Recently, Entrepreneur ran an article promising that you can “dominate Facebook” and only spend five bucks to do so.
At first blush, this probably seems too good to be true—and we all know what they say about things that seem too good to be true. But actually, the specific plan, as laid out by Entrepreneur, makes a lot of sense, and certainly offers small business owners some things to think about.
We do want to offer a couple of caveats. First, the veracity of the claim hinges on your interpretation of “dominating Facebook.” You’re probably not ever going to get millions of views or a massive uptake in sales on the basis of a single sponsored post, but you absolutely can leverage your $5 ad spend to majorly boost brand awareness and generate user engagement. So, set a reasonable goal here, but also don’t be afraid to swing for the fences.
The other caveat is that social media is notoriously slippery, and you can never absolutely bet on anything. User behavior is hard to predict, so it would be dishonest for anyone—including us—to absolutely promise results for any $5 Facebook campaign.
But with those points out of the way, Entrepreneur certainly raises some excellent points for getting maximum bang for your Facebook buck. Here are some key takeaways:
Be judicious. It’s dumb to try to boost every single Facebook post, or to sink money into the most minor or trivial status update. Part of maximizing your ad spend is not spending on too many superfluous ads.
Or, as Entrepreneur puts it: “It is not recommended to boost every single Facebook post. Make sure to strategize when you pick which posts to promote for $5.”
Original media is key. You’re not going to get traction on a post that uses a stock photo or some other generic media—no matter how much money you invest in it. Make sure to always use original, compelling photos and videos that unmistakably reflect your brand and your voice.
“Dedicate one day a month, maybe on a weekend, to taking pictures and videos of your business,” the article recommends. “This high-quality, personalized content can serve as the backbone of your social-media strategy.”
Know who you are targeting. Precision targeting is essential to Facebook marketing success. You can target your ad to people who already like your brand, which may boost your likes but won’t get quite as much exposure with new customers and clients. Alternatively, you can choose to show your ad to people in a certain age group or other demographic, living in a particular locale, and even focus your posts on those who have certain interests or allegiances.
Metrics matter. If you’re not going to measure your marketing metrics, you might as well not market at all. In particular, track your website conversions, if Web traffic happens to be one of your goals.
These are all basic points of Facebook advertising, yet you would be amazed how often they are neglected. The cost to ignoring these guidelines can be steep—but if you keep them in mind, you just might generate big results for the most minor of investments!
Learn more about Facebook advertising strategies by contacting Grammar Chic at 803-831-7444, or www.grammarchic.net.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.