Why I’m All In On Facebook Ads

I’ll be the first to admit the irony of talking about Facebook ads on LinkedIn. I get it, it’s weird. Don’t let that distract you from the actual reason that I am writing this.

I made a post earlier re-introducing myself to LinkedIn. In that post, I talk about how all I really want to do is provide value to small business owners and really anybody I come in contact with. So here is my first nugget of value to give you.

I want to mention one thing before I go any further. I am by no means a Facebook Marketing expert. I am probably the only person you know that is currently enrolled in the only Facebook Ads certification course that is provided by Facebook (called Facebook Blueprint) That being said let me continue.

First Of All, Stop “Boosting Posts” on Facebook.

So many business owners I come into contact with, talk to me about how they’ve tried to run Facebook ads, and all Facebook ads did for their business was burn their money and spam the feed of their followers. Not only that, but they end up spending way more than Facebook told them they would. They are often confused by this. The explanation is a multi-level one. So bear with me if you may. I’m about to go deep.

Let me start by explaining the concept that Facebook works from. Their business model consists of Facebook having the attention of an audience that they know a lot about. The, in turn, sell access to this audience including audience information to 2 levels of advertisers. Let’s call them hobbyists and professionals.

Let’s define a hobbyist. A hobbyist is somebody that manages one or more Facebook pages from their personal account. They have access to boosted posts, audience insights, and the Facebook Pixel (most don’t use this).

A professional for our purposes is somebody that manages their Facebook pages from the Facebook Business Manager. The professional has complete access to the ads manager, audience insights tool as well as pixel analytics data.

Facebook understands that there is a difference between these two classes of people and they have designed two different advertising platforms to serve each class. Why would they do that? I guess it comes down to understanding your customer and figuring out how best to serve them (I’m being generous here.)

The advertising platform for the hobbyist is designed to be seamless and quick. Most of the time you don’t even notice that you’re on the platform. When the “boost post” button is pushed, that is when the platform is activated. You will notice that you can adjust selections like age location and gender and that’s about it. This is where the problem begins. To put it simply Using this method of advertising is what I like to call the “shotgun method.” This is Facebook’s equivalent of throwing it against the wall and seeing what sticks. If you know anything about marketing you understand why this is a bad idea.

Here’s the kicker. Facebook’s algorithm actually penalizes you for running ads this way. Why? Well, it breaks down to two main factors, relevance and bid amount. You have control over bid amount when running ads from either platform. However, you don’t have much control over relevance when you are running ads using the shotgun method. This is because you are unable to take advantage of the targeting metrics that Facebook offers in the Facebook Business Manager. Not using these methods drives the price of your ads up and leads to underperforming ads and a stressed-out business owner that then decides that “Facebook doesn’t work for my business.”

The inverse for the professional is true. The professional takes advantage of the targeting metrics available in the audience insights tool as well as the ads manager. The professional uses these tools available combined with knowledge of their targeted audience to create highly relevant ads. These ads are then given priority over the hobbyist’s ads. Priority means that they are shown more often for less money. This is because the ad is seen as more relevant to the target audience.

So what’s the punchline here? Why exactly am I all in on Facebook ads? Let me sum this whole article up for you in one simple statement. Facebook rewards the professional and earns their money off of the hobbyist.

I’m all in on Facebook because I’m a professional.

If you would like to learn to become a professional on Facebook here are some resources for you.

1. Facebook Business Manager (This is where you will manage your business’s Facebook presence.)
2. Facebook Blueprint Facebook has created an in-depth training program that will certify you as a Facebook Marketing expert.
3. My Facebook Course I created a video course that walks you through the Facebook Advertising Platform Step by step. At the completion of this course, you will know everything you need to know to launch your first campaign and track who interacts with your ads. My course can be found at https://course.rds.marketing.

The best part? The course is totally free. So if you’re really serious about taking your business to the next level. Make 2018 the year you decide to master Facebook Ads.