So, do Facebook ads work?
At least a couple of times every week, people tell me a version of the following:
“I spent (x amount of money) on Facebook ads. I got some new likes, but it didn’t attract any new customers / clients”.
Successful online advertising is hard. No, giving Facebook (or Google, etc) your money and placing your ad isn’t hard. They make that part really simple.
The hard part is learning how to make money, buying ads for your business.
Do Facebook ads work? Here’s the challenge
Facebook ads are sold as a super-fast solution. The pitch looks like this: You can quickly get your ad in front of thousands of local, potential customers. Surely, with all those people seeing your ad, some of them will take action and hire you or buy from you.
It’s tempting, to say the least.
The reality is very different. Ad buying is NOT a quick fix. It’s a slow burn, which is MARKETED to you as a quick fix.
It may be true that 100,000 people near you can potentially see your ad. But that doesn’t mean Facebook ads work. This is because it’s really tough to get those people to do what you need.
- You need them to notice your ad. And people are getting better and better at filtering out online advertisements.
- You then need your ad to motivate them enough, so that they click on it. This is tricky, even for the pros.
- You then need them to visit your website.
- You then need them to feel inspired enough by your site, to either hire you, buy from you or make an enquiry. Even if the advertising platform has worked for you, your site needs to compel people to take action.
Do Facebook ads work? Think medium to long-term
If you want to buy ads on any online platform, accept in advance that it’s likely to take time and money, before you make a healthy profit. It’s not a magic bullet. If you go into ad buying with a medium to long-term mindset, you’ll give yourself the best chance to make it work.
And make no mistake, online advertising (including Facebook ads) can work exceptionally well. That’s why good advertising professionals are paid a fortune. Just don’t expect to hit the advertising jackpot by dabbling with a few ads, when times are tough and you need a quick fix.
You could get lucky. But luck isn’t a strategy.
So go into it (or any form of advertising) with your eyes wide open. Unless you already know what you’re doing, online advertising is a slow burn. Not a quick fix.
So, do Facebook ads work? If you have the time and money to learn how to us them effectively, then they can work. Do Facebook ads work for small business owners in need for quick results? No. Without knowing exactly what you’re doing, you’re unlikely to get fast results.