The Facebook Marketer (pt.2)

Nov 20, 2016
3 min read

Advertising on Facebook

Tell Me! Do you find this short (20 seconds) video clip 'eye catching"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37GF17szXN0

What was it that caught your eye?

The crazy arrows flying about? The flashing lights? What, just from this very simple clip with very few elements, was the thing that is now in your mind? Could it, per chance, be "Facebook? Did you notice the word Facebook changed colour three times?

Most people don't consciously register all the colour changes but 9 out of ten people will say "Facebook" not "Arrows" - even if the changing word is something less familiar like your business name, the subtle changes make it stick sub-consciously in the viewers mind. With video ads this is one a many little 'tricks' that convert a viewer to a lead. It's the same with images (briefly discussed in our previous post).

So lets have a look at some Tips for advertising on the biggest platform in the world.

Facebook VS, Google

Google, as we all know is absolutely HUGE but it relies on 'demand fulfillment' that is, people search for what they want and Google finds it for them, whereas Facebook uses 'demand generation' where people 'discover' things whilst going about their normal browsing - a little like the 'impulse' sale items (candy, batteries etc. found just near the checkouts at supermarkets) that people see and think "Oooh I want one of those". This form of advertising doesn't rely on people having a specific need at a certain time, rather it introduces people to new ideas, products or concepts. this makes Facebook a very effective advertising platform IF you can make YOUR adverts stand out from the crowd.

Here is an example of why 'demand generation' is super effective. By utilising the array of 'targeting' tools at your disposal with Facebook, not only does your ad appear in front of -potentially - thousands and thousands of people but it is bound to be seen by people for whom the thought of buying a razor (in this instance) is just a sleeping thing in their subconscious waiting to be 'woken up' and your ad popping into view can be the catalyst to do just that. As AdEspresso comments - "THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY" As long as you have created an eye catching and engaging ad then you are ahead of the game already. To be effective your ad needs to address certain points and contain certain elements in order for it to make somebody stop and take notice:

The Image: BIGGER IS BETTER. You want your image to appear as large as possible so don't wimp out on the size. A tiny square image on the left hand side of a post often gets scrolled past because it's message is simply missed. I create AdImages (a phrase coined by my company) for many people and design them to appear at 'full size' when posted to maximise the chance of "scroll braking".
Create a number of ad designs with a common 'persona' and theme so that people start to recognise your brand or product. Perhaps a character that appears in all your ads or similar and highlight specific VALUE propositions (or benefits) i.e. "This will save you time and money".
Stats often make a convincing reason to click your ad i.e. "43% of dog owners said they always do this" etc.
Try to match elements of your ad with the Landing Page that it leads to for a professional continuity and feel.
Try to include RATIONAL and EMOTIONAL elements in your ad, for instance if you are advertising a hotel you might have an emotional image showing a lovely couple having sunset drinks by you amazing pool. The rational element might be "95% of our Trip Advisor reviews are 5 stars - click to find out why"

Well I think that is quite enough to take in for now. I will continue to talk about Facebook Advertising in my next "The Facebook Marketer". Until then have a great day and I wish you much success.