Anyone who saw the 2010 movie The Social Network knows that the Like function on Facebook was a revolutionary way to engage friends and colleagues. That one ability to get people to interact with a post (without really saying anything), was a true tipping point in the early days of the social media revolution. Today the Like function has evolved as more emoji’s are now available.
Today Facebook has become not just a fun social tool but an incredibly strategic business tool as millions of businesses try to generate Likes and comments from their customer base. One way to ensure that people are looking at your Facebook business page (as well as website, app or more) is to advertise on Facebook. In addition to social media management, our team will also manage clients’ ads on Facebook to maximize the reach of every post or promotion.
There are many benefits to advertising on the social network, including generating more likes and comments from customers. We wanted to share 13 of the best ways to engage your target audience and increase customer interaction with a Facebook ad:
- Local Awareness – If your business targets a certain neighborhood or business, you can ensure your Facebook ad is being seen in the area that you set. Once you tell Facebook your business address, the Facebook ad will then be targeted to those in your selected region.
- Website engagement – When you have an ad on Facebook you can use your website as the call-to-action platform and increase the chance that more people will visit your site. If you have an online store for instance, you can send your customers directly to the product pages and try to convert “interest” into “purchase.”
- Website tracking – Facebook allows you to track how many people visited your site via the Facebook ad.
- Website Conversions – It’s one thing to know the number of users that visited your website via the Facebook ad – but it’s even more helpful to understand WHO is coming and WHAT they are actually responding to. Facebook offers this valuable data which help you to improve and target your ads based on these analytics.
- App Install – Have an app you want people to download? Facebook ads allow you to link your ad to the app so customers can go directly to the Playstore page and try it and rate it.
- App Engagement – A Facebook ad will help you promote various aspects of your app as you develop it and a Facebook ad allows you to take customers to the precise page of the app you want your users to see so they can register and interact with the app.
- Event Responses – Create special events (in both the virtual and real worlds) with a Facebook ad. This tool allows you to invite your customers to respond and Facebook will send reminders to maximize and track attendance at your event.
- Offer Claims – Target your audience with special discounts and offers with a Facebook ad. Every business needs to take it to the next level – and one way to do that is to entice customers with offers, rewards, points and other claims to make sure your users are coming back.
- Video Views – Did you know you can have a video ad on Facebook? Video is a powerful format to convey your business or brand story. The ad can play on the News Feeds, desktop and mobile devices of your customers.
- Slideshows – Don’t want do a whole video? You can opt for a slide show (which is great if you want to showcase many new products or services). Facebook says these slideshows are “lightweight” videos that can bring your brand to life without the restrictions of a full video.
- Facebook Carousel Ads – You may think you need to create multiple ads on Facebook if you have more than one product or offer – but Facebook will help you with their “carousel ads.” This is a flexible format that allows you to show multiple products in a single ad “as well as lower your cost per click” according to Facebook.
- Dynamic Ads: Facebook helps you design your ads so that you are showcasing the products that are the most relevant to your customer base. By adding a Facebook pixel or SDK to your catalog – you can learn which products are getting the most interest and promote those products to people “who’ve browsed your website or mobile app across Facebook, Instagram and the Audience Network” according to Facebook.
- Lead Ads – Many times businesses want to follow-up with customers who show interest in a product or service. Facebook lead ads allow business to insert contact forms in the ad so that in a few clicks, a potential customer can fill out their information. This service is great for businesses that want to send newsletters, white papers and more to their potential customers.