{"id":10197,"date":"2021-08-26T11:08:35","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T15:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/risbdc\/?p=10197"},"modified":"2021-11-05T16:24:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T20:24:12","slug":"8-benefits-of-getting-started-with-facebook-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/risbdc\/8-benefits-of-getting-started-with-facebook-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Benefits of Getting Started With Facebook Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a small business owner, you know that you need to market your brand. At the RISBDC we understand that it can be challenging to figure out where to start, and choose where to put your marketing energy (and dollars!) for the highest ROI.<\/span><\/p>\n

This post will give you a sense of what social media ads can do for your business, and empower you with easy steps to get started with Facebook ads to maximize your business growth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read on for an overview of the benefits of paid Facebook ads from J. Scott Marketing Principal Julia Scott and Marketing Manager Ashlie Woods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of paid Facebook ads<\/span><\/h2>\n

One attractive benefit of having a social media presence is the cost (free!). If you\u2019ve been active on social media, sharing updates and interacting with your followers, you may be wondering why you should consider investing in paid ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, social media also contains a lot of \u201cnoise.\u201d Users have no shortage of content to sift through, from friends and family as well as from brands they follow. The infamous Facebook algorithm, though constantly changing, doesn\u2019t prioritize content from businesses. In fact, Ignite Social Media reports that <\/span>organic content is generally presented to only about 5% of a brand\u2019s followers<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the algorithm prioritizes paid ads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Directing a small portion of your marketing budget to paid social media advertising gets you to show up in your users\u2019 newsfeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once there, paid ads can<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Significantly increase brand awareness<\/b> and name recognition\u2014whether or not your target audience actually takes action directly on the ad. <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Drive traffic to your website<\/b> when users <\/span>do <\/span><\/i>take the simple action of clicking your CTA (call to action). More website visitors = a boost to your search engine ranking.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Target your audience<\/b> very specifically. While a print ad or billboard casts a wide net, paid Facebook ads allow you to drill down into age, gender, interests, and more to target the users most likely to take action.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Remarket to your website visitors.<\/b><\/li>\n
  5. Keep you competitive<\/b>. Your competitors are buying Facebook ads to get in front of your target audience\u2014you need to stay active and relevant. <\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Capture leads and build your email list<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Give you vast data on ROI<\/b> through the Insights feature.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Increase organic reach<\/b>. Once users click on your paid ads, the Facebook algorithm knows they have shown interest and will boost your organic content in their feed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How much should you budget for paid Facebook ads?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Thankfully, social media can be one of the economical forms of advertising. A 2020 study from AdEspresso showed that businesses were paying just <\/span>39 cents per link click<\/span><\/a> on average\u2014far below the cost per lead for radio, TV, print, or a conference sponsorship.<\/span><\/p>\n

    While there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question \u201cHow much should my paid Facebook ad budget be?\u201d, we can give you some guidelines to get started. <\/span><\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re managing ads yourself, start with $100 per month. If you\u2019re working with a marketing team to manage the ads, starting with a minimum budget of $300 per month will give you the most bang for your buck,\u2014then you can increase the budget from there once you\u2019re getting the results you want. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Daily budget and lifetime budget<\/span><\/h3>\n

    You have two options for how to spend your ad dollars: <\/span><\/p>\n