Is Facebook Advertising Worth It? 10 Facebook Advertising Myths, Busted

Are you hesitant to try Facebook advertising? Maybe you heard it's a dying medium. Or you doubt it works for a business-to-business (B2B) company like yours.

Whatever the reason, it's time to consider Facebook advertising. Over 5 million businesses advertise on Facebook each month. One survey shows 39% of Facebook users like a business page to get an offer or discount.

Many consumers say they don't buy a product because they hear about it on Facebook. They buy it based on recommendations they find on social media.

Is Facebook advertising worth it for your company? Keep reading to learn what you should (and shouldn't) believe about Facebook ads.

Myth 1: Facebook Ads Work Like Google Ads

Facebook advertising is different from Google advertising. Each platform operates in its own way. Google Ads work with keywords.

When a user searches for a specific word, Google serves ads that match the keyword. All the ads in Google search results match the topic the person searched.

Facebook is the opposite. Instead of the consumer reaching out to the business, the business must go to the consumer. That doesn't mean Google is better than Facebook, just different.

Myth 2: Facebook Ads Don't Work for B2B

One of the worst myths is the claim Facebook doesn't work for B2B companies. It's a viable advertising platform for all types of businesses.

Facebook ads aren't only for business to consumer advertising. You can target your business audience to:

Generate Leads
Build Brand Awareness
Discover New Customers
Capture Consumers at the Top of the Sales Funnel

Don't dismiss Facebook advertising as ineffective if it doesn't generate immediate sales. Think of it as part of your marketing strategy. Use it to target users by demographics, employer, industry, job title, income, and more.

Facebook lets you create lookalike audiences to find people like your current clients. Build a custom audience using your client's emails, then let Facebook find similar people. Facebook does the audience targeting for you.

Myth 3: You Must Laser-Target Your Audiences

Yes, Facebook can narrow your audience to the exact people who are likely to want your offer. That's useful, but it's not the only way to define your audience.

If you want leads or traffic to your website, use broad ad sets. The size depends on your budget, bids, and goals. Try to keep your ad sets at 300K or more, then assign your budget and bid to match your goals.

A broader ad set gives you more potential customers. Let Facebook's algorithm determine who's interested in your product.

Myth 4: Only Use Smiling Faces in Your Ads

You don't always need a smiling face in ads. Instead, create ads that resonate with your audience. Reveal how they benefit by clicking on your ad.

Here are some best practices for images and copy:

Simple images that are easy to identify
Choose colors that stand out against the blue and white news feed
Grab attention with your headline
Use a value proposition in your body copy
Put a time limit on your offer
Make the offer only for Facebook fans

Sure, a smiling face can help. But only if it's right for your message.

Myth 5: Invest in Page Likes

This is the myth repeated most often. Lots of companies invest in getting page likes. They use likes to measure success. Yet, people who like your page don't always buy.

Don't waste efforts on getting likes. Focus on an ad campaign that results in leads, traffic, and conversions. Your page likes increase when you find people interested in your business.

If you want more likes, invite the people who like your ads to like your page as well. Use your ad account notifications to see who liked an ad.

Myth 6: Retarget Everyone Who Visits Your Site

Retargeting website visitors is the right thing to do. But, don't retarget them all in a single ad set. Targeting every site visitor the same way wastes money.

People visit your site via different ads. They visit distinctive pages on your site. They're at various stages of the sales cycle. Match retargeting to the person. That means different ads, offers, and messages.

Segment your site visitors into custom audiences. Create an audience for the people who visit landing pages via your ad. Make a custom audience for visitors who look at pricing. These people are already interested. They're more likely to buy than someone browsing for another reason.

Myth 7: Right Side Ads Don't Work

Lots of advertisers won't use the right side ads. They had a bad experience or heard about someone who did.

Right side ads work if you separate them into a different ad set. Isolate them and pay for link clicks, not impressions. If you put a right side ad in with a newsfeed ad and pay for impressions, you'll drain your budget. Facebook can show a right side ad to the same user at a high rate. That gives you more impressions, not more reach.

Put a right side ad into its own ad set. Change the setting, so you're charged for clicks. You pay only when someone clicks on the ad. The downside is it's optimized for clicks instead of conversions.

Myth 8: Relevance Score

Don't put a lot of effort into the relevance score. Instead, focus on your results, or cost per acquired user.

Facebook grades ads by relevance to the audience you choose to target. If you get likes and shares, you get a higher score. If people don't share your ads, it doesn't mean they aren't your audience.

The cost to reach the goal of your campaign is more important than your relevance score.

Myth 9: Facebook Ads are Expensive

Many people think advertising on Facebook is too expensive. It isn't true. It's an effective digital marketing platform for a well-executed campaign. Where else can you get results for dollars per day?

Any business can use Facebook to test ad campaigns and ideas. It's inexpensive and accessible. Spend as much or as little as you want, then track your results.

Myth 10: Don't Make Customers an Offer

Why spend time, money, and effort on a digital ad campaign that doesn't make an offer? Give your potential customers an offer they can't refuse. Make it a discount, limited-time deal, or a bonus. They'll click to learn more about your products.

Integrate your Facebook ad with a corresponding page on your website. Link to a landing page that converts to a sale or provides a new lead.