Building a fan base and sales are the most important goals in Facebook advertising / SMEs also benefit / Recommended daily budget of 100 euros
Hamburg, 9th August 2011 - For many companies, Facebook is an important channel for communication with customers and sales. Especially in the start-up phase, ads in the world’s largest social network can help build fan bases and lead to sales, without requiring huge outlays. A daily advertising budget of just 100 euros is enough to target new customers very specifically. Facebook campaigns, as in search engine advertising, are very easy to set up, however a few guidelines should be considered. The performance agency eprofessional has put together a checklist summarizing its experience in structuring campaigns and what mid-course corrections can be taken when ad performance declines.
“Facebook ads are worth it for every company with a presence on the site, because Facebook provides a very interesting, engaged target group that can be addressed according to their real interests. For example, a bicycle company can target cycling enthusiasts or a gourmet delicatessen can address hobby cooks,” explains Ben Möhlenhoff, Social Media Specialist at eprofessional GmbH.
Here’s how to improve the performance of your Facebook campaign:
1. Start big, then drill-down: You should initially select a very broad audience for your ads, and then pare down into more specialised target groups as the campaign progresses. Long-lasting campaigns that do not require daily optimisation should address at least 100,000 people.
2. Always bid at the top end of Facebook’s suggested bid range to ensure you gain sufficient impressions for your ads.
3. Facebook advertising budgets do not have to be big, but budgets that are too small cannot be optimised or properly controlled. Companies should plan for a daily budget of 100 euros, which allows for the most effective use of Facebook’s targeting mechanisms.
4. Use images of people and products in your ads that fit with the Facebook style. Avoid using logos, unless for a luxury brand or where the audience has a preexisting affinity for the brand. Change the images once a week, because visuals motifs quickly grow old.
5. Keep your advertising copy succinct and don’t use the entire character count just because it’s available. Your ads should be understood at a glance.
6. Address the user directly in your ads, pose questions or draw their attention to special offers. And above all, write your copy in the words of your existing fans. “Marketing speak” has no place here.
7. In ads intended to build your fan base, always direct the user to a special welcome page on your brand page that immediately makes clear why becoming a fan is a good idea.
8. Use “Friends of Connections” targeting, in which the ads are personalized by using the names of friends who are already fans. This increases your credibility.
9. If you have a Facebook presence with a lot of fans and/or posts, try out the “Sponsored Stories” feature. But always remember to run sponsored stories in conjunction with “normal” ads.
10. An insider tip is to monitor the “Frequency” parameter in your campaign statistics. It tells you how many times each person saw your ads or Sponsored Stories on average. If the figure goes into the double-digits, the campaigns has grown tired and should be updated (image, text or target group).
2011-08-09
PR
