Why Use Facebook Ads? The Real Answer...
Facebook ads are more expensive and more competitive than ever, while the company itself is getting in hot water. Why even bother? I'll tell you.
Thanks for even more subscribers! Each sub is like a little whiff of adrenaline that motivates me to write more.
I don’t think that ever ends. It’s part of the reason I like my job.
The feeling of seeing one more sale… it never gets old!
Anyway. Back to the title!
So… you may have been hearing about Facebook in the news past few months.
They’re getting in trouble for improper use of user data and are being accused of spying on you through your phone and browser.
Why even bother? Everywhere you look you hear another advertiser complaining about rising CPMs due to the measures FB is taking to stave off controversy. These measures include reducing ad inventory, lowering targeting options, and becoming even more strict about what you can advertise.
Here’s why you should bother.
Facebook is one of the few platforms where you can advertise to people who WANT to be advertised to.
Like I said before: they’re bored! They’re scrolling, waiting for something to read, watch, or comment on that catches their eye.
In a sea of baby pictures, memes, and political content, people are happy to be introduced to content that entertains or informs them!
That also means you have to compete against those baby pictures, memes, and political content.
So, why not use Google? Or Amazon? Or Instagram? Or display networks?
The question is not ‘why not use’. The question is ‘why use’. A good business utilizes all the advertising and sales channels that make sense for the business! My company sells through all of the above!
(Also, Facebook and Instagram are advertised through the same platform, so you don’t have to choose one or the other if you don’t want to)
The purchase consideration cycle on Facebook primarily consists of someone logging on and seeing something that interests them. They learn more, and then they take some action forward. They then keep looking for information until they have either made a decision (yes or no), or until they’ve been interrupted by something else, putting that process on the back burner.
And, because the majority of users of Facebook at any given time are regular Facebook users, you can restart the process by sending them another ad, based on where they are in the purchase consideration cycle. (It also doesnt have to be a Facebook ad!)
People on Facebook want to learn, want to be entertained, want to engage, and many of them want to be sold on things. But they will never do that with your business if you’re not interesting. They will never know if you’re interesting if you don’t catch their attention.
I know you’ve heard of AIDA. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. This doesn’t change on Facebook!
So, here’s the facts.
A good ad:
Gets the person’s attention.
Piques interest in the subject matter.
Ignites desire to learn more about the subject matter.
Gets the person to take the action (a click, a video watch)
Good content:
Keeps the person’s attention the way through.
Is inherently interesting to the person reading it.
Ignites desire to learn more… not about the subject matter, but about YOU.
Gets the person to take the next action (read about your offer, maybe a signup, a purchase even!)
A good offer:
Directs attention to the person’s pain points.
Gets them interested in solving those pains.
Ignites desire for the result of solving those pains.
Inspires the action that is necessary to take those pains away.
It turns out that, for most marketers, doing those things is actually very, very hard.
It requires market insight. It requires intriguing content that doesn’t put people off. It requires a good offer (yes… seriously!) It requires you to make the purchase process as user-friendly as possible. (Most importantly, it requires your business to be able to afford the cost of customer acquisition!)
This is a lot of work. Most Facebook marketers actually suck so bad at this, even people who run agencies and call themselves experts.
That’s okay, though. It IS hard. But you can get better.
How? By DOING it.
Put up an ad. Create some content that gets people interested in your product. Send those people to your website, and make your offer shine.
If you’re not profitable, guess what?
It’s not the end of the world.
It doesn’t mean that your business can’t work on Facebook.
It just means that there’s more work to be done. And as a full-time Facebook marketer slash consultant, there’s ALWAYS more work to be done.
Till next time,
JT