As of 2018, Facebook has over 2.2 billion monthly active users. This vast, worldwide audience means that the social networking site is a vital marketing platform for just about every business. The ever-changing Facebook algorithm, however, poses a challenge to connect with fans organically. This is where Facebook Ads comes in.

It has micro-targeting features that enable you to reach your target audience based on interests, demographics, location, and behaviors. These features allow you to effectively put your message in front of people who may want your products or services.

Benefits of Using Facebook Ads

When you use Facebook Ads for your business, you get to enjoy the following benefits:

• Low Advertising Cost – Advertising on Facebook won’t hurt your pocket. You can reach 1,000 people and spend only $5. You don’t need to spend your ad budget on billboards, television commercials, radio ads, and other traditional media just to reach the same audience.
• Improved Brand Awareness – Facebook Ads significantly boosts your brand awareness. It’s an excellent way to make individuals aware of what you have to offer. People who are more familiar with your brand are more likely to buy your products when they need them.
• Increased Site Traffic – Facebook Ads lets you create a website click campaign that targets your audience and sends them to your site. Although you have the option to increase your traffic through other means, the cost-effectiveness and precision of Facebook Ads make this tool a better alternative.
• Measurable Results – There’s no guesswork involved when you advertise using Facebook. You’ll be able to see how many conversions, clicks, and impressions you’re receiving.
• Contributes to SEO Rankings –Google looks at social signals when ranking websites. These signals consist of activities on your social media content, which include comments, likes, and shares on your posts. Facebook Ads helps you boost your social signals, which influence your SEO rankings indirectly.

Advertising on Facebook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Businesses

If your company doesn’t have a Facebook business page, create one first. Once you have one, go to Business Manager or Facebook Ads Manager to make your Facebook ad campaign. Next, run an SEO audit to find out where how your website is currently performing.

Now perform the following steps:

• Choose Your Objective – Facebook provides several marketing objectives based on what you want your ad to achieve. Some of them are:

1. Reach – Expose your ad to as many people in your target audience as possible.
2. Brand awareness – Introduce your advertisement to a new audience.
3. Messages – Encourage individuals to get in touch with your business using Facebook Messenger.
4. Lead Generation – Obtain new prospects into your sales funnel.
5. Video Views – Attract more people to watch your videos.
6. App Installs – Draw people to install your app.
7. Engagement – Reach a wide audience to encourage people to claim a specific offer, boost attendance at your event, or raise the number of page likes or posts.
8. Traffic – Drive traffic to a specific app or web page.
9. Store Visits – Encourage nearby customers to go to your brick-and-mortar stores.
10. Catalog Sales – Connect your ads to your product catalog and show product ads to people who are most likely to purchase your goods.
11. Conversions – Encourage people to do a specific action on your website, such as purchase your product or subscribe to your newsletter.

• Customize Your Target Audience – You can tailor the audience for your ad based on demographics, including gender, age, location, and languages. You can also choose advanced targeting, which enables you to exclude or include people connected to certain events, apps, or pages.
• Set Your Budget – Your budget represents the maximum amount of money you’d like to spend. Pick between daily (the average you’ll spend each day) and lifetime (the maximum you will spend during the life of your Facebook ad) budget.
• Make Your Advert – When you’re creating your ad from a blank slate, choose the format you want for your advert. Facebook has multiple formats to choose from, such as Canvas, Slideshow, Single Video, Single Image, and Carousel. After making your selection, add content (photos/videos and the copy) to your advert.
• Select Your Ad Placements – Choose where you want your ad to appear. Facebook recommends going with the default placements for the objective you chose. This allows the social media platform to optimize placements for you to help you obtain the best possible results at the lowest overall average cost.
• Place Your Ad Order – Click the “Place Order” button and your ad is ready for review. Facebook will send you a confirmation email once the ad is live.