Should You Abandon Facebook?

It seems everyone is complaining about Facebook lately.

“I am not getting the same reach or likes that I used to.”

“I am not getting as many views on my page as I used to.”

“All I ever see in my newsfeed are ads.”

“Facebook has made it impossible for small businesses to be successful.”

The truth is, Facebook is constantly changing.

Facebook is a business and they are looking for ways to serve both of their customer audiences.

As a person who is a member of Facebook, I am a user customer.

As a business owner who advertises on Facebook, I am an advertising, revenue generating customer for Facebook.

Facebook has become a media empire. If you want to advertise on other media empires, you expect to pay. Facebook is no different EXCEPT that…

When I advertise in my local newspaper, it costs significantly more, and I have no analytics to tell me how many people looked at my ad in the paper. I also have no decision as to the placement of my ad unless I pay REALLY big bucks.

If I could afford to advertise on TV, it would cost me WAY more money and I still would have no data to tell me exactly who saw my ad.

If I wanted to advertise in any popular business magazine, it would also cost me significantly more. I might be able to get some data via their online publication, but I would not be able to from print.

Facebook on the other hand allows you to advertise for as little per day as you want.

Last week I had a Facebook ad running for The Sales Pilot. It only received two clicks. I paid $0.30 per click for a total of $0.60 for the week. Both of those clicks resulted in someone buying The Sales Pilot.

Here is what you need to know.

My ad targeting was very deliberate and specific. I do not just type in male/female 30-40, in a certain city and hope for the best.

If I am advertising something that you can buy – the only people who see it are people who have met very specific criteria.

That criteria looks a bit like someone who has bought from me before or who has expressed interest in buying somehow.

When you know who your customers are, and you are able to drill down and segment accordingly. You can target EXACTLY who you want to be connected to you and your brand – Facebook becomes a gold mine.

People buy from people they know, like, and trust. <- Tweet This

If you don’t know me, like me, or trust me – why on earth would I spend money trying to get you to buy from me?

Facebook is one of the best marketing machines out there. It is engrained in our culture and we spend a LOT of time using their social network. When you get clarity on your business strategy and know how to build awareness and engagement, it becomes a lot easier to sell.

If your business needs a strategy, I’d love to hear from you.

If you want even more tips on how to optimize your Facebook ads, check out this Shop Talk video. I share 3 super helpful tips I learned from an exec at Facebook that will help get your ads noticed.