Facebook has developed and evolved over the years. It’s not just a great place to engage with your customers and build your brand, but also somewhere that you can advertise and reach a vast number of people.

For many small businesses money, simply doesn’t grow on trees, but Facebook is a great way to get your message out there on a limited budget. It also has amazing targeting options that you just don’t get on Twitter or LinkedIn. For instance, you can target people that have a child between 3-6 years!

So, in this blog I’m going to take a look at everything that you need to know about creating Facebook ads.

Pick your image

Whilst the text is likely to be what converts views into clicks, it is the image that is going to draw attention in the first place. Make sure that you pick the right image, and use this to base your ad around. If you get it right, then you won’t have to use any of your space explaining the image.

I would recommend purchasing an image rather than going for a bog standard free stock one. You want to make an impact and an image can act as a visual shortcut to your post. Take a look at Shutterstock or Adobe Stock for some inspiration, they have some lovely images.

Remember the limitations

Facebook ads offer a limited character space. You get 25 characters for the headline, and then 90 for body of text. This means that you need to always know how much space you have for your ad. Your copy counts, keep it short, sweet and to the point. You have no words to waste.

Point out the value

Customers need to know that there is something beneficial for them in what you offer. So, make sure that you point out the amazing value in your service or product. By highlighting this benefit, you are much more like to reel them in! Maybe highlight your key audiences pain points and how you help to solve them.

Always have your target audience in mind

There is no point taking the time to write content that isn’t going to resonate with your audience. This means that you should always have them in mind and tailor your text to meet their needs. I know it’s simple advice but sometimes even I forget about this, I go off writing what I want to say and then forget what the audience actually wants to hear.

Test your Facebook ads out

A few simple word changes could have a big impact on how well your ad does, so make sure that you have a few variations of the text and headline that you have created, and then see which one performs best! Don’t put all your budget in one pot, testing will help you understand what is working and then allows you to plough your budget in to the best performing ad.

They may be an added cost, but when it comes to marketing and getting sales, Facebook ads really could be a great way to invest your marketing budget. One of my clients spent £25 a week/ 5 a day on their ads for a month. Each month they were getting around 100 new visitors to their website and had some purchasing their courses. They also found that more people started to like and follow their page – it might not have been the right time to purchase for their clients but they were interested in following their page.

They can have a real impact, and make the most of the wide network and reach that this important social media platform has!

If you would like to know more about social media take a look at my post on 5 steps to a fighting fit social media presence.