Want More Prospects? Here’s How Facebook Advertising Will Evolve in 2018

Want More Prospects? Here’s How Facebook Advertising Will Evolve in 2018

close up of facebook advertising page on a computer screen facebook is the largest social media network on the web

Billions of users reside on Facebook. The targeting is so specific, you can even turn off ads to people who have clicked on them before. It can also be inexpensive if you know what you’re doing. No wonder it’s one of the top advertising platform for marketers.

In the next year to come, we can all expect Facebook to evolve in deeper ways. These evolutions include both new features and shifts in the way business will be able to use Facebook ads to reach prospects.

Let’s explore the most important Facebook advertising trends for 2018. With them, you can improve your marketing funnel and hopefully find more leads than ever in the coming year.

The Importance of Facebook Video Ads

young girl watching mobile video smart phone wear headphones lying on bed

Video marketing is a powerful way to connect with customers. A well-made video can be entertaining, informative and very engaging. It can allow you to provide valuable information to your customers.

Video is one of the most shareable forms of online content, too, which makes it ideal for many businesses who know they can count on their customers to be brand ambassadors and share the video on social media.

Mobile audiences eat up video more hungrily than ever. Altogether, Facebook users watch over 100 million hours of video a day.

With just a few Facebook video ads, you can improve engagement and prospecting. You also help people remember your messaging since people remember video almost seven-times better than they do text.

More Diverse Ad Types

In addition to video ads, Facebook has been quietly diversifying their ad inventory. Marketers and small business owners can use these ad formats to accomplish specific business goals.

  • Carousel ads can use multiple images, multiple offers, or multiple USPs in one go, providing a richer experience and a more compelling CTA.
  • Slideshow ads use lightweight video to load faster and intrude less on the browsing experience. They can be a great transition for small businesses looking to create more video.
  • Collection ads allow users to browse through multiple products or informational pages in-app. This grows awareness while generating less friction compared to an outbound link.
  • Canvas mobile Facebook ad formats transform your ad from a single video or image into a full screen, scrolling experience. Use them to showcase high-quality assets or nurture prospects further along in the buy cycle.
  • Dynamic ads can use a single ad template to promote several products or create customized pitches for different segments. These ads maximize relevance and returns while helping you A/B test more quickly.
  • Link ads include a prominent, customizable CTA button to direct prospects to a landing page or offer. They encourage action, increasing conversions.
  • Lead ads incorporate a lead capture form directly in the app! We’ll explain the significance of this ad type and similar formats below.

Understanding and taking advantage of these Ad Types will be a large key to success.

Facebook Likes to Keep People On The Facebook Platform

Ad formats like lead ads and collection ads keep audiences in-app as they interact with your brand.

For instance, Lead ads pull up a lead capture form in-app and auto populates it with information from the users Facebook user profile. This feature dramatically reduces friction in your marketing funnel, encouraging more prospects to convert thanks to the simpler process. You also reduce the number of needed assets by getting rid of certain landing pages.

Because of these abilities, Hubspot asserts that Lead ads can “skyrocket conversion rates and make mobile ads more effective for B2B marketers.”

Understanding Facebook’s goals for their user experience will enable you to get the most out of your Facebook advertising budget.

Paid Advertising Increases (As Organic Reach Nosedives)

chart going through the floor. economic crisis concept.

Facebook is the largest social media site, and its users have a very high level of engagement, with many of them visiting the site multiple times each day.

You probably already have a Facebook page, but if you’re not also using some of Facebook’s paid advertising options for local businesses, you’re missing out on some concrete and affordable ways to attract new customers to your website.

While social media offers an easy way to reach out to users wherever they live, local businesses need to be able to focus their advertising on the people who are most likely to turn into customers.

Facebook Local Awareness Ads are a great way to do that. To run one, all you need is a Facebook page for your business that includes your street address. Facebook will take care of the targeting based on your zip code.

Of course, you’ll need to write a good ad and include a compelling image. But after you do that, Facebook offers an array of ways to engage with customers using their call to action buttons:

  • Message Now is a button that lets customers send a private message right to your inbox, which can be great if you want to encourage questions.
  • Call Now is a button that allows mobile users to call your business with the click of a button. It’s a very important feature to consider if you feel that the majority of your customers are accessing social media on their mobile devices.
  • Get Directions lets customers get interactive directions to your business using their mobile devices.
  • Learn More will redirect customers to the page of your choice on your website, allowing you to share valuable information with them or encourage them to sign up for your list.

All the above options can help increase traffic to your site. Because Facebook ads are pay-per-click, you get the benefit of exposure because many customers who see your ad might not click it.

It might be tempting to think that a customer who doesn’t click is one who found the ad to be ineffective. Just remember – many customers need more than one engagement with a brand before they make a purchase.

A customer who sees your ad several times over the course of a month may walk into your store one day without ever having clicked your ad.

Take Advantage of Facebook Advertising Trends in 2018 and Beyond

close up shot of a young man uses facebook app on the new apple iphone 6s in the office

By looking to the above Facebook Advertising trends your business can find greater successes in reaching your ideal prospects to grow in 2018.

Make sure you combine your Facebook Advertising strategy with other digital marketing practices for maximum gains.

 

 


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How to Reach Your Intended Audience with Facebook Ads

If you want to ensure you’re getting the best results from your Facebook ads, you need to know they’re reaching the right audience. The good news is, thanks to the social media giant’s huge range of targeting options, this couldn’t be easier. 

By only reaching the people who actually matter, your ads have a lot more value and in turn deliver a much higher conversion rate. So how exactly can you ensure you’re reaching the right audience?

Location and demographic targeting

Two of the most powerful targeting options available when you create a Facebook ad are location and demographic. You can choose exactly where you want your customers to be based. This is especially useful for local businesses focused solely on drawing in local customers to their stores.

Narrowing down the location is only the first step. The next is to target specific demographics. You need to think about the type of consumer that’s going to be most interested in your product.

For example, will Millennials be more interested in what you have to offer, or would your services best suit those over the age of 40? You can specify certain age groups when targeting your ad to ensure you’re reaching the most appropriate audience. That’s not all, you can also target things such as:

  • Gender
  • Relationship status
  • Employment

The more you narrow down your audience, the better the results you’ll have. However, one thing you should be careful of is behavioral targeting. While it may seem clever, 68% of consumers state they are not ok with targeted ads that follow them around based upon their behavior.

The benefits of running multiple ads

Of course, targeted ads largely only help if you know WHO you are targeting in the first place. However, it is possible to develop a deeper understanding of your target audience by running multiple ads.

It can be extremely beneficial to run several targeted ads at the same time, each targeting a different demographic or location. That way, you can see exactly which groups are most interested in your product.

You may just be surprised to discover that a different group of people to those you initially planned to target are more interested in what you have to offer. 

It’s pretty simple to set up a targeted Facebook ad. The options are automatically presented to you once you’ve chosen your ad objective. However, it is a good idea to do your research first. That way, you’ll know exactly who you should be targeting and which options have the best chance of success.

Learn more about online marketing by visiting JVI Mobile Marketing or by contacting us!