The Real Cost of Facebook Advertising

“How much should I spend and when?”

“What kind of ROI (Return On Investment) will I get back?”

“Boost? Like? Poke? Huh?!?!”

As a business owner or entrepreneur, Facebook advertising can be totally necessary yet completely overwhelming at the same time.

There are many tough questions when it comes to spend and social media, but they’re not impossible to figure out with the right tools.

And before frustration sets in, just remember, the feeling is natural and mutual, most of your counterpoints feel exactly the same way.

You can find the right balance for your biz by identifying the real costs and examining the tough questions, which, as luck would have it, we’ll begin to discover with you now.

 

Follow These Steps

First, do your research—with Google! There are dozens of beneficial resources—people who have already done much of the higher-level homework for you. Some of our fave places to get serious (& free) info are…

• Rand Fishkin (@randfish) and his team at Moz
• Social Media Examiner — Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
• AdEspresso blog
• Kissmetrics blog

If you’re feeling even more ambitious, take a free class or webinar (check out Constant Contact’s online social media marketing freebies), after all, you owe it to yourself to be as knowledgeable as possible for your business’s growth.

 

Have a Facebook Advertising Objective

By being able to answer the age-old Who, What, Where & Why (& How) questions you’ll give yourself peace of mind investing in your beginning stages on advertising on Facebook.

First, you have to identify the Who – this is your audience. You can choose how you target them in this first step, but first determine who they are:

• Are you targeting current fans with a special promotion or trying to reach a new demographic to introduce them to your brand? Being able to identify why you’re targeting that who is imperative.
• Then dive into the special interests, geographic location and other valuable data that will help you streamline your set. This is how you’ll target them.

Next, the What/Where – this is the content you’re sharing (the what) and also where you’re placing your ad. Different types of ads include different information. Here are the variations straight from Facebook’s list:

And finally, Why – what is your reason for advertising? Brand exposure, driving sales, website visits, collecting emails or leads are usually the top reasons.

As we mentioned, the key to any valuable, successful ad push is to keep learning and identifying the resources and tools that make your endeavors a little easier. Find the ones that make sense to you and put them to work.

Remember, there is no mathematical equation or magic spell to make digital marketing most beneficial, but you can always discover ways to help make your message stand out.

Consider Facebook advertising as an experiment in identifying your audience and learning to improve your message as you go. We recommend beginning with small tests and growing only as you begin to feel more confident in your understanding.

Knowledge is power; you’ve got this!

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