Let’s face it (no pun intended) everyone is talking about Facebook Ads, they’ve become an indispensable tool for Coaches, Course Creators, pretty much all types of businesses and entrepreneurs that are looking to reach their ideal client or customer effectively. However, diving into Facebook Ads without adequate preparation can lead to wasted money, missed opportunities, and one big headache.
So, how do you know when you’re ready to take the plunge and start running Facebook Ads? I mean really ready….here’s what to look at and ensure you have or can put in place before you jump in:
1. Clear Business Objectives: Before launching any ad campaign,this is a crucial step. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with Facebook Ads: Increasing your brand awareness? Driving people to your website? Generating leads/building your email list? Getting booked calls? Or are you looking to get sales? This will determine the type of campaign you run. However, I need to make a special addition here….
1A. If you are looking to run Facebook Ads to obtain sales (coaching service, package, product, etc) is your offer validated? What do I mean by this? Simply, have you sold what you are looking to sell to ANYONE else? If you haven’t, STOP, don’t run ads, go sell it. Send the offer to your email list, post it on your social media accounts, but sell it to someone (preferably a few people) before putting ad money behind it. Why? If someone will buy it, it tells you it’s a good offer, proves it will sell, then move forward with trying ads.
2. Defined Audience: You should have a good understanding of who your ideal customers are: demographics, interests, behaviors, etc. We call this your Avatar, what do they read, listen to, who do they follow, what are their hobbies, age? All of this comes into play when setting up any campaign, you must have targeting to reach the right people with your ads. If you’re unsure about your target audience, take the time to research and define your ideal avatar.
3. High Quality Content and Landing Pages (also known as a Funnel): Facebook Ads are only as effective as the content they lead to. What does this mean, simply, the ads job is to entice people, grab their attention, and get them to click that ad and go to wherever you are sending them, not to guarantee they take the action. Make sure you have eye-catching, and what we call ‘stop the scroll’ ad creatives, along with thought-provoking, clear copy that speaks to your ideal client/customer, and don’t forget a clear call-to-action (CTA) what you want them to do: Sign up Now, Buy Now, etc. You also want your landing page(s) or where you are sending them from the ad to mirror your ad copy, to have some of the same messaging, but expand on it, this will help provide a seamless experience from ad click to desired action (like a purchase or sign-up).
4. Budget and Resources: We all know Facebook Ads aren’t free, they do require a budget, even if it’s a small budget, that’s ok. I can’t stress enough how important it is that YOU determine how much you can realistically spend on ads, determine what’s right for you, no what ‘everyone else is doing’. Remember in the first main 7- 30 days of running ads there is a lot of testing and optimizing of your campaigns, which means results may not come as quick or at the cost you want right out of the gate, be prepared for this. Also, take into account that you set aside time to manage and work your ads, these aren’t just a ‘set it and forget it’ type of thing, you need to truly monitor and manage your ads.
5. Tracking and Reporting: You will want to make sure you have a pixel set up and installed on not only your website but any funnels you may have as well, this a little snippet of code assigned to you by Facebook that allows you to track people and actions they take. This is key to knowing the success of your Facebook campaigns. Facebook’s own Ads Manager has come a long way, and provides more accurate reporting than it had in the past, you will want to spend some time in your Ads Manager, get to learn how to read the results and what to watch for to ensure success.
6. Be Willing to Learn: Facebook Ads require a degree of learning and experimenting. Trust me, no course, no video can teach you everything, a lot of learning comes from doing it, working in the ads, and testing different things. Be willing to test different creatives in your ads, different headlines, copy, different audiences. Approach Facebook Ads with a willingness to learn from both success and failures, and remember just because something may not work, doesn’t mean it will never work, take your time, and try.
7. Compliance with Facebook Policies: Once you have an Ad Account there is a wealth of help articles from Facebook, they are quite lengthy, but you may want to skim through them to learn what Facebook allows and does not, especially based on your niche. For example, if you are a health & wellness coach, using images in your ad that show a ‘before & after’ image are not allowed, yes, you can post images like this on your Facebook Page, but they are not allowed to be used in paid ads.
8. Additional: You will also need a Facebook Business Page, if you don’t already have one, you can’t run ads from a personal Facebook Page, so if you don’t have one, get it set up. You will also need a Facebook Business Manager Account (Meta Business Suite) this is an all in one where you can manage your ads, Pages, and ad accounts. It provides access to tools and features like Ads Manager, Audience Insights, and reporting. This is also where you will set up an ad account including adding billing information, etc if you do not have one.
This may seem like a lot, or a little intimidating, but remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and none of us woke up one morning and knew everything about running Facebook Ads.
Facebook Ads can be a powerful way to grow your business, but remember, success requires careful planning, preparation, and ongoing testing, optimizing and learning. By having the few things listed above set up and ready, you are on the right path to get started.
Are you ready to harness the power of Facebook Ads for your business? With the right strategy and preparation, you can reach new audiences, drive engagement, and achieve your business goals effectively. Take the time to plan your approach, monitor your results, and adapt accordingly—your success with Facebook Ads awaits!
Kristina Pierce, CEO Pierce Media
www.kpiercemedia.com
www.mymarketingmafia.com
www.facebook.com/kpiercemedia
www.instagram.com/piercemedia
Kristina Pierce has over 25 years of Marketing experience, she started out in the late 90’s buying radio, tv and even newspaper ads! Fast forward many years to the last 8, in which she’s managed over 8 million dollars in ad spend, developing digital strategies, and more! For the past 5 years, she has driven her own ship, as the CEO of Pierce Media. Kristina is a passionate thinker who works closely with brands to create strategies that produce unparalleled results. Once referred to as the “Ads Assassin” her love of digital strategy, creation, and optimization make her a force to reckon with. Often you’ll hear her say “will give marketing advice for wine”.