Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the most common Facebook advertising mistakes businesses make.
At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience - so we’ve learned what works (and what doesn’t!)
Here, we’ll go over the Facebook advertising mistakes that businesses are most likely to make, and what to do about that. Let’s get started now!
7 Common Facebook Advertising Mistakes You Might Be Making
1. Your Posts Or Ads Are Too “Salesy”
People go on Facebook for a number of reasons. Usually, they’re online to connect with friends, relax after a long day, or browse some interesting images or videos.
Rarely do people log in to Facebook with the sole intention to shop. Of course, Facebook has become a place where it’s easy to shop and connect with businesses.
But when users log in to their accounts, they are not usually in the “I’m going to buy something right now” mindset!
Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t take this into account when they create their ads. For example, a home renovation company may come up with something like this:
This straight-to-the-point advertisement might work in a magazine or outside of a store location, but it’s unlikely to attract much attention on Facebook.
Facebook is a social network. Users go to be social with others! Your business should be using both posts and advertisements to connect with your audience.
You want to use your platform to establish your brand’s voice and build community. You want your users to engage with your posts. So, instead, a home renovation company might post something like this:
An ad or post like this could include a call-to-action headline such as “What’s your favourite modern kitchen idea? Let us know!”
It allows users to engage, it’s easily ‘shareable,’ and it provides them with content they are more likely to be looking for on Facebook.
Plus, you are much more likely to get clicks to your website with an ad like this. With proper targeting, those clicks could turn into sales!
2. Inconsistent Posting
In order to establish an audience on Facebook, you’ll want to post consistently. Even though organic reach is declining (we’ll talk more about that below), keeping your company’s Facebook page up-to-date is still very important.
An up-to-date Facebook page reassures users that you are still an active business, you are attentive to your customers, and you are likely to respond if they have a question or concern.
3. Ignoring comments
Facebook users will often comment on both posts and advertisements - whether that’s a video or an image ad.
A big mistake a lot of companies make is simply ignoring these comments. Often, comments will be positive - but you may get a few negative ones in there too.
Either way, as we mentioned above, you should be using Facebook to build connections with other users. Replying to comments is one of the best ways to do that!
If you’re worried about responding to negative feedback, you may want to take a note from Wendy’s!
Wendy’s gained tons of positive attention a few years ago when they responded in sarcastic and hilarious ways to comments posted on their social media.
image source: Boredpanda.com
For a while, Wendy’s became known on social media for “roasting” other users and making (friendly) jokes about competitors.
Although you may not want to use this exact strategy, it shows the importance of engaging with your users.
By responding to comments, you can start a conversation, get feedback, and learn what your possible customers like (or don’t like!)
Not only that, but users who engage with you will know that you are active and attentive, which looks great for any business.
4. targeting the wrong audience
Proper targeting is one of the most important things you can do when you set up a Facebook ad. It’s also one of the things that many businesses get wrong!
When you create an ad, you want to ensure that the people who see it are the ones who are most likely to buy from you! This can be done by creating a custom audience - check out the video below to learn more about that.
Let’s take a look at an example of what a custom audience could look like. Here is an example of a fictional ad from an (also fictional) dog training company:
Now, how useful would it be if this ad made its way to non-pet owners? Or cat owners? Or to young teenagers, who are unlikely to own their own pets?
For an ad like this, you’d want to specifically target dog owners in your service area. Targeting your service area is easy, you simply select where you want your ad to run:
So, for our dog training business, we want to target users who live within 25 miles of Kitchener, Ontario.
We also took a look at some simple demographic statistics and found that dog owners aged 18-34 spend the most money on their dogs. So, we decided to only target that demographic.
After that, you can play around with targeting based on interests. For example, maybe you target users who have ‘liked’ local pet stores, certain well-known dog trainers, or dog treat companies.
If you simply sent this ad out to everyone, people all over the world could see it! With proper targeting, you ensure that you’re most likely to target dog owners who invest in their pets and who live within your service area.
5. No Paid Advertisements
So, we mentioned above that “organic reach is dead.” What exactly does that mean?
When you post something on Facebook, organic reach is the number of people who see your post ‘organically’ - you didn’t pay for them to see it, it simply shows up on their newsfeed!
Unfortunately, organic reach has been steadily declining over the years. So much so that many businesses don’t see it as a viable way to reach their audience anymore.
It used to be fairly easy to post about a discount, offer, or information about your business and people would see it. Now, the best way to do that is through paid advertisements.
Businesses may be hesitant to invest in paid ads. However, paid advertisements can cost as little as a few dollars per month, or as much as thousands per month, so you have full control over your advertising dollars.
Plus, Facebook advertisements are considered one of the easiest and fastest ways to make money. With effective targeting and attractive ads, you will be able to recoup your investment.
If you aren’t confident about creating or running ads, consider working with a professional marketing company.
A professional company can take the guess-work out of audience building and can help you create the most effective ads in less time!
Not only that, but when you work with the professionals, you don’t have to worry about adding extra marketing tasks to your or your employees’ already busy schedules!
6. No Reviews
Although users may not always use Facebook to shop, that doesn’t mean they aren’t using Facebook to learn more about a business.
According to Sound Strategies, Facebook “is becoming increasingly prevalent among users researching about customer experiences.”
Because of this, it’s important that you spend time encouraging reviews on your Facebook page.
Although there are many other review sites, such as Google Reviews or Yelp, Facebook reviews are super easy to access while users are already online browsing.
Facebook reviews help potential customers see that your business is trustworthy and may make the difference between a potential customer clicking to learn more or passing by.
7. lack of information
Your Facebook business page should be filled out with as much detail as possible. Even if you do not currently have a lot of page followers, many people find details about a business through their Facebook page!
Adding your company’s details is a great way to help potential customers find you. You can embed a map, include your business hours, add your contact email and website, and so much more!
Not only that, but you can also choose to include a ‘story’ about your business - this is sort of like a landing page, and lets you add images and text. Here, you can showcase even more information about your business.
Avoid Common Facebook Advertising Mistakes. work with relevantly!
“STOP THE SCROLL” WITH EFFECTIVE FACEBOOK ADVERTISEMENTS
One of the best ways to avoid common Facebook advertising mistakes is to work with the professionals.
Contact us at Relevantly to learn how we can help you improve your Facebook marketing strategy!
At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience, and have kept up-to-date with marketing trends, including social media and Facebook advertising!
Let us do the hard marketing work for you, so you and your employees can get back to your important tasks!
If you’re ready to create effective ads and make the most of your Facebook advertising budget, learn how we can help now!
