Unleash Marketing | Medical & Dental Practice Marketing Experts
U N L E A S H

Facebook Advertising (Why to Use and How to Best Utilize It)

Traditional advertising is beginning to fall by the wayside as digital advertising is taking over. There are so many social media sites that it may be hard to decide which platform is best suited for your digital advertising campaign. When it comes to amount of users, reach potential, and time spent on the site, Facebook looks promising as the social media site to focus advertising efforts. With over 2 million advertisers, Facebook generates more advertising revenue than any similar social media site, so while it is a smart move to advertise on it, there is a lot of competition. It is important to know how to best create and utilize advertising to beat the competition and turn your audience into customers.

Why Use Facebook for Advertising?

  • Large Reach - As of 1st Quarter of 2018, there were 2.19 billion active Facebook users worldwide with 214 million active users in the U.S.
  • Users Spend Money - Facebook users have proven to be spenders. During 2nd Quarter of 2014 there was $234 million worth of gifts and virtual goods bought by Facebook users.
  • Increased Ad Clicks - Ads with quality content are catching the attention of users and causing them to click on the ad. As of 2014 Ad clicks were increasing 70% year over year with ad click-through rates increasing 160%.

How To Best Use Facebook Advertising

Be Mobile Friendly - With over 700 million users a day on Facebook using a mobile application, as of 2015, it is important that not only your ad, but also your website from your links are mobile friendly.

Communicate With Users - Companies that maintain open communication with their audience receive 3.5 times more user interaction compared to companies that do not interact with fans. Users want their questions to be responded to and in a timely manner, at least 65% of the time. They also want a response to any complaint, 1 out of 4 users expect that response time to be within an hour.

Keep Posts Short - Users need a quick read to maintain their attention, if it is long, users will move along. Limiting posts to no more than 250 characters has proven to generate more user engagement than longer posts, 60% more.

Use An Image - Short posts may create more engagement, but using a photo creates even more user interaction. Posts that contain photos receive 53% more likes and 104% more comments than posts that do not have photos. Posts that contain an image also have 84% more click-throughs than text only posts, meaning more people end up at your website if you include a photo.

Use Emoticons - It may be wise to throw some emoticons into your posts. Posts with emoticons have shown to get more "Likes," 57% more, than posts without. Users are 33% more likely to share a post that contains an emoticon and 33% more likely to comment as of 2013.

Create a Contest - Users are more likely to Like a page, and Like and share a post, if a contest is involved. 35% of users that Like a page do so with the purpose of competing in a contest. So create a contest and ask users to 'Like and Share.' Keep that audience by continuing to post captivating content.

Customize Your Audience - If you want a lower cost-per-click and cost-per-conversion, target your ad by a custom audience. As of 2013, when ads were targeted by custom audience the cost-per-click was 14% lower and cost-per-conversion was 64% lower than ads targeted by interest or category.

Post on Fridays - There's something about the end of the work week that causes Facebook users to be more active. Whether on the hunt for weekend plans and purchases, or simply over the work week and using social media as an escape, it has been found users engage with posts more often on Fridays so make sure that is a day you post.

Time Your Post - The day of the week is not the only important timing aspect of an ad, time of day is important as well. The first 5 hours after a post is made public receives 75% of the total engagement of a post. This means you need to keep the time zone of your target auience in mind, as well as what time of day they are most likely to be looking at Facebook. This way you can capture your target audience's attention within 5 hours of you posting your ad.

Ask a Question - People do not always feel the need to respond or comment if they are not solicited to do so, that is why asking a question is the best way to get your fans to interact. If you are going to include a question within your post, ask it at the end of your post, rather than in the beginning or middle, as it yields a 100% increase in comments in doing so.

Provide Regular Updates - A lot of users Like a page because they want to be in the loop of what is going on with that company. It is said that 41% of users Like a page so that they receive updates when new posts are added. In order to keep your fans happy make sure to regularly provide updates and posts.

Facebook users are not shy about spending money on virtual goods and gifts, and with the large amount of people using Facebook it is a smart decision for advertising. But when advertising on Facebook make sure to keep in mind your target audience. When you keep your target audience in mind you can play into the type of posts they are most likely to interact with as well as when their engagement is at its peak. This way you are more likely to captivate your audience, maintain their attention and receive the click your ad is pushing for.

How To Get More 5 Star Reviews On Google

Are You Paying a Monthly Fee For Your Website?