A combination of super-advanced audience targeting, the level of insight and number of users still make Facebook the best advertising platform around — but only if it’s used correctly.
Here are some of the common mistakes I see:
Not Testing (enough)
While Facebook **is** a great advertising tool, the fact remains that people don’t go on there specifically to shop. You need to grab their attention, and what makes me stop and headspin won’t necessarily grab you. The key is testing and retesting both copy and ad content. Keep a spreadsheet (yes, we love them!) and run each Ad for at least seven days. At the end of approx three weeks you should have a really clear picture of what appeals to your target audience.
Not setting a Budget (and not knowing your numbers)
Most people set too low a budget when it comes to Facebook ads. Being cautious may seem sensible and like you’re being pragmatic, but in fact it’s similar to just writing a blank cheque. Both strategies achieve very little.
In terms of your Ad spend budget, start by deciding how many products you wish to sell and work backwards; consider how many leads that will take and how much you’re prepared to pay per lead. This figure should give you a guide towards what your ad spend budget will look like, and the cost of your lead generation. If you don’t know how many leads it usually takes to get a sale then this may indicate you need to be doing more pre-ad research.
Some Facebook Ads Strategists (FBSs) are unconformable working with a business that won’t spend at least £3,000 up front. This is the cost of Ad testing, and the first month’s Ad spend. It can sometimes take a few months before you start seeing a good return on your investment, and if your business isn’t at the level where it can carry this, then it may be too early for you to be thinking about paid traffic.
Don’t Try to Beat the Algorithm.
Facebook wants to be your friend and it genuinely wants you to succeed! I see lots of FBSs who boast about being able to ‘beat the algorithm’, and my first thought is ‘why’? The Facebook algorithm is designed by a team of computer scientists to give you maximum return on your spend. Now, occasionally, there might be a time when you don’t want to do what it wants. For e.g. if I’m running a test ad I may want to be very specific about my placements so I would turn ‘automatic placements’ off. Similarly, if you’re advertising a product that Facebook doesn’t like (maybe you’re a beautician advertising Botox) then you may need to be creative with your ad content. On the whole though, I would always try to work with the algorithm and trust in Zuck!
Not being Patient
We’ve all seen adverts such as, “I generated a 40X return within the first month of FB Ads!” which give an unrealistic impression of what is really achievable with Facebook.
It normally takes about two months before you start to see traction, and then sales. In terms of overall return, in my experience a 3X return on your Ad spend is average. Now it’s possible to get more — potentially a lot more — but there are many variables at play here. Which brings me nicely to my final point …
Not having an effective Sales Funnel (or a desirable product)
At the end of the day, your Ads are just one part of the jigsaw. You can have the best advertising in the world but if your sales funnel isn’t firing properly then this is going to affect revenue. Where possible, I like to have some control over the landing page my Ads take the visitor to.
I also like to be able to do a full walk through of the destination site including the shopping cart. You would be surprised how many times marketers do this and find silly issues with shopping carts, or contact forms. Things that are fixable in a few minutes but, while undiscovered, seriously affect the client’s revenue.
In relation to the product, I will just say that while I firmly believe that nothing is ‘unsellable’, some things may require a more creative approach. It is perhaps a little unfair to write Ads off completely when your ad — targeted at ‘men in Doncaster, aged 40, working in admin — didn’t elicit a great response for your ‘Luxury Imported Chinese Tiger Feed’. And here, we come back once again to the need to do proper research and fill out those spreadsheets!
I hope this post has been useful. Please do reach out if you have any questions and I’d love to hear any of your experiences with Facebook Ads.
