Why Every Small Business Should Use Facebook Ads

Digital Marketing, Social Media

Written by Courtney Sippy

February 8, 2022
rogers advertising
Happy man with social media like icon on red background
Determining how, where and when to advertise your small business online can be a daunting task, but fear not! We are here to meet all your internet marketing needs, including the force influencing modern-day society: social media. You probably tend to check your favorite social platform(s) several times a day, and guess what? Your customers do too! This is not a shocker, but what may surprise you is the fact that there is one social network that today’s advertisers simply cannot ignore – Facebook!
Facebook Ad Examples - Hampton Roads

1. The Facebook Landscape is Massive!

Facebook has approximately 2.91 billion monthly active users, an increase of 4% year-over-year, making it the largest social media platform. In the U.S. alone, the average user spends about 30 minutes engaging in Facebook content each day, and nearly 30 minutes on Instagram.

In October 2021, Facebook, the company that encompassed all of its family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and more), rebranded itself as Meta.

Over 200 million businesses – mainly small businesses – user Facebook to reach customers. Only 5% of those businesses actively advertise on Facebook.

We know that social media ads are beneficial to small businesses, aside from the massive amount of users active on Facebook and its family of apps.

Woman smiling at phone while at coffee shop

2. Highly Customizable & Affordable Campaigns

Whatever your budget, you can reach thousands of Facebook users (for as little as $1 per day) that match your relevant audience.

Facebook Advertising Objectives

Get the most out of your campaign by first establishing advertising goals. With so many marketing strategies available, it’s critical that you choose the most appropriate marketing objectives for your business. Some of our favorite ad objectives for small businesses include awareness, leads, and traffic, but it depends on your business’ marketing goals.

  • Awareness
  • Traffic
  • Engagement
  • Leads
  • App Promotion
  • Sales

Facebook Ads Have Reasonable Cost-Per-Clicks

Facebook continuously has one of the most affordable cost-per-clicks in the social media landscape. As of January 2022, the average Facebook Ad CPC was $.90, down 24% from the previous month.

Similarly, Instagram has a cost-per-click of $1.16, down 32% from the previous month.

Facebook defines a cost per click as a click to react to a post, a click to view the image, and a link click.

Video Is Taking Over

It’s no surprise that video is the most widely viewed content format now. As people’s time is shifting from posts and images to reels and stories, it’s important to keep up and adapt.

Video ads are a great way to tell a story and blend in with reels and stories. Ads that don’t seem so “salesy” are likely to gain more engagement, meaning more sales and longer view times.

3. Exceptional Targeting Capabilities

Facebook offers seemingly endless ad targeting combinations that are capable of being much more specific than you might realize. Businesses can target ads to Facebook users by location, demographics, age, gender, interests, behaviors, connections, and more!

Detailed Targeting

One of the biggest ways you can waste your ad dollars is by not refining your audience. By adding detailed targeting to your ad campaign, you can help Facebook put your ads in front of your ideal customer.

Detail targeting can include, but is not limited to:

Demographics

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location

Interests

  • Food
  • Hobbies
  • Shopping

Behaviors

  • Purchases
  • Events Attended
  • Travel

Need help defining your target audience?

We’ve got you covered. Check out our blog Defining Your Target Audience which outlines 3 easy ways to hone in on our ideal customer.

Custom Audiences

Use your current resources (email lists, CRM, website visitors, app users) to target your ads to people who already show an interest in your business and are on Facebook and their family of apps. Maintain your customer loyalty, advertise new offers, and encourage additional conversions.

Lookalike Audiences

Extend your reach by taking your current customers and creating a lookalike audience. Facebook will take a list you provide of your current customers, match them to their Facebook profiles, and then find other users that “look” similar to your list. If you’ve got a CRM full of customer data or an email list with 1,000-5,000 people, lookalike audiences might be the way to go!

Learn more about Facebook’s lookalike audiences.

Summary

It’s hard to believe that most businesses still are not taking full advantage of this powerful advertising medium. Successful Facebook ads demand time and relative experience, but the rewards are well worth the investment. Even if you’re a small business with a tight budget, Facebook advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your brand.

If you’re interested in increasing your business’ reach with social media advertising, contact us. We can’t wait to hear about your goals and how we can create a customized marketing plan to fit your budget and needs.

About Courtney Sippy

Courtney Sippy, Director of Social Media, has years of experience developing creative SMM strategies that substantially increased the profitability and brand awareness for clients throughout Hampton Roads. Courtney loves helping local businesses grow!

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