There are many small businesses that have tried running Facebook ads on their own, failed, and then incorrectly determined that Facebook advertising is just not for them. Conversely, there is also a large number of small business owners who have never tried Facebook advertising, or, even worse, don’t even realize what it is, and how it can help their business grow exponentially. You're not alone if a minute or two in Facebook’s Business or Ad Manager leaves your head spinning and asking yourself, "How does this all work?!" Successful Facebook advertising requires skilled expertise and lasting and repeatable success comes from undergoing a big learning curve.
Regardless of which camp you fall in, read on to learn more about Facebook ads and how they can help your business go from floundering to thriving.
Why Facebook Ads
Unlike print advertising, Facebook ads allow you hone in and target your very specific audience. With more than 2.4 billion active users, every target audience you could imagine is on Facebook. Facebook is too vast of a social media platform to ignore, but sadly, that is what a lot of small business owners are doing due to simply not understanding the ins and outs of Facebook advertising.
Facebook’s “Boost Post” feature has left a lot of small business owner’s feeling burnt and frustrated at the platform. Spending $10-$20 here or there on a single boosted ad to their page audience and not seeing an uptick in sales would put a bad taste in anyone’s mouth; we get it. However, it’s important to realize that the error was likely caused by the lack of a strategy when it comes to Facebook advertising, and not the platform itself.
How Do Facebook Ads Work?
Set up your Facebook audiences 
The first thing you will want to do before launching Facebook ads, is to create the audiences you want to reach. With Facebook advertising, you are able to get very specific in terms of targeting your audience. This means you are able to create your audience to include or exclude users based on age, location, page affinities (e.g. the user "liking" other pages or interests that fall in the same camp as yours), online behaviors and SO much more!
Define budget and ad spend
Facebook advertising allows you maintain complete control over your budget, which is important to any business owner! You can define how much you want to spend by setting daily budget limits. Another option is telling Facebook what you are willing to spend per click. Talk to an expert if you are unsure of how to set your budget or what your strategy should be.
Make a compelling offer
Once you have set up your audiences and determined an appropriate budget for your campaign, you will want to attract your new customers or leads with an irresistible offer. We have found that business owners who are willing to offer a better promo experience much more success than those are not willing to create a compelling offer.
Create stunning ad graphics & videos
Now that you have created your audiences, defined your budget and figured out what your initial promo will be, it’s time to create stunning graphics and videos. Ideally, they will cause the viewer to stop scrolling and take note! If you are unsure of how to create graphics and videos that convert, read our handy guide here.
Copywriting 
Though a picture is worth a thousand words, it’s extremely important that you have polished, professional and well-thought-out copy to accompany your ads. In fact, copywriting may be the #1 important aspect of a successful ad. Unsure of what copywriting is or to write copy that actually converts? Learn about the top three types of ad copy.
Understand different types of ads
Before launching your Facebook ad campaign, it’s important to understand which type of ad you want to run and what makes the most sense for your business. Some of the most common types of ads are focused on brand awareness, conversions, engagement and lead generation. Different ad types can help you achieve different goals, from audience growth to making sales.
Test, test, test 
Now that the different elements of your ad campaign are in place, it’s important to do A/B testing (also called split testing) in order to experiment and compare the success of different aspects. Some common areas to test are: ad text and landing page design, different offers, headlines, calls to action, etc. You can essentially test any aspect of your campaign to see what YOUR ideal customer responds to the best! This allows you to create a specific strategy based on data, or feedback, from your own customers.
Ultimately, the success of your Facebook advertising efforts will depend on your commitment to learning Facebook advertising best practices or, partnering with an expert agency that already has these skills and proven results.
Have you ever had your Facebook ad account analyzed by an expert to see what's working, what's not and to advise you on the BEST next steps to take in order to optimize your campaign?
STOP trying to figure out Facebook ads on your own and get a FREE Facebook Ads Review today!
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