Introduction
Is your business struggling to gain traction online? Feeling overwhelmed by the lack of organic traffic?
Running a business in 2024 means that fighting for traffic/views to your website is something everyone struggles with.
Fortunately, Facebook advertising is a powerful solution to help you reach your target audience effectively.
With over 2 billion active users, Facebook provides unparalleled opportunities for businesses of all sizes to connect with potential customers.
And yes, that means you: the small shop owner, the solo entrepreneur, the employee tasked with sharing your company’s message to a bunch of different people.
Whoever you are, mastering Facebook ads is an indispensable skill that can help grow your brand and give you the audience you so desperately want.
This Facebook Ads guide will walk you through the process of creating and running a successful Facebook ads campaign and the best possible tips you can know as a beginner – teaching you everything you need to know to get started.
What Is Facebook Advertising?
Facebook ads are a paid advertising solution that allows businesses and individuals to promote their products, services, or content directly to their target audience on the Facebook platform.
Unlike organic posts that rely on the Facebook algorithm to reach users, ads on Facebook display your message to the specific demographics, interests, and behaviors you tell it to (when making the ad).
With Facebook ads you have control over:
- Who sees your ad.
- How much you want to spend.
- What objective you want to achieve (whether it’s boosting website traffic, generating leads, or increasing sales).
So why is the Facebook advertising platform so widely used by everyone (from multi-billion-dollar businesses to simple Etsy shop seller)?
Because it offers advanced targeting options.
Advanced targeting matters because it enables you to reach highly specific audiences based on factors like location, age, gender, interests, and online behavior.
Plus, when you run a Facebook ad campaign, your ads can appear in various placements across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network, exponentially increasing the number of people who see your ad.
So why do businesses use FB ads? It connects them with their ideal customers, builds brand awareness, and drives meaningful results.
Getting Started With Facebook Ads (what You Need to Know)
Let’s be honest – starting with Facebook ads (especially if it’s your first time doing it) can be a bit overwhelming.
That’s why it’s so important to have a clear understanding of why you’re running ads and what you hope to achieve.
Here are some important tips for beginners looking to create an ad campaign.
Identify What Your Goals Are With This Campaign
What exactly do you want to happen (best case scenario)?
Are you looking for 10x website traffic, 50+ leads, or 3x the amount of product sales?
Good, have those objectives in mind.
Whatever you actually want, clearly defining your objectives will help you create an effective ad strategy.
Know Who Your Target Audience Is
The great thing about Facebook is its targeting options, which allows you to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.
So what does this mean for you?
Well, you gotta know who you’re trying to reach!
Conducting market research upfront will ensure you’re reaching the right people and not wasting money targeting the wrong group.
For example, if you’re a local bakery selling custom cakes, your target audience might be:
- Women aged 25-45 living within a 10-mile radius of your bakery.
- With interests like baking, party planning, or weddings.
- Who has recently celebrated a birthday or gotten engaged.
People who are definitely not interested in your elaborately decorated cakes include:
- Those living over 25 miles away.
- Those with no major life events coming up.
- Cardio-obsessed fitness influencers.
- Hardcore keto dieters who avoid carbs more strictly than vampires avoid sunlight.
Excluding these audiences from your targeting can tighten up your messaging and get your ads in front of the most qualified prospects.
Your sweet spot (pun intended) consists of people looking to celebrate life’s joyful milestones with a delightfully crafted custom cake.
Birthdays, graduations, baby showers – these are special occasions that create lasting memories for families and loved ones.
AND those experiencing these life events are the perfect people to target.
Who Is Not Your Target Audience?
While it’s great to know who your target audience is, sometimes it’s even more important to know who ISN’T.
Why does it matter? It can help you further refine your targeting and avoid wasting ad spend on irrelevant audiences.
Some examples of who may not be in your target audience:
- People outside of your service area or too far from your business location.
- Age groups that don’t align with your product/service (ex: advertising baby products to seniors).
- Interests completely unrelated to your offering.
- Income levels are too low or high for your price point.
- Those who have already purchased from you recently (debatable depending on your industry).
Know What You Can Afford to Spend on Ads
Facebook ads operate on an auction-based system, so you’ll need to set a realistic budget based on your goals and target audience size.
- Is your budget $5 a day (minimum)?
- Or is it $1000 a day?
If your overall budget is $600 for FB ad marketing and your campaign will be 30 days long, that means (quick math 600 divided by 30 = 20) your daily budget is $20 per day.
Choose the Right Ad Format
Facebook offers various ad formats, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and more.
You’ll need to choose the format that best aligns with your campaign objectives (or let Facebook decide for you).
Make a Scroll-stopping Ad
Your ad copy, visuals, and call-to-action should be attention-grabbing and relevant to your target audience.
If it looks like an over-crowded, generic, – and pardon our French – frumpy little eye-soar of an ad, why would anyone read it, let alone click on it?
Instead, make sure your ads:
- Have a clear, enticing message.
- Highlights the value and benefits you offer.
- Uses engaging visuals that are eye-catching yet align with your brand’s look and feel.
- Has a strong call-to-action that motivates your audience to take the next step.
To have a great ad that feels tailored to your specific audience, focus on their specific pain points and desires.
What do they need? What do they want? How are you giving it to them?
And most importantly, test several ad creatives (also called A/B testing).
Thankfully, Facebook provides excellent reporting insights to test and optimize your creatives over time.
How to Make a Facebook Ad Campaign in 10 Steps
Now that you know the basics of what goes into an ad campaign, let’s show you how to actually start one!
Here are the 10 basic steps you’ll need to follow to post ads on Facebook.
| # | Step | Description |
| 1 | Create a Facebook Ads Manager account | Set up a Facebook business page, go to Ads Manager, and follow the prompts to confirm your information and payment details. |
| 2 | Start a new campaign | Use your dashboard within Ads Manager and click “Create.” |
| 3 | Choose buying type | Decide on the buying type that fits your campaign’s needs (Auction vs Reservation). |
| 4 | Choose objective | Select from Facebook’s list of objectives that fits your goal. |
| 5 | Set budget & schedule | Decide on a daily or lifetime budget. Then schedule when the ads will run. |
| 6 | Select a target audience | Narrow down your audience with Facebook’s targeting options, like location, age, gender, and interests, to define who will see your ads. |
| 7 | Create your Facebook ad | Choose from various ad formats and follow the suggestions based on your objective to design your ad. |
| 8 | Choose your media and write your text | Select the images or videos for your ad and write the text that will accompany them. |
| 9 | Publish your ad | Review your ad to make sure everything is correct, then submit it for Facebook’s approval and publication. |
| 10 | Monitor analytics and set up reporting | Once published, track important metrics like performance, engagement, clicks to measure success. Adjust your strategy as needed. |
3 Best Tips for Beginners to Make Your Campaign a Huge Success
Tip 1: Keep Your FB Ads Simple
The secret to excelling in Facebook advertising lies in simplicity.
Overcomplicating your Facebook ad campaigns can lead to disaster, especially if you’re new and just starting out.
The complexities happen because marketers are always trying to find the latest methods to get ahead of the competition. And this partially includes ridiculously complicated set-ups that realistically do nothing except hinder Facebooks from delivering your ads.
Have you ever heard the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, it also applies to how to run Facebook ads effectively.
The best FB marketers keep things simple. The worst FB marketers have overcomplicated their setups.
Tip 2: Test and Then Test Again
Testing different elements of your Facebook ads, from images and headlines to audience segments, can reveal what your target audience is most likely going to click on.
- Start small but think big: Begin with a few variations of your ad to see which performs best.
- You don’t need a huge budget to start testing.
- Something as small as $10/day can still provide valuable insights.
- Use A/B testing: By comparing two versions of your ad, you can pinpoint exactly what changes improve performance.
- Maybe one ad has a more engaging image, a clearer call-to-action, or a more targeted audience.
- Either way, go with the ad that yields better results (obviously).
- Let data guide your decisions: Once you start gathering data, let it dictate your next moves.
- If one ad variation is clearly outperforming the others, consider reallocating your budget to what works.
- Test different visuals: If A/B tests show that videos of cake decorating outperform static images of finished cakes, it’s a clear sign to focus more on video content in your ads.
Tip 3: Listen to FB’s Data (even if It Goes Against Your Gut Feelings)
Instead of guessing what might work, use data to make informed decisions.
Success with Facebook ads comes down to providing Facebook with various inputs (like audiences and creatives) and analyzing which ones it responds to best.
It’s not uncommon for the feedback from Facebook to be unclear, with some metrics looking great while others…not so much.
The point is to analyze this information, figure out why you’re seeing these results, and make the necessary adjustments.
You need to avoid getting attached to specific audiences or creatives, even if you’re convinced they should work. If they’re not yielding profit, it’s time to let them go.
Your role is to supply content/data/ad info, interpret Facebook’s feedback, and refine your approach.
Though it might be tough (especially when you’re invested in your marketing or brand vision), you need to stay flexible and let the data tell you where to go from here.
💡 Remember our example of the baker from earlier?
If Facebook tells you that your ad is just not working with women aged 25-45 who have recently celebrated a birthday or gotten engaged, stop delivering ads to them.
Sometimes the weirdest (and best) things can happen when you choose a broad audience and let Facebook do its thing.
Maybe you’re overlooking the college frat boys ages 18-25 who love buying decorative cakes.
It doesn’t matter if they’re celebrating a big event or buying your cakes to smash them later.
If they’re the ones placing an order after seeing your Facebook ad, then you’re selling cakes, making money, AND that means that your campaign is successful.
FAQs for Facebook Ad Campaigns
How Much Does It Cost to Advertise on Facebook?
The cost of publishing ads on FB can vary widely depending on:
- your target audience
- the competitiveness of your industry
- the time of year (Christmas, Valentines Day, and other major holidays can affect prices).
But you can start with a daily budget as low as $5! Which means that basically anyone can start advertising.
Over time, you’ll find the right budget by seeing what works best for your ads.
Can I Target My Facebook Ads to Specific People?
Absolutely! Facebook offers detailed targeting options including age, interests, behaviors, location, and a ton more.
Sometimes it’s best to go for a broad audience, sometimes it’s best to go after specific people. But ultimately, go with what best works for you (even if it might take you a few weeks of testing to figure that out).
Tip: You can even create ads for people who have visited your website or engaged with your page but haven’t purchased yet. (Retargeting Ads can be incredibly powerful).
How Long Should I Run My Facebook Ad?
Much like everything when it comes to FB ads, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but starting with a 1–2-week campaign can give you enough data to understand if your ad is performing well.
Adjust your duration based on the ad’s success and your budget.
Do I Need a Facebook Page to Run Ads?
Yes, you need a Facebook business page to create and run ads. Personal accounts don’t have access to advertising tools.
How Do I Know if My Facebook Ads Are Working?
Check your Ads Manager for metrics like reach, clicks, conversions, and engagement.
These indicators will help you understand your ad’s performance and where you might need to make improvements.
