This informal CPD article on 5 Reasons You Should Consider Facebook Ads Training was provided by JC Social Media, a specialist social media agency providing management and training.
The growing use of Facebook
Social media is no longer a fringe marketing activity that only consumer-facing brands from the future should consider. The reality is that the majority of businesses can reach their audience members on Facebook. Quite simply, the majority of the connected world uses Facebook with astounding regularity.
Facebook usage stats
Latest figures from Facebook show the platform continues to grow. It boasts 2.5billon monthly active users with 75% of US adults checking Facebook at least once every single day. None of the other major social networks come close to Facebook in terms of breadth and depth of market penetration. Over three-quarters of Americans aged 18 and 49 use Facebook as well as 46% of the over 65s.
Investing in Facebook ads
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Facebook’s ad revenues have continued to flourish with the firm making $17.4billion in the third quarter of 2019; a 28% year-on-year increase. It’s clear that more and more businesses are investing heavily in Facebook ads so if you’ve never tried it, perhaps it’s time to reassess your marketing strategy.
But it’s not just a case of pouring money into the system and watching the leads roll in. Facebook advertising requires a serious level of understanding of the platform’s capabilities. Here are the top five reasons you should upskill yourself or your team in Facebook ads.
1. Facebook makes it easy to spend money…
…not easy to make it back! It’s not enough to want to spend money on Facebook. Ad spend makes up almost all of Facebook’s revenues so of course, they’re going to make it easy for marketers to start spending. However, the Facebook ads platform has many nuances so the mechanisms through which you see benefit from this spend are complex.
If you’re not familiar with the platform and its core functionalities, it’s highly unlikely you’ll begin spending money effectively. For the uninitiated, most initial forays end badly and, with that, many never want to spend another penny. However, even just a basic understanding can dramatically improve your results.
2. (Almost) all businesses can market themselves there
We’ve seen just how broad Facebook’s user base is. Social media helps brands transcend the confines of traditional B2B and B2C marketing channels. Ultimately, marketing is person to person and social media is the best place for this to happen. Whoever your audience, it is possible to reach them on Facebook.
More and more decision-makers of companies of all sizes are those of the millennial generation who spend a huge amount of time on Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram. Compared to LinkedIn, for example, the cost of advertising on Facebook is dramatically cheaper so learning exactly how to target your audience represents excellent value for money.
3. Achieve more than sales goals
Facebook ads aren’t all about making sales. In fact, getting some expert training will give you the confidence to achieve a range of goals using the platform. One such goal may be to attract applicants to a new role your business has on offer. A well-put-together Facebook ad could attract scores of applicants in your target location and demographic for just a few hundred pounds or less. This also works for recruiting volunteers for a charity.
It’s not just recruitment either. Facebook ads can be used to gather customer feedback or market research. They can be used to disseminate information to key audiences as part of awareness campaigns or from a public information organisation. Matching the goal of the campaign to the nature of the ad setup will help you get the most value.
4. Your skills transfer to Instagram
Learning how to use Facebook’s ads manager means you’ll also be able to run ads on Instagram as it shares the same ads management platform. Instagram is another behemoth social network, passing one billion monthly active users in 2018. The majority of users are under the age of 35 so if this matches part of your target demographic, Instagram ads could be a source of new business for you.
5. Save time and brain space
If you have begun a Facebook ads campaign or have perhaps delegated the duty to another staff member or even external agency, having a deeper understanding of the platform will save you time and brain space moving forward. If you’re struggling to work out the best way to run a brand awareness campaign and are having to Google ideas for images, for example, you’re wasting valuable time.
The same goes for if you’re having to oversee someone else managing your ads budget. Trying to evaluate their work and your return on investment will be challenging without a fundamental understanding of the platform and the metrics.
Facebook basic ads training
Overall, some basic ads training tailored to your business requirements will help you get the results you’re looking for. Whether that’s starting your first ever Facebook ads campaign, achieving better outcomes or achieving the same outcomes but with less input in terms of time and money, upskilling yourself is the way to go.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from JC Social Media, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
