In today’s digital age, creating and sustaining an online social media presence for your nonprofit, ministry, or business has never been more important. While traditional media and advertising strategies still exist and play an important role in the overall marketing mix, more and more people are gravitating to the World Wide Web and researching and consuming information via their desktop and mobile devices.
Facebook has made it very easy and affordable for you to develop a digital “face” for your brand. Starting a Facebook Page and posting organic content does not cost you a penny, but to expand your online footprint, gain new prospective donors, supporters, or customers, and increase visibility for your brand, you will need to invest some dollars in paid Facebook posts and Page ads.
If you have never launched paid ads using Meta Ads Manager (i.e., Facebook and Instagram), it can be a little bit intimidating and overwhelming given the features and selections Meta allows you to utilize when developing and placing your online social media ads. Facebook offers a simpler “one-stop shop” option called boosted posts that allows you to turn previously posted content from your business page into online sponsored ads with specific targeting capabilities. You can also use the Promote button on your Facebook business page to create a general sponsored ad highlighting your organization’s mission or projects, programs, services, or products you want users to know about. While Facebook offers more advanced opportunities for paid advertising, boosted posts and page ads can help you get started, especially if you are “new-ish” to the world of digital marketing.
Before you begin boosting your Facebook posts or creating Page ads, you need to consider the following:
- What is the goal or outcome you are trying to achieve/accomplish with your boosted post or page ad? Your business goals should align with your marketing objectives, whether you are trying to generate more awareness about your organization, influence consideration for your brand, or gain new donors, supporters, followers, or customers.
- Who are your target audiences? Who are the intended individuals you want to see your ads and respond to them? Identifying a target audience profile will help you define parameters for the users you wish to reach.
- What is your advertising budget for boosted posts or ads? Do you have a set budget limit that you can allocate toward boosted posts or page ads?
Once you have answers to these questions, you are ready to begin!
There are two ways you can create ads through your Facebook Page: you can boost one of your previously published posts or use the Promote button on your page. The latter option allows you to start from scratch and more clearly specify your ad objective and customize your ad creative, so we will focus our attention there for now.
Facebook offers a list of goals to choose from, such as obtaining leads with contact information, generating more user traffic to a specific page on your website, and prompting direct engagement with your organization through phone calls or messages using Messenger and WhatsApp platforms, which are also Meta properties.
Once you select your goal, you can add your creative elements for text, images, and video along with a catchy headline and description and a specific CTA (call to action) button label placed with your ad, plus the URL link to the online destination for your ad.
Next, you define your target audience by selecting demographic characteristics like age and location, plus any detailed targeting attributes. (This is where you can be more specific in identifying key interests of your target audience.) Facebook detects your estimated audience size through the audience definition meter and if it is too broad or narrow, gives you control over adjusting audience targeting.
After you create your target audiences for your ad, you can determine where your ad will be placed. You can select Facebook and Messenger as your platform placements, and you can also select Instagram, provided you have an Instagram business profile. Facebook will automatically optimize your ads for the placements you select so they display properly and prominently across these channels.
Finally, you will set your daily average budget and budget duration, or how long you want the ad to run. Facebook will show you your estimated audience reach depending on the average amount you decide to spend daily running your ads. Note that the actual amount spent daily will vary, as Facebook’s algorithm is constantly changing to maximize the number of people who should see your ads based on your targeting selections and preferences.
Once you click Promote Now and launch your page ad, you will be able to view and monitor the results using the Insights tool in the Meta Business Suite as well as Meta Ads Manager. You will be able to see a breakdown of audience interactions with your ad, such as the number of people who saw your ad, the number of likes, shares, comments, and clicks your ad received, as well as the cost per result or action based on your ad objective.
Facebook offers a variety of tools to leverage your social media presence and reach new groups of people you might have never been able to impact with your brand and messaging.
Infinity Concepts can help you develop and implement the marketing strategy to help you acquire prospective donors, supporters, and customers, and transform them into loyal advocates for your mission and brand!
Let Infinity Concepts use our expertise to help you boost your next Facebook ads campaign to new heights!
CLICK HERE or call us today at 724-733-1200.
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