In social media marketing, Facebook still stands as an unrivaled giant: a staggering 1.9 billion people log in daily. To put that into an advertising perspective, let’s look at one of the most coveted advertising opportunities of the year: the Super Bowl. It’s consistently one of the most-watched television events in the world, and it drew 115 million US viewers last year. Companies were willing to drop down $6.5 million for just one of its 30-second commercial slots.
The average cost per 1,000 impressions on Facebook is approximately $12. A few math equations later and you realize that, to reach a Super Bowl-sized audience on Facebook, it would cost about $1.38 million—a significantly more efficient cost-per! And unlike a 30-second TV slot, you can parse your social advertising to specific audiences, reach them in a variety of ad formats, and retarget those who have already shown an affinity for your brand.
But to truly harness Facebook’s advertising power, it’s vital to steer clear of common pitfalls. Let’s explore seven crucial mistakes to avoid when advertising on Facebook:
1. Lack of Clear Goals
Before embarking on your Facebook advertising journey, establish clear and measurable objectives. Determine the overall purpose of your advertising push, whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, or sales, and work with your marketing team to identify the KPIs that will best illustrate the progress you are making. Clear goals serve as the foundation of your campaign.
2. Failure to Define Target Audiences
While the trend for some campaigns on Facebook has moved towards “broad is better”, it’s still essential to know your ideal audience. Even for broad targeting campaigns, you still need to narrow in on your audience through the creative and ad copy you use. Knowing your audience will dictate your strategy there.
3. Neglecting Testing
Testing is a crucial part of any campaign across any objective to identify patterns and trends of what your audience is responding the best to. Use the data from these tests to drive decision-making on your creative production, areas of investment, and more.
4. Not Being Concise
Attention spans on social media are notoriously brief. Keep your video content under 30 seconds, ideally around 15 seconds. Make your point quickly and in an eye-catching, entertaining manner to keep your audience’s attention.
5. Failing to Optimize for Mobile
More than 80% of social media browsing is done on smartphones, meaning that the mobile experience is integral to Facebook advertising success. Yet many brands neglect to build their ad creative specifically for the small screen. Neglecting mobile users could cost you a substantial portion of your potential audience and diminish your ad placements.
6. Showing Too Many Times to the Same Users
Keep an ad on your frequency, because excessive ad exposure can be counterproductive. If your audience sees your ad more than twice a day, it may negatively impact their perception of your brand. The smaller your audience is the easier it is to overdo it on your frequency. The general rule of thumb is to keep your ad frequency to around 15 within a 7-day period, but always rely on data to guide your decisions.
7. Unoptimized Landing Pages
A successful ad campaign doesn’t end with the ad itself. Where you direct traffic from your ads plays a significant role in your campaign’s performance, especially for conversion-focused campaigns. Evaluate the entire user experience, from ad to landing page, when measuring the success of your conversion funnel.
Facebook advertising can still be a game-changer for businesses, but only if done correctly. The potential to reach a massive audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising is a compelling proposition. However, it’s vital to avoid these common mistakes and embrace best practices to create more successful and impactful ad campaigns. Remember, Facebook advertising is dynamic, so staying updated with the latest features and trends is essential to keep your campaigns fresh and effective.
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