This is part 2 of the Four Tips to Wave the Wand of Facebook Ad Magic. View Part one here.
3) Don’t just Post – PROMOTE
Organic (non-paid reach) of your timeline posts to your Facebook followers is at an all-time low and your reach is not going to increase without you paying to make that happen. At most, 7% of your fan base will see your posts, and with larger follower groups (over 500,000), that drops to 2%. Facebook says you should assume organic reach will soon drop to zero. So if you paid to buy fans, sorry about that. You’ll now need to pay to reach them as well.
The algorithm determining which posts are served up to a users’ newsfeed is tremendously complex and uses artificial intelligence to “learn” your patterns over time. Over-simplified, if you always like posts on a certain subject but gloss over posts on a different subject, over time you’ll see more of what you’re interested in based on that “feedback” to the system. Likes, Sharing, clicking on links, preferring videos over photos or text only posts, your prioritization (the drop down Friend menu that lets you assign Family, Acquaintances, Close Friends, etc. designation) all impact which posts are seen and when. It’s the same concept as thumbs up/down on Pandora and “suggested for you” purchases on Amazon.
Over 75% of businesses pay to promote their posts. You should spend at least a few dollars to promote your posts to your own Facebook followers if your post is worth seeing. So enter that business credit card on your Facebook account and at a minimum start promoting strong, important, needle-moving posts to your followers. Here is how you do it:
- Ensure the post’s graphic or photo has less than 20% text so it won’t be rejected
- Videos are more popular and get more organic reach and engagement, so consider a short, action-packed video if it makes sense for your business (smartphone shot videos are A-ok)
- As the page manager, click on “Boost” under the post
- Select either “People who like your page”, “People who like your page and their friends” (best if trying to increase your Likes, or “Create New Audience” to customize a targeted audience.
- Over time, have “Audiences” that are custom and named for various target groups you want to reach
- Choose an amount you want to spend and enter it in the “Total Budget” field
- Enter when you want to run it in the “Duration” field – usually a few days to a week
- Confirm your payment method
- Click “Boost” and your post will serve up with a “Sponsored” designation next to it to your target audience during the timeframe you selected
4) Pay-to-Play – ADVERTISE
Treat Facebook like the ad platform it is and spend your money wisely. Be crystal clear about your objectives, target your content to the right audience, and learn the platform’s intricacies - or pay someone to manage your ads that does. Here are the ways to get the most bang for your buck on Facebook ads:
- Use the various ad objectives Facebook offers to get your best result
- Use the mobile-only choice and include the “Call Now” button option if appropriate for your offer
- Leverage the integration with Instagram to reach Instagram followers specifically or in conjunction with your overall ad strategy
- Try the carousel photo feature which lets you load in multiple photos and the program chooses the one to feature first that generates the most engagement
- Create and save your own custom audiences with demographic (age, income, home value) and lifestyle interests (beer lovers, travelers to Colorado, dog owners, those who fly fish, etc.)
- Create Look-alike audiences of your Facebook Followers (those who Like your page)
- Create Email or Phone list look-alikes by loading in these lists from excel and finding look-alikes based on their profile characteristics
- Use A/B testing to compare one ad to another, testing photos, target groups, subject lines and copy, calls to action, objective
- Most importantly, provide a clear and specific call to action (CTA) that gets you what you want – Call Now, Learn More, Shop Now, etc.
Don’t be late to the party – now is the time to leverage the power of Facebook advertising for your business. With $5.2 Billion in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2016 alone, this stuff works. Need help? Imagine That is here to help you navigate through, set up and manage your campaigns. or to set up a no-obligation consultation today.
For more information:
http://www.twonilmedia.com/the-evolution-of-facebo...
http://www.socialbakers.com/blog/2172-a-visual-his...
http://wallaroomedia.com/facebook-newsfeed-algorit...
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-declini...
