Common Facebook Ad Mistakes to Avoid When You’re Just Starting Out

Tapping into an audience that includes more than 70 percent of all adults and over a billion active monthly users is the most compelling reason to consider advertising on Facebook. The popular social platform also has a large mobile audience that can help you effectively target on-the-go searchers. These well-known benefits of advertising via this platform will only be good for your brand if you avoid these common mistakes.

Targeting the Wrong Audience

It doesn't matter if your ad is interesting enough to get clicks if those clickers have no interest in what you have to offer. Your potential customers are out there. You just have to take some time to find the right audience by:

• Clicking the "Audience" tab in Ads Manager to determine and define your audience
• Saving the target groups you create for use in future campaigns
• Targeting fans who have previously visited your site
• Paying attention to users within your specific geographic area

Not Testing Your Images

There's often no rhyme or reason when it comes to what images appeal to searchers. This is why it makes sense to test your images before you launch a campaign. Facebook gives the option to test a dozen or so images to see which ones will perform better. It's a step that can boost your ROI, engagement, leads, and conversions.

Targeting Non-Fans

Since your Facebook fans are often people who are already familiar with your brand, they're more likely to be receptive to your advertising. Further boost your fan base by presenting fresh, relevant content and responding to comments. Targeting fans generally means:

• Approximately 700 percent more click-throughs
• An increase in conversions as high as 400 percent
• More positive word-of-mouth from satisfied fans who spread the word about your brand to their FB friends

The access you'll have to performance data makes it easier to know exactly where you stand with your advertising and efforts. Paying attention to these social metrics can also let you know when to make adjustments and where to focus your attention. When your ad campaigns are carefully planned and targeted to the right eyes, Facebook can be a consistent source of brand visibility, traffic, and conversions.

Sources:

The Advantages of Facebook Marketing for Your Business, searchenginejournal.com

7 Common Facebook Ad Mistakes to Avoid, business2community.com

5 Tips on Creating a Killer Facebook Ad Campaign, entrepreneur.com