I can imagine why you’re keen on learning about Facebook Ads. 

25 percent users who see a social ad respond by visiting that website or store. This makes it a must-have strategy in 2020. With 2.5 billion monthly active users, Facebook has a captive audience, for you to market your offers to.

Facebook Advertising comes with micro-targeting features that attract your target demographics. However, you must familiarize yourself with the different aspects of Facebook Ads and proceed step-by-step with your ad campaign to achieve great results. 

Here is a step by step guide.

1- Open a Facebook Business Manager Account

Facebook’s numerous advertising options can be overwhelming. Cut through the clutter and set up your Business Manager profile. Remember, incorrect account details can thwart your Facebook advertising efforts even before you begin your campaign.

Head over to business.facebook.com and click the ‘Create Account’ button.

Enter your business’ name, your name, email address, and Facebook business page. 

If you don’t have a Facebook business page, just head over to ‘Create a Page’ and click ‘Get Started’ below the Business or brand option.

Now, create or add your advertising account. 

Select ‘Business Settings’ in the Business Manager menu, then go to ‘Accounts’ and ‘Ad Accounts’. 

Businesses that have never advertised on the platform before should press the ‘Create a New Ad Account’ button.

Set up the Business Manager and connect it to your Facebook ad account and business page to view a home screen similar to this:

Think of this advertising hub as your ad campaign’s command center. Navigate to any area of your business across Facebook.

2- Install Facebook Pixel

Want to know whether your ads work? Use the Facebook pixel to know if your ad drives sales on your website.

Create the pixel as a tracking code in your Facebook Business Manager account and add it to your website before you pay for ads. 

View all actions being taken by visitors coming to your site via your Facebook advertisements.

Find out whether your ads drove results as well as the audiences and creative pieces those conversions came from.

3- Pick Your Objectives Wisely

Never lose sight of your campaign objective when using Facebook Ads Manager. In fact, the platform will prompt you to select an objective for the campaign.

Take your pick from 11 objectives. Go through the list and select the most appropriate one to give Facebook a better idea of what your business wants to do, including:

• Brand awareness
• Site traffic
• Engagement
• App installs
• Video views
• Lead generation
• Messages
• Reach
• Conversions
• Catalog sales
• Store traffic

Help the platform present you with the most relevant ad options to achieve your business objective.

4- Set Up Your Ad Set

Once you decide your campaign objective, establish your ad set, including:

• Right audience to target. 
• Budget you wish to spend
• Placement of ads in Facebook products

Provide more details so Facebook can optimize for the type of event you want.

Target the Right Audience

Avoid wasting money by broadcasting ads to random Facebook users. Harness the power of Facebook advertising to choose your target audience and show your ads to people interested in your products and services.

Facebook’s expansive built-in targeting includes options like:

• Locations
• Age
• Gender
• Languages
• Job Titles
• Relationship
• Education
• Work
• Financial
• Home
• Ethnic Affinity
• Generation
• Parents
• Politics
• Life Events
• Interests
• Behaviors
• Connections

Check out the Custom Audiences option as well. It lets you target Facebook users who exist in your business’ contact database, visited a site page with a tracking pixel, or used your app.

Narrow your targeting criteria with Facebook’s audience definition gauge. Use the tool to know your potential reach number by evaluating all your selected properties.

When you find a group that responds positively to your ads, save the audience for later use.

Consider your objectives if you cannot choose between a broad audience or a specific one.

Core Audience

Find customers based on demographics, gender, interests, location, and behavior. Give your ads the best chance of conversion by hyper-targeting your audience. Increase effectiveness by establishing customer personas beforehand.

Custom Audience

Upload the contacts of existing or old customers you wish to re-engage with. Blend your business’ physical activity with your online presence to develop a better relationship with your target audience.

Lookalike Audience

These include people you have not engaged with earlier, but who fit the criteria of your ideal audience based on comparisons with existing customers.

Decide Your Budget

Select between a daily budget or a lifetime budget.

Daily Budget

Go for this option if you want your ad set to run 24 X 7. Use a daily budget if you want Facebook to pace your per-day spending. Please note the minimum daily budget is $1 and must be twice your CPC at least.

Lifetime Budget

Want to run your Facebook ad for a specified period? Select the lifetime budget option so Facebook paces your spend over this time frame.

Turn on the advanced options for more budgeting specifications.

Schedule: Select whether the campaign runs continuously or immediately. Also, customize the start and end dates, and modify parameters so your ads run only during certain hours and days of the week.

Optimization: Bid for objectives, impressions, or clicks as per your business needs. Pay for your ad to be displayed to your target audience. However, Facebook controls the maximum bid.

Select manual bidding to prevent Facebook from setting optimal bids. You can still view a suggested bid based on the behavior of other advertisers to get an idea of what you should aim for.

Delivery: Select standard delivery if you want your ads to be shown all day. Accelerated delivery, on the other hand, helps you reach the audience quickly for time-sensitive ads.

Select the Placement

Decide where you want the ad to show up apart from the News Feed. Your ad can appear in other Facebook-owned properties such as Messenger and Instagram via the Facebook Audience Network. It all depends on your target consumers as well as the type of ad.

Ideally, choose automated placements for your ad. This way, Facebook can optimize for your campaign objective using every placement available to achieve the best results.

5- Create Your Ad

Facebook ads take different forms, each of which is designed to help you achieve your business objective and resonate with your target audience.

Select your preferred ad format. Then enter the ad copy as well as the associated media components. Choose formats based on your campaign objective.

Be certain your ad text provides all the information viewers want. Also use Facebook hashtags as an opportunity to interact with your followers. But make sure any text above the fold is extremely compelling. Hook them right from the top!

Find the preview tool near the bottom of the page and use it to ensure your ad fits every potential placement, including right column, desktop news feed, and mobile.

When you are satisfied with your selection, press the ‘Confirm’ button for submission. You will soon receive an email from Facebook notifying you about the approval of your ad.

6 – Pay Attention to Ad Specs

Keep numerous details in mind while preparing images and videos for your Facebook ads. Remember that these details change often.

Please notice the recommended character counts while creating your Facebook ads. Any text beyond the limit will get cut off.

Include a suitable headline, link description, body text and campaign objective for your image ads, video ads, Facebook Stories ads, carousel ads, slideshow ads, collection ads, instant experience ads, and Messenger Inbox ads.

Track your Facebook ad’s performance via the Facebook Ad Manager and your marketing software.

Check Your Ads

Once you have created your Facebook ads, it’s time to check them. 

If you have created location specific campaigns then you can use a VPN to bypass the Facebook location restrictions to see your ad. 

For example, if you want to see your ads in Australia then you can use a VPN for Australia to bypass the geographic restrictions and see your ad. 

What’s Next?

Use Facebook ads to grow your business. The platform is easy to use without any digital marketing experience. Simply learn the basics of Facebook advertising and set up your account correctly to launch a successful campaign. Trust Facebook ads to fuel your business as it grows!

If you’d like more directed training on how to leverage Facebook Ads for your business, you should invest in Amanda Robinson’s Swift Kick In The Ads training.