Facebook marketing, much like Google ranking, is subject to ever shifting algorithms and changes in the marketing landscape. As recently as a couple of years ago, simply posting things on your Facebook page was often enough to get people visiting your site and considering your products and services. Nowadays, not so much. Organic reach on most social sites is being deliberately throttled, which now corners businesses into relying on sponsored posts and column ads in order to find their target audience. It’s not all bad news, though – if you know how to craft a good Facebook ad, you’re well on your way to getting much better reach than you ever did organically. But what makes a good Facebook ad in 2018?
Strong visuals. It’s no secret that images and video are the way forward on all kinds of marketing channels, and Facebook is no different. If ever you were looking for an opportunity to push forward with visual marketing, now is the time and Facebook is the place. Show off just how beautiful your product is, or demonstrate exactly why your service is what your audience needs to make their lives easier. If you really want to take the game seriously, shift some of your ad budget over to production, and get a professional in to help you create some visuals that will wow people.
Compelling copy. With all the focus on images and video, does it even matter what you write in your ads? Yes! Strong copy is not only the key to stronger conversion rates, it’s a basic building block of getting people to take you seriously. Luckily what constitutes good marketing copy doesn’t change that much from year to year (good writing is always good writing), and it’s a skill you can learn to improve with practice.
Spot-on targeting. Spending on Facebook ads isn’t just about increasing your budget and throwing more money at campaigns to reach more people. It’s a lot more nuanced than that. Effective targeting requires you to know who your audience is, and Facebook has the best tools around to help you discover that information, and target more accurately. Audience Insights can teach you everything you need to know to find out who your audience is, where they spend their money, and what their habits are like. Once you know those key factors, you can start testing different kinds of ads and experimenting with various targeting options to find the right combination that works for you.
Remember, the best Facebook ad is the one that gets people to choose your company, so prioritize the content of your message, and then move forward with testing targeted audiences. If you’re looking for ways to kickstart your ad strategy, download our guide to growing your business with Facebook.
It’s no secret that visual marketing is the future of brand promotion. Everywhere you turn, businesses are using images, video and infographics to get their messages across. The percentage of visual content on websites and social media is increasing day by day, and even search engines are starting to give preference to content that is more than just blocks of text. This is all well and good if you have beautiful or interesting products you can photograph, but what do you do if your business is less visually-oriented? Here are some ideas that can help you out.
Show people what they wouldn’t normally see. Everyone loves a behind-the-scenes look, so if your product or service doesn’t lend itself well to photos or video, you can always bring people in for a sneak peek at your office culture. Telling your company story by letting your team show who they are and what they are about is a great way to let your customers feel like they’re part of the journey. You can show how orders are assembled, who is taking customer service calls, or even share videos from the latest office party. Hootsuite (a distinctly non-visual brand) has mastered this technique on their Instagram account, even using the hashtag #hootsuitelife to help boost posts about what it’s like to work there.
Think beyond the literal. Let’s say, for example, that your business publishes a magazine. Aside from linking to stories that are in the magazine and an occasional shot of what the monthly cover looks like, what other content could you post on social media? After all, your product is just pages with words, but if you think a bit outside the box, words also have a graphic design element. Take the Instagram account of Foundr Magazine, for example – interspersed among shots of the magazine itself are inspirational quotes with interesting graphic design, creating a beautiful and compelling visual element where they might have otherwise struggled to find one.
Get your customers to do some of the work for you. Xero is a company that sells accounting software. This may seem like a dead-end in terms of visual promotion, but they’ve worked around it by creating social media accounts full of photos submitted by their customers. Because most businesses use accounting applications of some kind, Xero is able to showcase the wide range of companies that benefit from their software, thus giving those brands a promotional boost while promoting their own product, as well. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
COGO Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in online marketing strategy, web design, SEO and social media marketing. We work with clients in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and across the nation.
