Billion with a “B”.
That’s how many users are on Facebook each month.
Can you imagine the impact your faith community would have if you reached even just a teeny tiny portion of that number?
Wow! And the best part is…you CAN!
Click here for the video version of this post!
Because Facebook Ad targeting allows you to create audiences based on some of the most granular and specific criteria being collected on the internets.
Facebook Ads is not for the faint of heart. But it is powerful and can yield great results when used efficiently and correctly.
While your specific ad goal may vary, the desired outcome is to get “eyes on your post”; in other words, have your ad appear in the news feed of your target audience.
In a previous blog post we talked a bit about boosting posts and placing Facebook ads, and promised a deeper dive in the weeks to come, and here it is!
Let’s get started with the 5 basic categories.
Demographics
This covers what you would expect in this category and then some; age, gender, education level, income, geographic location, relationship status, parenting situation, political views, life events, home ownership status…and the list goes on.
Interests
The Interests category gets a bit more ‘interesting’. It’s here where you can drill down to get even more granular with your targeting. You can create audiences who like a specific type of entertainment, fitness activity, hobby or even a relationship category (i.e. family, friendship, dating, parenting).
Behaviors
Think of this area as ‘buying’ behavior; as most topics are finance oriented, recent purchases, travel, sport events attended, etc. And then, quite curiously, in this category is the type of mobile devices owned. I don’t know…
Connections
This targets people who have specifically liked your page, AND their friends; people who have used your app AND their friends, or people who are going to your event, AND, you guessed it, their friends. Think of the networking opportunities from this category alone!
Remarketing
This category covers retargeting to people who are already familiar with your page, either by being on your website or prior digital interaction.
Creating the Ad: Goals
As with any good plan, begin with the end in mind.
To create an Ad, navigate to the Ad Center in the Business Manager section of your “business” page and click on Create Ad.
Put thought and intention into what your goals are for this ad campaign. Lucky for us, Facebook prompts you along nicely to find out your Ad goals. Whether you want to promote your page, get more people to contact you or visit your website, there are prompts for each of these goals and more, on this first page.
Creating the Ad: Audience
Once you have decided on your goal, it’s now time to select your audience. You can do so by selecting the desired options from the screen below.
Clicking on the “V” (downward chevron thingy- I know it’s not a letter V) opens more options to choose from. As you can see from these selections, you can get quite specific targeting children of certain ages. This would be quite helpful when promoting your Vacation Bible School, Sunday School or Preschool programs.
You can toggle through each category, check the box next to the desired characteristic, then when you’re all done, click the ← to go back to the main selection page
click on Save Audience.
Set your Budget
Now comes the fun part. Setting your budget and ad duration!
Facebook recommends making your duration at least 4 days. Depending on your appetite (aka marketing budget), you can bump up the duration and watch your “potential” reach number grow. Key word being POTENTIAL. It’s not guaranteed. Though it could turn out to be much higher if your ad gains traction, gets shared and commented on; you could be on to something!
Key Takeaways for Facebook Ads
You set the limit! Facebook will not charge you any more than your allotted budget. This is not a pay per click advertising method.
Define your goal. Each ad should have as clear and concise a goal as possible. It should also have 1 clear call to action. Message us? Attend our event? Join our mailing list? Offer your prayers? Ask for prayers?
Connect with people, not characteristics. Keep in mind your ad is intended to reach a targeted audience with whom you want to connect. Don’t get overwhelmed and bogged down in all the options (yes, there are alot!). This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to define your goal and imagine your target audience in your mind. Have a vision of what a typical group may look like. This visualization will go a long way in helping you select the target options.
Be positive. Try not to have the mindset that it’s “costing” money, but focus rather on the desired result and benefits and rewards of a successful ad campaign.
Be bold. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, or that you won’t reach anyone or that you will ‘waste’ this money. That’s how we learn – by doing, failing, and doing it better next time.
You can do this, faith leader! We believe in you!