Facebook has not only become a pioneer in the world of social media, but it has also changed the way businesses advertise their goods and services. In fact, businesses are not only setting up a website so as to be visible online, but they are also setting up a Facebook page. This enables them to keep in touch with people on Facebook, and also promote themselves to more and more prospective customers. To top this up, many businesses also invest in Facebook adverts. Many businesses have changed their investments in traditional media channels and started to use Facebook for their advertising campaigns.
Facebook is great not only to get a better following around a brand, but also to create a platform where customers can discuss the products or services you are providing. People can spread the word more easily, because they can like and share your posts. Obviously, when you post something, or when a customers has a negative experience with your product or service, you can expect to have him/her comment negatively. That is possibly one of the drawbacks of so much interaction thanks to Facebook. But it is also a great way to keep you aware of what your customers are thinking and saying, and it will also automatically make you more on the alert to supply better products and higher quality services to avoid such problems.
Many businesses are creating a Facebook business strategy nowadays, as they are well aware how effective this social media platform is, and what opportunities it can offer. The goal can either be to make ads so as to drive traffic to your firm's website, or to drive traffic to your Facebook page, or else a mixture of both. Often the latter option is the best as it is still important to have a website, no matter how big a following your Facebook page has.
When deciding what you want to do you can then start to shape up your advertising campaign. There are various methods you can opt for. Traditional external-website ads are still effective. With these you will have people click on the ads, and then they are directed to your website, where they will possibly buy something, or sign up for emails or newsletters.
Then there is the option of attracting likes. In such a case, you would be directing visitors to your fan page, and once they like the page they will be allowed to see the offer you are proposing. Afterwards, they will be directed to your website so as to make the purchase. This is a very commonly used method as it attracts more likes and helps generate sales at the same time.
It is a common misconception that Facebook should be used merely to create a fan base, and not to generate sales per se. Facebook is undeniably a great tool to raise brand awareness, but it can go way beyond that. It is better to view Facebook as an extension to your website and as an integral part of a broader marketing campaign.
In order to generate more e-commerce sales you should seriously consider Facebook ads. The gain that most companies experienced thanks to Facebook ads was staggering in most cases. For your ads to achieve a good ROI, here are some tips you can put into practice.
First of all, try to identify buyer's needs and expectations so as to personalize the ads accordingly. Avoid Facebook ads that are too generic. With buyer personas you will be better able to create focused campaigns, which will generate better results.
Facebook ads are often paid according to the clicks they generate. So you need to make sure that those clicks are not just curiosity clicks. To do so you should try to prequalify your leads. This can be done by mentioning the price for a product immediately in the ad, or stating for whom such a product or service is most suitable. Shipping destinations or conditions of purchase should also be stated.
Many businesses offer incentives for people to click on their ads. This is a good idea to grab people's attention, but make sure that if you are going to use urgency as an instigating factor, you do not end up getting too many clicks which ultimately do not transfer into sales. Other than that, a feeling or urgency works well for ads, especially on Facebook where you want to stand out as much as possible. To create such a feeling you can mention that there is a set period of time for the offer to expire, or limited stock. Try to include trigger words which will make customers respond better. Words such as 'free', 'new', and 'cheap' are examples of trigger words.
Besides the content you are going to include in the advert, you should place a lot of importance on the image. This is probably the first thing a person will notice. So you need to make sure that the images are carefully chosen and improved so as to have a good impact on buyers. Clear images are of essence. The use of emoticons is quite common as many people like them and relate to them. Avoid cluttered images and try to have the product you are aiming to sell as the main focus of the image.
By making use of the AIDA model, you should be able to get a good ROI on your Facebook ads. AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire and action. So, simply put, you need to invent a headline that really manages to grab your audience's attention. Then you should move on to describe the benefits of the product or service, so as to spark an interest in it. Then, viewers will have a desire to click and possibly finalize the purchase. That is why an ad should have a call to action at the end.
Basing your Facebook ads on this model, while gaining inspiration from the thousands of ads posted daily on Facebook, you should really manage to see great results quickly. Many online retailers confirm the effectiveness of Facebook ads, and it is a pity if you have never tried them out yourself. Don't waste any more time as they truly work, and they work well.