Social media digital marketing is hard, isn’t it? You may pour your heart and soul into it and still not get the results you’re hoping for. That’s natural; as the internet expands and audiences change, all forms of marketing, including Facebook advertising, can only become harder over time.
So what can you do? You basically have two options. Either you consult a digital marketing agency, or you opt for DIY. The former option is a click away, but the latter will take work and research. Who do you target? How do you engage them, and how often? Let’s discuss these and more.
Why Facebook?
Here we’re focusing on Facebook, because frankly, you can’t afford not to be on it. Yes, perhaps your primary audience doesn’t hang out there as often as on other platforms. And yes, Facebook has a specific format that may not best fit your content. However, it has:
- the single largest active user base among all social media platforms
- built-in analytics through Facebook Audience Insights
- cost-effective ads
That’s why, for many, social media digital marketing is pretty much synonymous with Facebook advertising. That’s also why we’re focusing on it in this article.
6 Best Practices for Facebook Advertising
Now, assuming you’re convinced, let’s explore the 6 best practices for Facebook advertising. In no particular order, these are our picks.
#1 Identify your audience
Okay, this one is in its rightful order. As with all social media digital marketing, you can’t begin without identifying your audience. Who are you trying to attract and resonate with? If you can’t answer this question, you can’t build effective ads. You can build generic ads for broad audiences, sure, but how effective can they be?
For this step, ask such questions as:
- Who are they? Consider demographics, psychographics, behaviors, etc.
- What do they care for? Examine their concerns and pain points, as well as their tastes on content.
- How are you helping them? Finally, consider your offer. Your outreach should speak to their needs and stand out from your competitors.
Answering these questions will help you build more accurate buyer personas, and start your Facebook advertising strong. Then, as you go on, Audience Insights will help you fine-tune them further.
#2 Promote your website
But wait – why your website? Aren’t we discussing Facebook advertising? Yes, but all social media digital marketing ultimately relies on your website. So, you must first make your website noticed, or you’ll see lesser results. Worry not; we’ll explain in a moment.
Social media digital marketing typically has campaign-specific but still specific purposes:
- Raise brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website
- Secure conversions
So, all such goals eventually lead to your website. To leverage this overlap, you may approach Facebook advertising in 3 key ways:
- Promote your website. A great SEO score will boost its visibility and augment your paid ads’ traffic.
- Link to your website. Then, audiences should find clear links to your website so they can continue down your sales funnel.
- Improve your website. Finally, once they’re there, they must have an excellent experience to stay and convert. Here, too, SEO’s accessibility and usability practices can work wonders.
#3 Inspire
Having said that, let’s return to Facebook advertising in itself. You’ve likely often heard of the mantra of inspiring audiences through marketing material. Why is that, and why should you care? Well, because audiences don’t really care for traditional, salesy marketing anymore.
SproutSocial found this out in 2016, and it has only gotten worse since. Put simply, audiences don’t want to see stale promotions. They don’t want to see jargon and slang, or soulless copy that doesn’t speak to them. Logical, right?
So, social media digital marketing of all kinds needs to account for this. Try to inspire people with meaningful outreach instead of selling your proposition. Speak to their interests and uplift them. Of course, to do so, you’ll need to know your audiences deeply – and that’s why we started with audience identification.
#4 Use Stories
An excellent way to do so is through Stories. If you’re not familiar with this newer feature, it’s essentially short-form content with a 24-hour lifespan. This nifty feature still gives you ample creative freedom while also grabbing your audiences’ attention more effectively.
That’s due to a few reasons, but let’s highlight the major ones:
- They bypass Facebook’s algorithms. Stories don’t have to compete with one another – instead, they land directly in your audiences’ feeds.
- They incite urgency. Stories expire, and that in itself incites urgency. Have you seen offers with countdown timers? The principle is pretty much the same.
- They feel fresh. Finally, Stories simply feel fresh because they are. Fewer audiences will find them salesy, and thus avoid them.
#5 Go for video over text
Speaking of Stories, which do rely on visual storytelling, this is another excellent principle to adhere to; go for video over text. Facebook’s 20% rule no longer applies, but its foundation is still there.
In short, the rule held that up to 20% of your ad could be overlaid by text. The other 80% should just be your visuals of choice. This is no longer officially the case, but the concept remains strong. That’s because text is, simply put, less appealing. Nobody has the time to read through chunks of text to understand your message. That’s why video marketing has become a staple in social media digital marketing in recent years – the future is visual.
Think of Twitter; a character limit. Or Pinterest; visuals front and center. Or Instagram; a visual search engine, almost completely. That’s precisely what Facebook advertising should aim toward, because that’s what audiences want.
#6 Be crystal-clear
Finally, this should go without saying, but let us say it. Your adverts should be crystal-clear, concise, and to the point. This is the most crucial rule for conversions across all forms of marketing; be clear, quick, and direct.
That holds particularly true for Facebook advertising, because you’re fighting for your audiences’ attention as they’re scrolling through their feeds – for one. Then, you have a small window to allure them, as audiences have increasingly short attention spans. If you manage both, they must immediately understand what you offer, why it’s the best choice for them, and what they need to do to get it. If your adverts fail at this stage, you’ve lost a potential conversion.
Conclusion
So, to sum up, Facebook advertising is far from easy. As with all social media digital marketing, it requires that you attract busy audiences who don’t like traditional marketing anymore.
To do so effectively, you must first determine who your audiences are. Then, promote your website far and wide, and ensure it offers an excellent experience. Then, leverage Stories, opt for adverts that inspire, and go for visuals over text wherever possible. Finally, when you do need text, make absolutely sure it’s clear and snappy. And, if you still need help, feel free to contact us – +44 0203 092 7898 we’ll be happy to help you with your social media marketing efforts!
