So, you've got your Facebook Business page setup and you're posting regularly. You've even got some likes and shares. That's fantastic! But why stop there? With over 1.79 billion users active on the network each day, there's a ton of real estate to cover, and your content can only reach so far without a little support. That's where Facebook Paid Ads enter into play.

Let's begin with the basics.

What is a Facebook paid ad?

According to Facebook, "With Facebook Ads, you can create targeted advertisements to reach different users and satisfy your company goals." It seems fairly straightforward, but let us elaborate.

Facebook Paid Ads are an easy and affordable strategy for your company to reach a particular demographic. You can promote your custom ads and content to reach an audience of your choosing. What's more, you can use the advertisements to gather data that will help you improve the ads to increase their performance.

How to create an effective Facebook ad

When you're developing your ad, there are a few important variables to consider:

Choose your audience

Choosing which demographics you would like to target is one of the most important parts of optimizing your ad. Picking a wide range is effective for some companies, but you're more likely to see results by narrowing your terms. For example, if you're selling video games you may want to target men and women between the ages of 15 and 40 with interests in video games and entertainment, since that's where your customers are likely coming from. If you've optimized your audience to your business, you'll reach people that will want to follow your page.

Create a compelling message

Your Facebook Ad has limited space, so be sure you're saying specifically what you wish to. Are you offering a deal? Hosting an event? Showcasing products? Make your message relevant to your viewers and offer it a call to action! Don't forget to include a photo, too. Ads with photos are much more likely to get attention than those without.

Change it up

Why make only one ad when you can make two? Creating more than one ad gives you multiple sets of analytics so you can identify which ads work and which ones don't. If you see your ads are working well, it's still important to change them up once in awhile so the message doesn't get old. Consumers get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, so keep it fresh!

You're all set to start! Facebook Ads are an excellent method to get your products and services in front of potential customers. Facebook has some great tools to help you start. Even a low ad budget each month can help you attract new customers and find new business. Although Facebook advertising is extremely important, creating as well as running ad campaigns can be a time consuming project. Think about using our Digital Advertising, and with our reporting, you'll be able to plainly see the ROI and what you're getting for you $$.

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