There is a lot of debate around the effectiveness of Facebook advertising. Is it worth it? What is the ROI? Will it convert leads into sales? First of all, if you are selling a product or service, you must advertise. There’s no way around it. Whether it’s through magazine ads, Google AdWords or word-of-mouth, you need to let your target audience know what you are offering and why they should buy it from you. Since we’ve established that advertising is a must, let’s now look a little bit into why Facebook is a good place to allocate some of your marketing budget.
5 Reasons to Advertise on Facebook
1. Reach: With an estimated 1 billion users, and growing every day, Facebook is the place to be. If you are in business, this means that you have customers. If you have customers, they are more than likely using Facebook. The same is true of your customers-to-be.
2. Targeting: Your product isn’t for everyone. You need to advertise to the people who are most likely to buy what you’re selling. Facebook allows you to aim your ads at your target demographic. You can then filter by age, location and interest. If created properly, your ads won’t fall on blind eyes. And if they do, Facebook’s ads manager makes them easy to tweak, so you can re-position to a more appropriate target.
3. Endorsements: Often, there is nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth recommendations. How likely are you to purchase a product that has been recommended by a friend? Facebook’s Sponsored Stories make it easy to create organic recommendations. When a fan Likes or comments on your ad, their friends will see it, thereby extending your reach, to people with similar purchasing habits.
4. Efficiency: Did I mention that Facebook advertising is easy? It’s true that there can be a learning curve, but compared with more traditional forms of advertising (like newspaper and online banner ads), Facebook ads are easy to set up and adjust. If something isn’t working, you don’t need to wait. You just log in and fix it.
5. Affordability: Facebook advertising can be surprisingly inexpensive, especially when compared with traditional advertising. (Do you know how much TV spots cost?) You can promote posts to highlight your marketing message for as little as $20 or $30, and the productions costs are zero. This is perfect for any size organization that cares about their bottom line.
Related Information
Your advertising strategy depends on your position and goals. Pair Facebook ads with other advertising ingredients for the ultimate campaign.
