How Worthwhile is Facebook Advertising?
Is advertising on Facebook less effective than using Google advertising, or is it just a great way of playing the long game, building brand awareness and accessing a tailor made targeted audience?
Many reports have suggested that Facebook advertising is significantly less worthwhile in comparison to search engine PPC such as that offered by Google. However, some major international companies have reported significant Return On Investment (ROI) having used Facebook advertising campaigns.
There are many different variables to take into account when discussing the ROI of Facebook advertising, many more than you'd get with Google advertising for example. With Facebook advertising, the impetus doesn't necessarily mean that traffic must be steered to the site where transactions will take place, the aim may be to get more people visiting the brand's Facebook page to try and increase the number of 'likes', or by advertising a competition being run by that brand that will again, encourage people to hit 'like'.
This strategy may not be the most successful to make a quick ROI, however it can be strongly beneficial by increasing brand awareness via social networks. Getting 'likes' on Facebook offers brands the opportunity to then target potential customers who have shown an interest in some aspect of their business, which makes those people the perfect ones to target with exclusive offers on Facebook.
When running a Facebook advertising campaign, it is very important to remember a few key points:
- Aim – What do you want to achieve from the campaign, increased sales? More 'Likes'? Increase fan base/brand awareness?
- Budget – Set out a reasonable and affordable budget and stick to it.
- Target Consumers – Aim for those who will be most likely to hit 'like' or buy from your company by selecting interests and businesses similar to yours.
- Content – Having short, snappy and eye catching content will be the difference between getting clicks and not.
- Useful Information – Make sure that you use the information that you gain from those who click through in the best possible way, a well constructed Facebook page will ask for permission from users to access their info, which can be used for further campaigns.
Written by Jason John Mills