Facebook Advertising Mistakes That Are Costing You

By Matt Ennor | Sunday, July 19, 2020

Could you be using Facebook advertising more effectively?

Are you using Facebook advertising? With over 1.7 billion users logging on every single day, Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform, and therefore an important resource for marketing your business. Many businesses have tried using Facebook Ads or boosting a post. However, we’ve found that many DIY Facebook advertisers still feel a little out of their depth, and are unsure if they’re getting value from their Facebook ads.  

Not being familiar with the features available and a lack of online advertising experience can lead to sub-par ads. These will end up wasting precious advertising dollars, and not achieving the results they should.

Sound familiar? Read on for some common Facebook advertising mistakes that could be costing you.

Problem: You’re Targeting Too Broadly

When we ask a business who their target market is, a simple “everyone” is a common response. While it is an admirable goal to grow your business and reach as many people as possible, in the short term it is more valuable to focus on a specified target market that is likely to buy. This is especially true when it comes to Facebook advertising.

By default, Facebook will set an ad to target every single Facebook user in your area, and many are tempted to leave this setting as is. “Why would I want to exclude anyone from learning about my business?” might be the question on their minds. However, while it is true that anyone could purchase your product or service, it does not mean that they will. Instead, think about who is most likely to engage with your ad. Are they male or female? Are the over 50? Or under 30? Do they live close to you, or in your surrounding regions? Utilising Facebook’s targeting features means that you can focus on advertising to a specific audience that is more valuable to you, rather than wasting money on advertising to people who are not likely to be interested in your product or service.

This will ensure your ad budget will be more effective and achieve better results, even if it means reaching fewer people.

Problem: You Aren’t Using Facebook’s Knowledge

The main reason people use Facebook personally is to tell the world about themselves. Therefore, it is essentially a database of information about people. What do they like doing? What are they interested in? Where do they work? Do they have children? The list goes on. What’s more, all of this information is actually made readily available to you to target through Facebook advertising.

For example, if you sell running shoes, you can set your ad to only show for people who like running. If you’re wanting to sell a romantic experience, you can target couples who are either married or in a relationship. If you want to promote your business’ focus on sustainability, you can target people interested in sustainable lifestyles. The possibilities are almost endless! And yet, this treasure trove of targeting tools often goes completely ignored. A bit of a shame if you ask us!

Problem: You Haven’t Got A Specific Objective

Another common Facebook advertising mistake is simply not having a specific objective. Whenever you create an ad, it’s important to have a defined goal that you want to achieve. Setting an objective also helps Facebook know how to use your budget most effectively. Objectives could include increasing brand awareness, driving website visits, getting more in-store visits or building a larger social media following. It’s no use to create an ad just for the sake of it. Instead, it should always align with a real-world business goal.

Problem: You Aren’t Monitoring Your Ad’s Progress

When it comes to Facebook advertising, it is incredibly easy to set and forget. However, this is not recommended! It is best to monitor your ad regularly, especially how it is being perceived by your audience. For example, people may leave comments asking a question about your product or service. If you only see the comments once the ad has finished, it may be too late to answer, and you may have even lost out on business. Similarly, people may be misunderstanding something in your ad, or find it misleading. In these cases, you might need to edit the ad partway through to make things clearer.

Problem: You Aren’t Tracking Results

Facebook provides you with detailed analysis of how your ad performs, such as how many people it reached or how many clicks it generated. Make sure to keep track of these results to give you an idea of your return on investment. What results did you achieve for your budget? Is it what you were expecting? Is it worth running this type of ad again with a similar budget, or does it need adjusting?

Tip: If you are targeting website visits, make sure conversion tracking is set up on your website. This means you will be able to see how many of your visitors from Facebook ended up converting (doing what you want them to do on your site). Conversions might include making a purchase, contacting you, signing up, making a download, or reading an article.

Problem: Your Landing Page Needs Work

If you are targeting website visits, your landing page is vital. It would be such a shame to invest all that time and money to get people to your website, only for them to leave as soon as they get there! To avoid this, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are sending people to the most appropriate page on your site. If you are advertising a specific product or service, the user will expect to be taken to that particular web page. If you send them to a page where they cannot see anything about the advertised product or service, they will be more likely to leave your website.

Secondly, you need to ensure the customer will have a seamless experience once they reach your website. Once they arrive, is there a logical next step? It’s recommended to have a strong and obvious call to action, such a button or instruction that clearly tells your users what to do next. Put yourself in the mind of the user and ask yourself if your landing page is user friendly and easy to follow. If the answer is no, work on fixing this first before investing in advertising.

Tip: Check how your website looks on a mobile device, as most people will likely see your advertising and click to your website from their phone. If mobile users must scroll a long distance to reach your call to action, you may want to consider moving it. If they have to wait a long time for the page to load, you’ll want to speed it up. It’s all about making it as easy as possible for the user.

Problem: You Aren’t Using Quality Images or Videos

When you’re creating an ad, your imagery or videos could be the difference between success and failure. Facebook is becoming increasingly visual, with more of a focus on rich content that catches the eye. It is important to make sure your creative assets look professional and are a good reflection of your business. If you don’t have any images to use, Facebook does give you the option of using stock images at no extra cost. However, you should only choose stock images that aren’t too specific, as you don’t want to misrepresent your product, service or brand.

Tip: Be wary of showing the same content to the same audience over and over. While a particular image may have worked well the first time, it may not produce the same results in a later campaign. Your target audience will appreciate variety in your content, so keep things fresh by mixing it up from time to time.

Ask The Experts

At Dubzz Digital Marketing, we have a wealth of experience creating Facebook Ads for a wide variety of businesses and industries. If you’re wondering how you can use Facebook advertising more effectively, or would prefer to just leave it to the experts, feel free to get in touch with our team.

Author: Matt Ennor

Matt has been working at Dubzz Digital Marketing since 2017, and is currently our Senior Online Marketing Consultant. He holds a Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies from Waikato University, and Google Ads Certifications in Search, Display, Shopping, and Video.

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