Most small businesses never grow past their first few years of operation, and many don’t even survive that long. But there are thousands of examples of small businesses that have succeeded in making it to become large companies with hundreds of thousands or even millions of customers. If you want your small business to be one of these success stories, you need to set yourself apart from the competition with an effective ad campaign that will drive customers to your business and keep them coming back time and time again. This article will show you how to use Facebook ads effectively to grow your small business.
4 Ways Facebook Ads Can Help Small Businesses
Facebook is a proven source of targeted traffic for small businesses. Here are five ways you can use Facebook ads to promote your small business
- Facebook Offer – By offering $5, $10, or more off select products, you’ll drive customers directly from your ad straight to checkout.
- Lead Generation with Facebook – When done correctly, lead generation on Facebook will grow leads and sales at an exponential rate!
- Event Promotion – Holding an event? Promote it and bring new customers into your store by offering early ticket discounts or free giveaways!
- Facebook Video Ad Promotions – Do you have a video series or want to make video content that helps people solve a problem or learn something new? Run video ads.
An Estimated Reach of 40 Million Users Everyday
Even though Facebook is now giving preference to organic posts over paid ads, targeting your audience on Facebook can still be a powerful way for small businesses to grow their reach. According to an AdWeek report, approximately 40 million users are exposed to content on Facebook every day through targeted campaigns and organic posts. While you’re likely familiar with traditional forms of advertising—such as billboards or print magazine ads—you may not have considered using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as a way of getting your business in front of new people. Small businesses should definitely explore advertising opportunities on popular social media sites; according to Social Media Examiner, 86% of marketers rate social media as effective or very effective when it comes to generating leads and improving sales.
A Targeted Audience
Before you start running Facebook ads, first you need to find your target audience. Start by thinking about who’s likely to buy your product or service. For example, if you run a gardening business, look for people in your area who are interested in lawn care or landscaping; chances are that many of them also have yards. Try identifying users based on their interests: If they’re following any specific gardening groups on Facebook, for example, then you know they probably care about plants and gardens.
The Ability to Retarget Users Who Click on Your Ad
After choosing your target audience, you can use a retargeting strategy to reach users who have already visited your website or landing page. Retargeting is essentially an advertising method that allows you to follow potential customers around online by showing them specific ads based on their previous browsing activity. With small business advertising, you should work backward from your end goal. If you want more people to visit your website, consider which platform will give you access to those people in order make it happen: Google AdWords or Facebook ad manager?
Affordable Cost Per Click Rates
If you’re just starting out, you might think that a high cost per click is necessary. But before you get scared off, consider these two factors: The first is how much your product or service will cost and whether there are any competitors in your industry. If it costs $10 for a customer to purchase from you, then paying $0.60 for them to see an ad isn’t so bad after all. On top of that, if there aren’t any companies advertising against your specific keywords, then there won’t be as much competition—and you can save on those bids too!
A $5 Budget Can Get You Far
Before you launch your Facebook ad campaign, it’s important to set a budget for how much you plan on spending. You should expect to spend between $1 and $5 per day, depending on your company size and product/service offering. Some businesses can find success with a much higher budget than that (think $50+), but anything below $1 is unlikely to bring any results. With that said, don’t go overboard either! The idea behind a small budget is that it allows you control over which ads are being shown—the more times you can test out what works best for your business, the better.
Using a Merchant Cash Advance to Fund Your Ad Campaign
If you’re trying to grow your small business, you might want to look into advertising on Facebook. It can be a tricky and expensive process, but if done right (and with some support) it can pay off big time. However, using an advertising platform like Facebook means paying up front; a few hundred dollars per day could cost tens of thousands in advance. If you’re trying to expand quickly, or don’t have capital lying around, how do you fund your marketing efforts? A Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) from United Funding Group is an easy-to-use way to help fund business expenses that get paid back over time out of your existing cash flow.
To find out if a merchant cash advance is right for you, contact United Funding Group at 1-954-287-4539 or fill out our online form. We can help you take your business to new heights! When used wisely, advertising can play a huge role in growing your small business and increasing sales. Contact us today to get started.
