Social media marketing took a while to gain some traction in the marketing arena. Sure, the channels were a great way to engage existing customers, as well as an exceptional tool for retention and customer service, right from the start. However, investments into social media marketing were largely viewed as a risk, as returns were as elusive as they were rare.
This is no longer the case, at least not with Facebook. Twitter and other platforms have lagged behind on their marketing capabilities, but Facebook has become one of the more important players in the digital advertising arena. Here are a few stats to keep in mind:
- As of April 27, VentureBeat reported Facebook reached the 1.65 billion active monthly user mark.
- Importantly for businesses, 54 percent of that sum use Facebook through only their mobile devices.
- Facebook counts 3 million businesses actively marketing through its site currently.
It should be clear that a failure to embrace Facebook marketing is a missed opportunity at best. So let’s take a look at some of the ways in which you can gain the most traction, visibility and presence through specialized techniques for your Facebook campaigns.
“High active user volumes can make targeting difficult.”
Get targeting right
The 1.65 billion users represents a double-edged sword to business leaders. On one hand, there are so many active users for the taking. On the other, the massive volume can make it more difficult to target relevant audiences.
Marketing Land guest columnist Brad O’Brien recently offered a few tips to advertisers who want to ace the targeting test on Facebook, noting they are either brand-new or not widely known yet:
- Custom audiences: O’Brien first pointed to the recently released custom audience features offered to advertisers. Marketers can now target in accordance with names, date of birth, gender, age and locality. He said this specific update can boost the match rate 50-80 percent compared to older targeting capabilities. Business websites can now integrate user behaviors into targeting schemes on Facebook, which is a massive improvement.
- Expanded interests: The columnist noted Facebook has found a way to support targeting efforts after realizing optimal performances were elusive for advertisers in this regard. He suggested using the new expanded interests function, which assures higher conversions at a lower cost. This works thanks to a new algorithm that shows a wealth of promise for audience targeting, as well as advanced matching capabilities through further automated tools.
- Data analytics: O’Brien stated companies will do themselves a major favor by leveraging information contained within their data management platforms when crafting audience targeting strategies. He stated that consistent use of valuable customer data can further propel Facebook’s expanding targeting features.
Use every feature, function and tool that Facebook offers for targeting and audience segmentation purposes, and you will be one step closer to optimizing your brand stature within the platform.
Follow tried-and-true practices
In addition to these advanced capabilities and tactics, make sure you getting the standard practices right within your Facebook advertising efforts. The website suggests the following steps when using Facebook Ads:
- Keep more important posts and ads at the top of the company page and sponsored placement.
- Do not allow an ad to remain stagnant for more than three weeks – change the content and imagery.
- Have a clear and concise call to action in every ad.
- When looking to promote a major event or discount, use the Facebook Offers feature to target local audiences.
Facebook’s value in the marketer’s toolbox is growing – are you ready to capitalize?
