Facebook Advertising Do's and Don'ts for New Businesses
- E-Commerce
- Marketing
- 1 Min
Facebook (despite its share of controversy) is still one of the most cost-effective advertising methods to promote your products and services to date.
There are clear and definite benefits to Facebook advertising. A 2015 report showed that 52% of consumers online were influenced by Facebook in terms of making both online and off-line purchases. This makes it especially attractive to new startups or up-and-coming e-commerce stores, who are searching for ways to expand their reach.
However, there are methods to effectively maximise your ad’s potential. Here’s a list of tips and tricks on how to execute Facebook Advertising the right (and wrong) ways.
Don’t: Target everyone.
Because you’re a new business, you might be tempted to target everyone and everywhere you can. But just getting your name out there through Facebook Advertising is usually not an effective approach, because it doesn’t always mean you’ll get sales.
Remember that Facebook ads are meant for specific kinds of people (your target demographic) and not for everybody who uses Facebook.
Do: Target relevant people in relevant locations.
Very few people enjoy the idea of adverts. Social media users are flooded with new information everyday, so everyone has learned how to filter out unwanted information (there’s a reason why AdBlock exists!).
The only way to infiltrate their ‘filter’ and convince them to take action is by presenting something that is genuinely of value to them. To make sure this happens as often as possible, you need to target relevant people at relevant places at the right times, because the experience of being presented something that doesn’t speak to their personal wants or needs can often be irritating.
For example, if you have an Shopify store that sells beachwear, you’re much more likely to convert people who live or have been in Brighton recently than those who live in Birmingham. You can narrow this down even further. When and where in Brighton will people be checking their Facebook and think that they need some beach sunglasses? Who will be checking?
Don’t: Offer a discount in your Facebook ad and make it difficult for people to find or use it.
One of the most common mistakes businesses make is not making sure there are as few barriers as possible on the customer’s behalf, when you’ve convinced them to make a purchase. If they find out that it’s too difficult to get the discount you offered in your Facebook ad, they might give up and you’ll lose the sale.
If you’re looking to simplify your Shopify store and make the purchasing process easy and intuitive for your customers, we can help. Check out our Shopify design and development services page.
Do: Use their 80:20 method when designing an ad.
If you’re unsure on how to strike a balance between visual and written content, you can choose to use the 80:20 method.
80% of your advert should be high-quality and appealing visuals. Make sure that it grabs the viewer’s attention and that they know whatever you’re trying to sell.
The other 20% can be written content, to support the visuals and hook the reader to your offer.
Do: Write clear and concise copy that’s easy to understand.
Most new business owners and entrepreneurs feel the desire to explain their business. They want everybody to know them in order to establish their company among bigger corporations. But Facebook advertising isn’t suited for over-explaining.
Be confident in what your new business has to offer and what value it can bring to your target customer. Keep that in your head, then try to write it in one sentence. That’s a good starting point to very strong Facebook copy.
Further Reading
