As social media continues to grow and evolve, staying up to date on the latest programs and technology is key to success in today’s market. Facebook ads have emerged as one of the most powerful ways to reach consumers of all ages in today’s market.

With Facebook having over 2.5 billion active users per month, the marketing capabilities and reach are almost endless. Daija McElwee, a digital media strategist at Rare Necessity Marketing Firm sat down with Mogul Millennial to answer some questions on Facebook ads for all current and aspiring marketers.

Why do you think Facebook ads are so important in advertising and social media?

Facebook ads are extremely important because Facebook is the #1 social media around the world.  Even though the younger generation prefers Instagram, Facebook has more buying power due to the age of the users, which means more money!

Also, on Twitter and Instagram, we will see ads that are promoted or boosted. But those ads don’t offer the same detail as Facebook to reach potential customers! In comparison to Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms, Facebook offers more opportunity for market segmentation and narrowing your target market. Also, in comparison, more people buy on Facebook versus Instagram and repeat buyers are more much more common on Facebook as well.

What are some things you use in developing a proper marketing strategy through Facebook ads?

I like to think about how many people I want to reach and what exactly I want them to do. Do I just want them to like the post? Engage? Buy? Knowing this early is essential to any advertisement you will run.

Remember, impressions + engagement=reach.  

Also deciding what type of media, you would like to use to distribute your ad is important. Video, image, text, or something else? Knowing your audience prefers will aid you in deciding what type of media to use.

How long have you been using Facebook ads? And what do you advise to people who are just beginning to use it?

I’ve used Facebook ads since 2017 and I was able to get comfortable with Facebook ads after about three to four months of use after my internship at Imagine Media Consulting. As far as people who are just getting started, I advise they do these things:

Run A/B tests
This type of advertising means trying out different captions and pictures on the advertisements posted on Facebook to gain an understanding of the most efficient way to reach your target audience. Daija recalls one example where A/B testing made all the difference.

“For a campaign, we ran A/B testing and eventually chose a caption from A and put in with the picture for B after looking at the metrics. The impressions and reach doubled after the switch!”

Don’t get comfortable with a warm audience
It is easy to get comfortable with the audience that shows you the most attention(warm audience). However, many times a product/advertisement/campaign is not just limited to one audience. Continue to grow and refine your audience and you will continue to see your reach grow!

What has been your most successful form of advertisement?

The most successful [form] of advertisements I have run through Facebook ads are definitely videos. Most types of videos have success on Facebook. How-to videos, demonstration videos, videos where the person is talking etc. Any ads where people are engaging with the audience will typically do well. I have seen people literally scroll on their timeline and watch a video on mute just because it’s interesting. Even if they don’t click on the video, that is still a view and that contributes to your overall reach!

Can you tell me one of your biggest mistakes using Facebook ads?

For one campaign, I used outdated information for a big client. Running the outdated version of the ad wasn’t the most effective use of money. It wasn’t terrible, but we did end up wasting some of the clients’ money, unfortunately. Double-checking information and sources are key before running any advertisements for clientele.

What defines a high-performing Facebook ad? Can you give an example?

Great content with a great caption will win every time.  I can remember running a security content ad for a company that wanted to expand their market. Initially, they had a strong family image to market their campaign. I was able to sense creativity fatigue with the advertisement so we ran a marketing shoot, switched the image from a family image to more a serious image to represent safety and security. The ad generated almost 10x the reach of the previous campaign just from a rebrand!

Financially, how much should I or my company be looking to invest in a quality ad campaign through Facebook?

Campaigns that do well are usually a five to eight-day ad for a $100 budget. For the beginning range, $25-$100 is okay. However, the price can depend on exactly what type of advertisement you would like. These can be brand awareness ads, page liking ads, or actionable/engagement ads.

As you get more comfortable with Facebook ads you can spend more money and begin to see a difference. The key thing is to use the data from your previous advertisements to learn what your potential customer likes/dislikes and get them to buy with the next advertisement. And if you aren’t comfortable yet, begin to test out Facebook ads with some cheap advertisements. We have interns at our office that spend $3-$6 dollars for an advertisement just to get a feel of the platform and to make mistakes that are not as costly.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Daija has always had the ambition to succeed. While attending the University of West Georgia, she excelled in academics while being involved in several different organizations. After graduation, Daija began working as a digital media intern and eventually moved into her current role as a digital media strategist at Rare Necessity Marketing Firm. In her free time, Daija enjoys making music, traveling, and spending time with friends.