If you’re considering paid ads for your business, Facebook Ads is a great place to start.
There are many benefits of running Facebook ads if you’re a small business. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Want to jump right in with Facebook advertising for your business? Check out our guide to creating and setting up a Facebook ads account!
1. Everybody uses Facebook
The first and most obvious in our list of benefits of Facebook ads?
Everyone uses Facebook!
There are over 48.5 million Facebook users in the UK, which is about two-thirds of the population. With such a broad user base, you’re bound to find the right customers for your business.
2. There are a wide range of different ad types to choose from
One of the things we like about Facebook ads is the variety of ads to choose from. This means you can choose the perfect ad format for your needs.
Want to keep things simple?
Choose an image-based ad or a carousel if you have multiple images to show off. Looking to show your product or service in action?
Pick a video ad. You can even choose an ‘instant experience’ ad that lets Facebook users browse your product catalogue.
Facebook is excellent at clearly explaining the benefits of each ad and what results you can expect to see. So even if you haven’t got prior paid social experience, it’s easy to choose the right ad that will get results.
3. You can run Instagram ads at the same time
Meta (the company behind Facebook) bought Instagram in 2012. You might not have known this, but Facebook and Instagram are step-siblings!
This gives an additional benefit to Facebook ads in that you can run Instagram ads simultaneously. Just choose ‘Instagram’ in the placements section, and Facebook ads will do the hard work for you.
So what are the benefits of Facebook and Instagram ads together?
We’re glad you asked! You can use the same photos and videos, which saves you time, and means you can showcase your brand to an entirely new audience.
4. You can target customers with complete precision
Facebook collects a lot of information about people, everything from hobbies to family members. You can use this data to your advantage and ensure your ads connect with the right people.
You can target people by location, gender, and age, as well as by their hobbies, interests, and the pages they like. This means you don’t waste money showing your ads to people that aren’t interested in what you do.
Here’s a handy tip for you – did you know you can use Facebook ads to appeal to people who like your competitors’ company pages?
Set up an ad campaign to tell them why your brand is better, and you’re one step closer to winning some brand-new customers!
5. There are high-quality analytics available
When you take advantage of a paid advertising system like Facebook Ads, you want to see if you’re getting the right return on ad spend. Facebook Ads has an incredibly detailed analytics package you can use to see if your ad campaigns are paying off.
You can see impressions and clicks for each campaign, as well as conversions and how much return on investment your adverts have brought. It’s easy to create custom reporting too so you can send easy-to-understand reports to key stakeholders.
6. You can reach more people than you would organically
Time for a bit of brutal honesty… Facebook is not the best social platform for unpaid, organic reach.
It’s estimated that the average reach of a post on a Facebook page is just over 5%. This means that only one out of every twenty of your page followers will see a post pop up on their newsfeed.
If you want a lot of people to see your content, then paying for reach through Facebook Ads is the best option. Blame Mark Zuckerberg for that one.
7. You can retarget prospective and existing customers
Retargeting is when you show adverts to people who have already visited your website in an attempt to encourage them to come back and convert.
Another of the benefits of Facebook ads is that you can create retargeting campaigns to entice previous site visitors to buy or submit a quote. It’s a cost-effective and highly efficient way to boost your conversion rate, with two-thirds of retargeters using Facebook Ads to appeal to customers.
8. You can A/B test your ads to boost your conversion rate even further
A/B testing is an integral part of conversion rate optimisation and helps you see what your users prefer. The premise is simple; create two virtually identical pieces of content with one thing that’s different. See which one your customers respond best to and tweak the rest of your content accordingly.
The Facebook Business Manager makes it super-easy to A/B test your ads. Create two ads, show them to similar audiences and see which resonates with people the most.
9. You can target people on mobile
Facebook is designed for mobile use, with over 98% of users accessing the social network from their smartphones. Facebook Ads look great on mobile phones, meaning you can easily appeal to people scrolling through their newsfeeds.
Facebook also offers a mobile-exclusive ad type – lead forms. Prospective customers can give you their contact details with a click of a button, making it easier than ever to generate warm leads for your business.
10. Facebook will help create ads for you
We get it; creating ads is hard. You have to write the perfect copy and create images and videos that appeal to your target audience. One of the benefits of Facebook Ads is that it can help create exciting ads that people want to click on.
Just upload the images you want to use, and Facebook will transform them into a mobile-friendly video you can use in your ad.
11. You can set your budget for peace of mind
When you’re responsible for the marketing budget of a small business, you need to make every penny count. There’s nothing worse than going through the monthly report and seeing that you’ve overspent!
Another of the key benefits of Facebook ads is that you can set a precise budget cap, either for a day or over the course of a campaign. Once the money’s spent, no more ads. It’s as simple as that.
Facebook will also tell you how much reach and clicks you can expect with your budget, so you can see if it’s worth spending that extra fiver on your ads.
12. Facebook can help build your brand
It’s time to look at the last of the benefits of using Facebook Ads. Even if people don’t click or engage with your ads, Facebook can help raise brand awareness.
People will interact with a brand seven times before they make a purchase. So by using Facebook to showcase your brand, you’re making prospective customers familiar with your business and the products and services you sell.
That way, when they’re ready to buy, they know where you are.
So… are Facebook ads worth it?
We hope this article has explained the benefits of Facebook ads and the advantages of Facebook for your business.
While Facebook Ads may not be ideal for every business, if your target audience frequently uses the platform, you could see your conversion rate grow!
The key is using the right ad type, targeting the right people, and monitoring your ads to ensure they bring you the desired results.
Don’t forget that if you need a little extra help with Facebook advertising for your business, we’re here to help. We can set up your account and optimise your ads to ensure you’re getting the best return on ad spend.
Arrange your free, no-obligation digital marketing consultation today – all we need is 30 minutes to understand what you want to get out of your paid advertising campaigns.