FACEBOOK ADS FOR BEGINNERS 

I get to talk to so many small business owners, in rural areas and in the city and I know two things for sure. 

Firstly, they realise there’s power in using Facebook Ads to sell their wares and services or to engage with their audience or to bring in new prospects, and secondly, they know they need to know this stuff.

BUT, what I also found is that there’s a whole lot of either “boosting button” pressers out there or small business owners who just don’t know where to start when it comes to Facebook Ads – they might have looked, and things just look too hard.

Facebook isn’t just powerful—it’s flexible.

No matter what type of business you run, it has enough different marketing options that you can tailor your marketing efforts to fit your business, your budget, and your time constraints. 

Yes, it can take some time to get to know all of its features, but it’s worth it. If Facebook is not a current part of your marketing campaign, it should be. 

FACEBOOK ADS VS BOOSTING

Here’s what I know (from a lot of you), the boosting button is easy, the Ads platform is not and therefore boost gets the love. 

I totally understand.  But I want you to promise me you will stop touching that boost button – because it’s not evil but it’s not good either. 

Boosting a post is pretty much telling the Facebook algorithm, I don’t know what I’m doing. 

It’s a “throw spaghetti against the wall” approach. Will it work?  Maybe.  You might get some wins, just like some spaghetti will stick, but most of it will fall flat and fail. 

Module 6 of my Facebook Ads For Beginners course goes through boosting vs Facebook ads and steps you through what boosting is really doing and how your money acts on the platform when you boost if you would like to go through a comprehensive run-down on the Boost vs Ads thing.

But in this blog, I thought I would just share some bits of wisdom I’ve learnt along my journey and that of my clients when it comes to Facebook ads. 

ASSUME NOTHING – TEST EVERYTHING

If you are wondering whether this image will work better than that image, you can ask a prospect, your staff, your partner, a test group, but the truth is that you couldn’t possibly know which ad will give you better results until you test them. We’re humans, we’re complicated like that. 

So, when you’re getting your ad creatives together, ad copy, photos, videos etc, it’s best practice to set up 2-4 ads with different creatives and/or different audiences. 

This is the only way you’ll be able to work out what works!

START WITH THE END IN MIND

If you listened to my Podcast Episode 32, Facebook Ads – 3 Mistakes we need to stop making, you’ll remember this one well!

Start with the end desired result and work backwards. 

If I wanted to have my eBook Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads downloaded 100 times each month, and I know that 50% of people who land on my landing page that asks for your email address sign up, then I need 200 leads to go to my landing page for a conversion rate of 50%. 

If I average, on a Traffic objective ad, a $1.50 per click, and I need 200 people clicking to get 100 downloads, then my budget has to be at least $300. 

I also know that 10% of people who see my ad, click.  So, I need 2000 people to see my ad. 

That’s what start with the end in mind looks like. 

GREAT OFFERS SELL WITHOUT SELLING

If you have a good offer in place, you have more chances to create an ad that pays off.

That’s a fact. Just think about it. Which offer is more attractive? 

50% off Winter Jumpers

OR

Like if you’d wear it!  Every purchase feeds 7 shelter dogs. 

Which would you click on?   

Even though a 50% OFF deal is great, it doesn’t compare to the implied mechanism used by the second offer.  

The simple fact of feeding seven dogs will entice you to buy the shirt, especially if you are dog lover. You won’t even think you’re buying a shirt. That’s just a plus. In your mind, you’ll be helping seven poor dogs to survive. 

And that’s what great offers do. 

They sell without selling. 

Now, I’m not saying you should start a charity to start selling on Facebook. No. What I’m saying is that you need to find a way to sweeten your offer—and do it in a way people don’t feel you’re selling them something. Great copy doesn’t seem like an ad, it seems like a favour”. 

Remember, people don’t like being sold, but they love to buy stuff. 

Set aside some time to tinker around, start a few test campaigns, and see what happens.

Like anything, it takes practice to get good at it. 

My advice: get started now. When’s the best time to plant a tree, 20 years ago, when’s the next best time – TODAY. 

Now if you’re interested in my, Facebook Ads for Beginners course, me tell you a little about it. 

It’s a 9-module course.  That might seem big, but you can conquer it in a day. 

I take your hand and I walk you through, step by step, not on the actual Facebook Ads platform, but also goal setting, starting with the end in mind, your client avatar and SO MUCH MORE. 

This is truly a labour of love. 

My mission is to help as many small business owners as I can.  This course is purely built on that core value.  I am so tired to small business owners not using the platform because they don’t know how. 

THAT ALL ENDS TODAY MY PEEPS, today! 

The modules I cover in the Facebook Ads for Beginners course are:

1. Welcome
2. Targeting – who is your who and what do you want to be famous for?  (super doper important)
3. Let’s start to the beginning – setting up your Ads Manager Account and your Facebook Pixel (don’t turn green, I literally walk you through it!)
4. Understanding the algorithm
5. Strategy – let’s set some goals
6. Choose Your Ad objective – boosting vs Facebook ads and the most comprehensive look at the objective you have ever seen (seriously…)
7. Choosing your Audience, Placement and Budget
8. Writing engaging copy, and
9. Final words and pulling it altogether

Sound good? I hope so! 

Also – a final plug, once you sign up to the course you’ll have lifetime access.  As the platform changes, this course will update too, and you will have access to those updates, and I have an exclusive Facebook Group for my students of course so they can slip in there and have their questions answered by me or get help from fellow students as well. 

Another place you can find me is my Facebook group Like Minded Business Owners – it’s a great group to join if you are looking for some friendly Small Business people to virtually hang out with and bounce ideas off!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenn Donovan is a marketing strategist and social media extraordinaire, coach and mentor to savvy business owners.  Owner and Founder of Social Media & Marketing Australia.

With a passion for making business simple, because it’s isn’t easy but it should be simple or at least simpler, she’s built a reputation for helping other small business owners simplify their marketing and businesses so they can reach their goals, be more profitable and live the dream (finding the freedom they set out to achieve when they started … the illusive small business owner freedom dream …!)

Jenn believes in giving before asking and that’s why she’s the host of the popular Small Business Made Simple Podcast