Ads are everywhere, and Facebook is no exception. Marketing your business through paid Facebook ads can be a worthy investment–as long as you know what you’re doing. It’s also possible to have a successful business while never paying Facebook a dime.
So how do you know if Facebook ads are the right move for your business? Read on to hear about some of the pros and cons to paying to advertise on Facebook.
Pro: Hit your target audience
Gone are the days of only billboards and newspaper ads, when you just had to hope that the right person would stumble across an ad for your business. Now, you can use Facebook ads (and other ad services) to specifically target potential and current customers. Facebook ads are specifically set up with audiences in mind, and you can set the demographics of your ad audience to be the exact demographics of your business’ target audience.
For example, if your business typically serves people between the ages of 25-50, who are residents of a specific area and have an interest in sewing and needlework, you can set your Facebook ad audience to match those qualifications. That way, you won’t waste money by having your Facebook ad shown to people from another state or those who have no interest in crafting. Depending on what you’re trying to advertise, you can also set your ad audience to be more specific, or more broad.
Con: Expertise is key
You usually can’t run a super successful Facebook ad unless you know what you’re doing. Because of Facebook’s process for targeting specific people with your ad, you will need to set up an audience for your ad, as well as answer several marketing and budget questions for Facebook so that it can accurately manage your ad. All of this can mean that if you have no experience with Facebook ads, it can be very difficult to set up and run an ad that will actually help you see revenue.
But all isn’t lost–there are plenty of courses and articles about Facebook ads out there for you to access, so consider doing your research before diving into an ad.
Pro: Ads offer room for creativity
A Facebook ad offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to the media that you’re putting out there. You can advertise with text, images, videos, or a combination of all three! You can also make an ad that links to your business’ website or event page for more information. Basically, whatever type of media you want to use to advertise your business, Facebook can help you get it out there.
Con: Ads can get expensive
Generally, the more money you invest in an ad, the more successful it will be. While you can set an ad budget of just a few dollars per day, Facebook ads will generally be seen by more people if you pay more money.
Consider what your business’ advertising budget is, and plan wisely when it comes to Facebook ads. If online advertising is the most easy and lucrative method for your business, then it might make sense to pay more for Facebook ads. But if your budget is spread across several advertising methods, or you’re just starting out, you might want to consider if Facebook advertising is worth it. You can also experiment with a small budget to start–try running a few inexpensive ads before you invest in a higher budget ad.
Pro: Facebook ads can work within your time frame
Ideally, you would be running ads consistently on Facebook, to keep your business image up and maintain your business’ presence in customers’ minds. However, if you have one specific event that you’d like to market or a new product that you’d like to promote, you can run Facebook ads on a schedule that works for you, for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at a time.
One thing to keep in mind: Facebook needs to approve ads before they go live, which can take up to a day or so. If you’re trying to get an ad out there within a short time frame, you might find that this delay affects the success of your ad negatively, so consider this before publishing your ad.
Have you tried running a Facebook ad for your business before? Let us know your thoughts on the process in the comments!
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