Marketing Blog Post by Alicia Piazza, The Spark Social, Inc. 

You may be at this point in your own paid social media marketing journey, caught between giving up and complete despair. If you are not seeing the results you want, don’t lose hope! There are some simple things you can change and common mistakes you can avoid. Here are the MOST common mistakes we have seen made, changing these simple things could make a big difference.

Common Mistake #1: Boosting Your Posts & Not Using a Sufficient Budget

Boosting – just don’t do it. Boosting is the gateway to spending money on Facebook ads, but it is also a money pit. Instead of boosting, set up your ads in Business Manager or Facebook Ads Manager. You will have the option to select an objective, use more detailed targeting, split test, set up long term campaigns, see better analytics and reporting, and create custom audiences. This is just the tip of the iceberg! The boost button is there because its enticing and easy to use, bypass it and go right to Ads Manager.

When it come to budget, the boost button has also permitted businesses to think that they can spend $20, $50 or even $100 on Facebook ads and see real results. Ladies and gentleman, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Sure you will ‘reach’ more people by boosting your post with $20, but if you really want sales, leads, and new business, it is going to take a long term, calculated and serious budget. So please, for the love of marketing, refrain from using that boost button!!!

Common Mistake #2: Your Ad Copy and Message

Would you walk into a networking event or up to a person on the street and say ‘Hi, I am ABC Dental Company. When do you want to become my patient?’ No, you wouldn’t, or at least I hope you wouldn’t….

All too often we turn to Facebook and Instagram and promote a post that asks viewers to ‘Book Now’, ‘ Buy Now’, ‘Call Now’ without the viewer having previous knowledge of your company or brand. You must give your marketing time and form a strategy with your ads that lets consumers build trust with your brand. Be helpful and relevant, lead them through the process and offer great incentives or promotions to get them in the door!

Common Mistake #3: Get Back to Basics and Get Personal

If you didn’t do your homework, you’re most likely not going to pass the course. The basic marketing concept needed to make Facebook Ads more effective is identifying your personas, your customer buckets, your avatars… whatever you call them. You need to do your homework and this actually applies to all your marketing. Know your audience and have them segmented and identified. Start by defining your customer base by age, demographic, location, behaviors, interests and more. Then, really get to know them. Who are they and what pain points do they have? What do they value or care about? What makes them want to do business with a brand?

Make it personal

Give each persona a name and identity. So for instance “Mary” is a mom of 2 pre-teen children. She is busy with a full time job and her children’s activities. She cares about things like healthy meals for the family and how to stay organized. She values easy online shopping and online reservations or appointment making. The convenience of doing things with ease on her mobile device make her life easier.

When you know your audiences problems you can position your business to solve them. So you would market and advertise to Mary with offers, value points, and solutions that appeal specifically to her needs.

Facebook ads work, yet many businesses have a hard time obtaining results. If you start to work on these 3 common mistakes I shared, you’re on the right path.

If you are still not sure how to make Facebook Ads work, let us do a free account audit and consultation with you!

About Alicia Piazza
alicia@thespark.social

Alicia’s passion for Marketing stems from seeing client success brought on by innovative, creative & custom approaches. She has over 8 years of media experience which includes media buying, print, direct mail, event marketing, and all aspects of social media and digital marketing. Alicia’s goal for Custom Marketing Solutions is to remain a local company that can help other local businesses thrive by providing them with unique and affordable options. In her spare time, she enjoys fitness and spoiling her puppy Olive.

The Spark Social, Inc.
55 Cromwell Street, Ste 1F
Providence RI 02907
203-464-4912