Over the last five years, Facebook Ads has evolved from a primitive social network advertising system into one of the most effective display platforms online. Once an accessible network with limited targeting options, the social networking giant’s ad system now boasts features such as retargeting and a choice of CPM and CPC bids.
Despite this immense targeting potential, many advertisers mistakenly apply the same type of thinking to Facebook as they would to a standard media buy. Given Facebook’s incredibly low clickthrough rate – as low as 0.05 percent on most ad campaigns – the social network requires a very different strategy to succeed.
If you’re running the standard Facebook advertising campaign – a broad-targeted campaign aimed at millions of people – you’re unlikely to get far. Thanks to the ad layout, in which almost all advertisements are small and easy to miss – broad ads, particularly those that work so well on display networks, often fail on Facebook.
The types of advertisements that prosper tend to be ultra-targeted ads aimed at tiny audiences. 50,000 people – a drop in the ocean for a display campaign – is the sweet spot for Facebook. Any larger and advertisers risk losing their clickthrough rate due to rapid onset banner blindness – a major issue with large Facebook campaigns.
If you’re struggling to get the results you want from your Facebook campaigns, use keyword targeting and demographic targeting options to decrease your reach while increasing your focus. Hyper-optimized local and interest-based campaigns can get great clickthrough rates, with good ads often reaching above one percent CTR.
Avoid falling into the typical display network thinking with Facebook and give the social network the focus it deserves. With tight keyword grouping and a focus on a unique campaign, you’ll experience fantastic results from Facebook’s inexpensive, immensely customizable advertising solutions.
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