Last week my colleague Jack Porter-Smith, WSI’s paid search guru at WSI Paid Search gave a fantastic and insightful webinar about using Facebook Ads to drive business growth.
It was full of insight, so I thought I’d give you the main points here and share a link to watch it!
Facebook is enormous
This thing has scale…..
The world’s population in 1950 was 2.53 billion people….
Today the total number of Facebook users is 2.85 billion!
There are 42 million regular users in the UK alone…..
And there are 10 million active advertisers talking to your customers if you aren’t….
What would you use Facebook Ads for
Facebook Ads can do anything…
Deliver Hard Actions, for example capture leads, drive online sales, solicit charitable donations
Or Soft Actions, things like event registrations, newsletter sign-ups, or document downloads
… for anyone….
B2B, B2C, Not for Profit
Some recent categories we’ve worked with recently across WSI include aircraft hangars, deli food, houses, silk bedding, trading platforms, attorneys, walks for cancer, invoice financing, watches… because humans talk about everything and buy everything on Facebook
OK, How do Facebook Ads work you ask!
Targeting – This is the real super-power
If you have a target persona, Facebook Ads will find them (if they are on Facebook) based on:
- Demographics eg you want homeowning Mums in Leicester… you’ve got it
- Interests eg who also like gourmet food and going to the cinema (wow… have I missed that)
- Behaviors eg who also visit websites about home improvement
- Your lists & similar matches – if you’ve got a big list of people you know are good customers, we can build a look alike audience for you to advertise to!
The detailed information Facebook has on individuals is scary – and you can make this work for you
BUT… don’t obsess about reaching a super-precise group, this can mean you’ll miss as many as you’ll hit….
Where do the ads show
Ads show in:
- Mobile & desktop newsfeeds, inboxes, stories
- Facebook,
- Instagram,
- WhatsApp, Messenger
When users click, they can:
- Visit your website
- Call you
- Fill out a form within the ad (lead form)
- Converse with you in Messenger
- Like your Page
Your ad can include:
- Images,
- GIFs,
- Videos,
- Product Carousels
- Headlines, descriptions,
- Calls to Action (CTAs)
Here …. Compelling imagery and offers are KEY
Ad Formats…
Your ad can include…
To visualize what this looks like on your Ad
Ad Tracking
You need to know the precise results of your campaigns, because you are paying every time someone sees or clicks your ad
With the right codes configured on your site/app, you can measure all kinds of behaviours and costs:
- Impressions, clicks, views, frequency, CPCs, etc.
- Conversions (leads, calls, purchases, downloads, etc.)
- Conversion value (e-commerce revenue)
- Site funnel behaviour (e.g. added product to basket but abandoned)
- ROAS (return on Ad spend) : revenue/cost
You can get right into what works….
BUT….
Is it Expensive? How much do you want to invest in Facebook Ads?
Not a lot at first… £20-£40 a day, until you know what works.
We suggest you run for an initial three months as a discovery period.
You need to be patient … allow the algorithms to settle, learn and optimize.
Then if its working – the wonderful thing is… it’s so huge … you can scale!
Lead Generation – Quality or Quantity?
There are many paths to success… Compare these two routes…
Campaign A generates 100 leads and your sales team has a 1% closing rate … 1 sale
If you spend $10 Cost per Lead x 100 leads = $1,000 CPA (Cost per Acquisition)
Campaign B generates 4 leads and you have a 25% closing rate…. 1 sale
At $250 CPL x 4 leads = $1,000 CPA
Which path suits your business best? There is no single answer!
- Pick the right strategy for your team and business (hint – if your sales team can improve conversion then Campaign A),
- Pick the campaign type and targets that work for you (the more targeted the more expensive)
- Pick the correct Calls to Action on your Ads
And keep analysing, optimising and learning… you won’t get it right in minute one!
The Big Question – Facebook Ads vs Google Ads
Well, they do different things
serves demand while 
creates demand
Google works fantastically at the point of intent – when the customer is ready to buy, while the Facebook Ads can work really hard to bring your product or service to the attention of prospective customers who really didn’t know you existed.
Truly successful businesses use a balance appropriate for them – that changes over time – if you need to generate demand and awareness then Facebook will work your investment harder.
Does my Facebook page not do this for me?
Well no, because only your followers see your posts in their Facebook feed, AND then it’s only a small proportion of those – you can increase the number of your followers that see your posts by boosting that post…. BUT if you want to reach new customers in Facebook then you need to use Facebook Ads
You might ask, can I do this myself?
Of course you can, but if you want to discuss getting some experienced help then, then reach out to us
by email : peter.mckenna@wsidigitaladvisors.uk
on the site : wsidigitaladvisors.uk/contact-us/
or by phone: 020 3488 7608
If you would like to watch Jack’s full presentation, then you can see it here. Full credit to Jack for all material above!
