Today, it is estimated that 6 million companies are using Facebook Ads, compared to "only" 3 million two years ago (Forbes figures).
Yet a majority of start-up founders and business leaders say Facebook ads don't work for them, even though it's a significant expense in their marketing budget. How to explain such a feeling of failure when the investments are there?
Because advertising on Facebook seems very simple at first glance, it has several pitfalls and an assortment of options that require an investment of time and effort to learn, understand, and develop strategies. Methodical. Here are some tips to help you become more efficient.
Be as specific as possible in targeting.
Although the target audience is essential, significantly since Facebook changed its algorithm in early 2018 to focus on posts close friends rather than brands, the place left for organic content on business pages and therefore for advertising has drastically diminished, and what used to work with broad targeting no longer works today. Consequently, it is a question of being rigorous and realistic when you define your audience, especially since Facebook has the advantage when you know how to use it to give you special access to your target audience.
This target audience can be broken down into two categories: the "hot" audience, who already know you, and the "cold" audience, who have never heard of you. An advertising campaign tends to generate more engagement from a "hot" audience, already familiar with your offer and messages.
Targeting this "hot" audience is called "retargeting
": in other words, advertising to people who have already expressed an interest in your offer. Thanks to its tools, Facebook allows you to reach:
contacts from a customer file via their email (be careful with the GDPR rules );
visitors to your website, thanks to a tracking pixel. Knowing that 90% of your website visitors never return and that 7 out of 10 people abandon a cart before finalizing a purchase, it may be appropriate to remind them! ;
your followers on Facebook. The algorithm hides the majority of your posts from your fans. Also, targeting these people who are already intensely interested in your activity is a smart strategy.
Again, it's up to you to optimize: start by targeting fans of a Facebook page with an offer similar to yours. You can also use the "similar audience" tool for campaign targeting: Facebook will target people with similar socio-demographic data to your page's fans.
2 / Choose content that works
The Facebook algorithm values content that generates interactions and no content engages users more than video. When they "scroll" along with their news feed, the videos are automatically triggered, creating animation and capturing the user's attention. It is, therefore, more likely to stop on your post if it contains animated content. But be careful, also adapt to the way they consume the video to be as efficient as possible:
· 85% of Facebook users watch videos without sound.
· Subtitled videos have a 12% longer viewing time (source: Facebook).
Then make sure that your video's critical message is understandable without sound, but also that your subtitles are visible, well-calibrated, and apparent!
Facebook Live (the equivalent of live stories on Instagram), first used by celebrities and influencers, is very successful. It is, therefore, also an excellent way to get closer to your community. According to Facebook:
· 20% of videos on Facebook are Lives.
· Lives generate ten times more comments than other videos.
Finally, the annual digital report published by We Are Social and Hootsuite is unequivocal: video is far ahead of other content in terms of engagement!
Define the objective of your campaign
Facebook offers you a choice of 10 campaign objectives, sorted into three categories: awareness, consideration, conversion. This selection is problematic because you don't always know which lens is most appropriate for your post.
Familiarize yourself with each type of lens before choosing the one that suits you best!
Analyze your results
Tracking is critical to a campaign's success, and it's easy to use with Facebook's automation tools. The Business Manager tool, in particular, allows you to see at a glance which of your posts have worked best and to be able to conclude. Look at the comments of those affected, but also the conversion rate linked to your campaign. Do not hesitate to test various targeting and types of posts in an iterative "test & learn" process. This is the best way to go towards a winning strategy.