Email marketing open rates and click-through rates (CTRs) are what they are. When email was fresh and exciting in the 1990s, it was common to see open rates of 90 percent or more. Today, in the age of too many emails and too little time, 20 percent open rates are considered a good goal. A two to four percent CTR is decent, but is that really enough? Is your business really reaching the number of end-users it needs to for future growth?
We can’t just rely on sending marketing emails in order to drive brand awareness and leads.
Look, you have a company Facebook page, right? You have it because you feel like you ‘have to’.
Do you realize there are 1.28 billion active users each day on Facebook?
Your end-users are on Facebook. Chefs, restaurateurs, F&B managers. You name the end-user, they are on Facebook, including contacts you haven't yet reached.
Did you know you can specifically target end-users by location (from country to postal code), and also by their specific job titles?
You can also target by:
- Location
- Demographics
- Interest - businesses or industry
- Hobbies/activities - like following the ACF or James Beard Foundation
- Behaviors - web activity (an article they read, a landing page they viewed, etc.)
- Connections
- Re-targeting - those who already are familiar with your brand/solutions
[Pro Tip: Did you know that you can ask Facebook to find ‘look-alikes’ based off of an ideal end-user Facebook profile? Imagine the reach?!]
B2B companies (yes, manufacturers) are leveraging Facebook ads to drive real, measurable results.
Let’s explore the different types of Facebook Ads.
Page Likes and Post Engagements
Most of us are aware of these two types of ad campaigns. Heck, this is where it started with Facebook years ago. Facebook tells us to ‘Promote this Post’ and 'Boost this Post for more views'. Driving new likes and engagement is a good place to start, but throwing a few dollars at randomly 'boosted' posts is not the way to get the best bang for your buck.
Let’s take a look at how Facebook Ads have have evolved, and how they continue to change:
1) Brand Awareness - Yes, posting on your company page is free, but the organic reach is limited, unless you have several thousand page likes. With Facebook ads, you can expose as many end-users as possible to your brand’s name and products, rather than thew few people who are seeing your Facebook content organically. When the creative is done correctly, these ads appear in end-users’ news feeds and they may not even realize it’s an ad. This is ad camouflaging (you heard it here first).
2) Website Conversions/Clicks to Website - Unlike the long-term strategy of brand awareness, website conversion campaigns are designed for end-users to click on ads and convert on your website’s landing page immediately. Perhaps you are rolling out a new product launch. In conjunction with sending out your own email marketing blasts, hit targeted end-users with a creative Facebook ad campaign. Conversions can happen right in Facebook, or you can drive them to your website.
3) Event Ads - Hosting a regular live cooking demo and need to put new butts in seats? Create the event on Facebook and use it to promote sign ups by targeting specific types of end-users in your region. If you need to drive registrations on your site directly, you may want to use a Click to Website type of ad. Either way, promoting your live cooking demo using Facebook Ads could get you those net new end-users you never knew.
4) Lead Generation (full form) Ads - Don’t want to force your end-user targeted audience to your website? Use Lead Generation ads and collect lead info right in Facebook. Have these leads route right into your CRM. Then use marketing automation to follow up with them and ensure they are ready to talk before you reach out directly.
In order to determine the type of ad you should run, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who do you need to target?
- What is the goal?
- Why are you running this campaign?
- How will you define success?
Determining The Business Impact
But how do you begin? How do you determine your social media spend? The ROI?
Get together with TMC and spend 15-30 minutes talking about Facebook Ads. Book time with us below.