yourfirstserver.com

Facebook Ad Basics: Advertising With Social Media And Not Google

Tweet

Facebook has over 400 million active users. That is, 400 million people who regularly use their accounts to interact with friends, families and online communities. This is where the fish are swimming; and this digital ocean is where you should seriously consider investing your advertising dollars.

Facebook makes it simple to create and track your ad, and in essence the process is very similar to Google’s pay-per-click ads. Aesthetically the biggest difference between the two is that Facebook allows for a photo to be attached alongside the ad. A visual accompaniment draws a user’s attention more than plain text, and if the right photo is chosen it could be the decisive factor that influences a click.

Another point where Facebook differs from Google is in the targeting of their users.  Facebook has a unique network of members that provide valuable information on their locations, marital status, likes and dislikes and more. In effect, they have an unrivaled database of consumer preferences they can wield on behalf of advertisers in order to ensure that each ad is showcased to a relevant consumer.

For example, one can opt to display ads only to male users between the ages of 18 and 25, who enjoy knitting and attend Harvard. What is more remarkable is that Facebook tallies the potential reach for the ad, such that you will be given a figure for how many users this criteria applies to. Google’s ads, while fairly well targeted compared to traditional media ads, cannot match this level of relevance. By allowing advertisers to target more specifically, they can create a greater number of ads that cost less money but target only the appropriate people.

The one drawback that will undoubtedly hinder Facebook ad conversion rates compared to Google ads is the nature of the user these ads are reaching and why they are on Facebook and not Google. This has to do with being an active user and a passive user.

Consumers on Google are active; they are searching for something specific and the ads they see are likely to assist in this search process. Facebook is a pool of passive consumers who are typically not pursuing product information as they use the service. Therefore, the ads they come across are likely to have less of an impact at that time due to the user being preoccupied with socializing rather than shopping.

What must be stressed is that Facebook ads are less effective at creating quick sales or short-term conversions, and better suited for building awareness and creating and fostering relationships with users. This is rather fitting given that Facebook is a site aimed at nurturing and maintaining real relationships. Any campaign that utilizes this space must have long-term considerations at its forefront of goals. Use Facebook to create a consumer sub-consciousness of your product such that when they are shopping in the future, the thought of your brand will resurface and may lead to conversion. While these conversions may be more difficult to quantify, the value they offer outweighs the challenge.