The way we do marketing has changed. Whilst radio, television, and print media still have their place, the place that most people will be willing to go to is social media. And the largest one on the planet is Facebook.
If you want to reach as many people as you possibly can, you’ll need to know about Facebook E-commerce.
Why Facebook is so important
Facebook started as the brainchild of its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In the beginning, it was just for students at Harvard University to be able to speak to one another, but since then, it has grown into a business giant that has billions of uses across the planet.
After MySpace, Facebook was quick to take its place, and you could argue, if it weren’t for Facebook, social media would not have the popularity that it does today. Millions could see one post on Facebook.
Why you need to know who your target audience is
When you run a company, you need to know who your customers are. And I don’t mean you need to have tea with all of your customers.
Depending on what you’re selling, you’re going to have a specific demographic. If you’re selling make-up, you won’t be selling to middle-aged men.
If you’re selling mortgage plans, you won’t be selling to 15-year-olds.
Knowing whom you will aim your products or services at will enable you to create marketing that will appeal to them, as well as knowing how to work with the Facebook algorithms to ensure that your target market is most likely to find you.
– How to do it –
Leverage Conversion Action
When reading the words “Leverage Conversion Action”, you might think that this is some convoluted idea that you need to be Bill Gates to understand- it isn’t!
The conversion action has four parts.
- Awareness. Make people aware of your company and what you’re selling.
- Interest. Make people start to show an interest in buying from you.
- Desire. Similar to interest but one step further. They now actively want to buy from you.
- Action. Make people hand over their money.
By leveraging this process, you’ll be more likely to turn your leads into customers
Website Custom Audience
A “Website Custom Audience” is an audience that is specific to Facebook. The customization comes from how they have interacted with your page so far.
If you want to throw out a wide net, you could select it for “everyone”. This may mean that your ad will be seen by lots of people, but they may not be the people who are most likely to want what you sell.
You can also target people who have liked your page, shared your posts, or messaged you. These people are more likely to become customers as they will have shown to like or interest in you already.
Target people with similar interests
You can also target people who have liked related pages or pages from your competitors. These are people who are going to have an active interest in what you’re selling.
For example, if you’re selling tax services, you may wish to target people who have liked pages about “how to save money on tax”.
If you’re an estate agent, you might want to target people who have liked pages which show lovely homes.
This method enables you to target people who have shown an interest in the product or service you’re supplying.
Carousel or collections?
On Facebook Ecommerce, you will have two options on how to display them.
Your two options (at this moment in time) will be carousel or collections.
Carousel looks similar to the fairground ride you may remember. You’ll have a movable line of clickable links to your shop or website. Should you go for this option, you’ll need to place your most visually appealing ad at the front, to encourage people to look at the rest.
The other option is collections; these look like what many art students might refer to as a “mood board” with several pictures in one eyeshot, each of them linking to a different part of your shop or website.
Language
The type of language you use in your ad is going to set the tone for how you wish to be perceived by the public.
If you wish to come across as down to earth or casual, you can use more colloquialisms and humor. Such language can be great if your business is in the fashion, customer services, or retail industry.
However, if you would rather come across as professional, you should try to sound confident, and like you know what you’re talking about. This option is better for estate agents, mortgage lenders, and the legal industry.
Pictures
Knowing what kind of pictures you might be using can also impact the tone of your advert.
If what you’re selling is supposed to be associated with fun and happiness, then you could get away with using cartoons, or satirical images.
But if you would rather be professional, it might be better to stick with “boring” photographs.
For example, the human woman/cartoon chicken hybrid that I’ve seen on KFC ads might not have the right tone for an estate agent or law firm.
Likewise, if you’re selling a nightclub event, you probably don’t want to use men in suits.
Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrity endorsements are a bit of a sticky area. If you have a budget which can cover these costs, they might be worth looking into.
The important thing is to make sure the fan base of your chosen celebrity is going to align with your target market. If you’re selling a retirement plan, you probably shouldn’t be using Love Island Contestants.
However, for more formal products and services such as retirement plans, legal advice, or tax help, using a celebrity can make you come across as cheesy and unprofessional.
Conclusion
Facebook Ecommerce is a great way to make sure the people you expose to your product are the people who are most likely to buy it.
Part of this is down to how you create your advert with the pictures and wording you choose to use. But another part of it is using the tools that Facebook provides to target people who have similar interests to what you’re selling.
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