, large and small.
So, you may be asking yourself, “this sounds interesting, but how can I take advantage of this to compete head-to-head with some of the big players in my industry?”. To be successful, and avoid sabotaging your campaigns before they even get started, you must pay attention to these three pieces of advice:
Know Your Audience
We see this all the time, in large companies and small. Individuals developing marketing campaigns are so focused on developing their message and deciding what tactics and channels they’ll use to communicate it, they neglect to spend the time and effort to really refine their target audience, to know who exactly they want to speak to.
Tip: In order to write persuasive, effective marketing copy, you need to know who you’re writing it to/for!
Know How to Reach Them
Knowing how to define your audience is one thing (see above), but actually knowing how to target that audience on Facebook (check out this helpful guide on AdEspresso) is something completely different. As Facebook continues to evolve its advertising platform, and refine its targeting capabilities, you’ll quickly discover that there are seemingly limitless options when it comes to targeting, which can get confusing. Getting as specific as you can when defining this audience, or audience(s) will go a long way in ensuring that your marketing investment is as efficient and effective as possible.
Tip: The most efficient method of targeting is often email lists that are owned by the business, as well as retargeting individuals who have already visited specific pages of your website.
Know Your Objectives
What do you want your audience to do when they see your Facebook ad or sponsored content? Before making the decision to pay to promote it, you should have an idea. Facebook Business Manager breaks these categories down into the following sections, each with additional subsections.
Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Do you want users to download your app, or purchase something from your website, or do you simply want to reach as many qualified users as possible to increase the awareness of your brand? Whatever your objective, you’ll want to ensure the cost of achieving it makes sense for you from a business point of view.
Tip: The more specific and targeted a Facebook add is, the more effective it will likely be. Consider setting up multiple campaigns with images and copy specific to the audience.
When you think of targeting in the age of social media, the general rule is; the more niche the message the more effective it will be – this concept of “an audience of one”. This, more than anything else is what makes social media such a great marketing tool. With the platforms available, small businesses have all the same tools at their disposal as large corporations to grow their business.
If you’ve been thinking of promoting your company on social media, but aren’t sure where or how to get started. Contact us today to get your FREE assessment, and get started growing your business today!