Well, Facebook will merily take your money! That's for sure!
But before you have a dicky fit (or 'Richard fit' if we're being formal) let's just pull-back and look at the problem.
Facebook make it very easy for you to give them your money. But let's be honest, how often do you see an ad on Facebook and click on it? one in a hundred? One in a thousand? Some people just never do. BUT: Most of us do OCCASIONALLY.
So the question has to be not 'do they work?' Yes, they do, I advertise on Facebook constantly, but 'How do I make them work effectively and efficiently?
Now this is about small businesses, and I would say as a rule of thumb if you're not actually looking to grow your business, then what is the point of spending money? Get the odd friend to share, write some amusing or interesting posts and tick along as you were.
But if you're a small business looking to grow, then the simple answer is yes, Facebook ads can be the most effective and cost-efficient way to bring in new customers and clients. But there are a few things you need to be very aware of first:
It's really REALLY easy to get it wrong. The VAST majority of people who try facebook ads throw a bit of money at it, get nothing in return and are left feeling disappointed and frankly a little robbed.
It's very VERY tricky to get it right. There are people whose entire career is built on tuning ads, analysing data, split-testing results and honing your promotions for you for the best possible results.
There's a simple Return On Investment measure you must use. It's not about public awareness or 'getting yourself out there'! It's about SALES! If your ads aren't bringing in more than you're spending, STOP!
The ads themselves have to be amazing. This is an area where small businesses with a 'have a go' attitude really let themselves down. You've hired a genius campaign manager who is going to dig deep into the data and tailor your targeting, but if the ads themselves are pants, you've stumbled at the first hurdle! Why do you think the big boss ad people for Coke and Cadbury are paid so much? Because the quality of the ads is CRITICAL. Unless you are a tried and tested advertising guru, please, just invest in a professional who knows their stuff and whose actual job it is to create brilliant sales copy and graphics for you. That may be the best money you ever spend.
The website itself. You have POPPING ads and have spent two or three months refining your campaign (that's how long it should take...) So, the right people are clicking your ads, your ideal customers like you and they're responding. Now you really have to get that website right. You don't care about visitors, you care about SALES. Visitors mean literally nothing,(in fact they can waste your time and money!) if they're not actually buying from you! Get that landing page right, get professionals involved WHOSE JOB IT IS to make sure you have irresistable sales copywriting and a brilliant user experience.
These are all really essential. Take any one of these things out of the equation, and the equation doesn't work. Now, if you take your time, do your research you can pull together a team of people with skills like this in places like Fiverr. Don't miss out on any of the elements, don't take any shortcuts. The above really is the way to do it, take it seriously, DO NOT fall into the trap of just having a punt with Facebook ads to see if it works. It just won't, you have to do it right. Spending some time finding the right team and investing in them will mean that the money you spend on ads is actually well spent.
Of course there are issues here, there are scammers about, people who have fake reviews, wannabes chasing your money promising the world. There are traps out there. Be careful.
If you'd like to take advantage of my ready-made team of tried and tested campaign manager, ad copywriter, graphic artist, website developer and project manager, then we can save you a headache and leave you to do what you do best, running your business. If you'd like a free consultation to see if we can help you get on the right track with Facebook ads, click HERE.
Comments