Facebook can get your business in front of your ideal target audience with minimal effort. I’m not aware of any other channel that does that. Magazines, television, radio ad, newspaper, and even direct marketing may or may not get you in front of your ideal client.
If you’re like most small business owners, you probably fall into one of the following three categories:
- You’ve heard about Facebook Ads, but have no clue knew where to start
- You’ve clicked the Boost button a few times and added a couple of dollars to promote a post
- You’re using Facebook Ads, but you’re not sure if you’re doing it right
There is a fourth, which is where you’re using Facebook Ads and you’re getting results. But let’s face it, if you’re in this 4th category, then you probably reading this post because it peaked your curiosity, or because my Mother asked you to support me — and make no mistake, I really do appreciate your support!
But let’s get back to figuring out this whole Facebook Ads thing.
All Facebook Pages have access to the same type of advertising options. Whereas Ads can get complicated, it doesn’t have to be in the beginning. For the sake of avoiding overwhelming anyone, I’m going to go introduce the basics of Facebook Advertising with you.
Six Types Of Facebook Promotions
You can build six types of promotions directly from your Facebook Fan page. They include:
- The Call-to-Action Button under your cover photo
- The Promote Button in the left-hand menu
- The Promote Local Business button just above the Page’s newsfeed
- The Invite friends to like this Page option in the right column
- The Promote Website button in the right column
- The Boost Post button at the bottom of your post
The Call-to-Action (CTA) Button
Facebook encourages you to add a button to your Page so that fans can follow up with you. Whereas the action is required to be executed by the Page fan, the type of action is up to you. Facebook currently allows you to select from the following options:
The Promote Button in the left-hand menu
Clicking the Promote Button gives you the option to Boost Your Post, Promote your CTA Button, Promote Your Website, Promote Your Local Business, Promote Your Page, or Invite Your Friends. Clicking the “See All Promotions” link will take you to a listing of the promotions that you’ve previously executed on the Page
The Promote Local Business button just above the Page’s newsfeed
Clicking the Promote Local Business button will take you to a wizard which identifies the potential reach you can obtain within a designed radius. In order to promote your local business, you will need to complete the address portion of your About section on the Page. This type of advertisement requires payment.
The Invite friends to like this Page option in the right column
Clicking “Invite friends to like this Page” will show you a list of friends from your Facebook Profile. To invite a friend to Like the Page, simply click the Invite button next to their name. This type of advertisement does not require payment and is currently free for use.
The Promote Website button in the right column
Clicking the Promote Website button will take you to a wizard which allows you to specify your desired audience. Facebook will then promote your website to those individuals most likely to visit your site. In order to promote your website, you will need to complete the web address portion of your About section on the Page. This type of advertisement requires payment.
Boost Post button at the bottom of a post
Clicking the Boost Post button will take you to a wizard which allows you specify the audience, budget, and duration for boosting that particular post. Boosting a post allows you to increase the reach of your post so that it is seen by more people. This type of advertisement requires payment.
Determining the type of promotion to use is dependent upon your objective. If you’d like to increase the numbers of likes to your Page, inviting friends or promoting your Page are good options. However, if you’d like to increase traffic to your website, then using the Promote Website button would be a great option.
Facebook comes with a very robust Advertising system which is accessible through the Ads Manager. Creating Ads through the Ads Manager, available at https://www.facebook.com/ads/manager/, provides you with additional options that let you create ads to meet just about any advertising objective.
Regardless of whether you decide to take advantage of Facebook’s unpaid or paid options, you can start seeing results if you have a consistent presence, are clear on what your goal is, and are clear on who your ideal client is. The addition of an advertising budget will only amplify your advertising efforts. If you’re not willing to have these things in place, then it’s going to take longer to realize any type of results.
Originally published at claudiasheridan.com on October 12, 2016.