Facebook, once just a simple website for sharing photos and statuses with friends, has now grown into a network of over one billion people and a major advertising platform for businesses everywhere.

As a business owner, you’ve probably been told for some time now that a social media presence is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. Simply being present on Facebook is no longer sufficient for a business. With competition increasing everyday, it takes more than just occasional posting to get your page or website seen. This is where Facebook Ads come in.

Facebook Ads work in a similar fashion to Google AdWords. They utilize a bidding system that allows you to set up how much you are willing to pay per click or per 1,000 impressions (people who will potentially see your ad). However, when it comes to targeting, Facebook exceeds Google AdWords abilities by allowing you to target new customers based on the following demographics:

• Location: Target customers in specific countries, states, cities or zip codes
• Age & Gender: Select the age range and gender of the people who will find your ad relevant
• Interests: Reach audiences based on their listed interests. For example, if your customers are dog owners, you can target people who like “german shepard” and “poodle” as well as people who are in the broad category Pets (Dogs).
• Connections: Decide which connections to share your ads with. For example, people who have liked your Page or joined your group or Facebook Event.
• Behaviors: Hone in on your target audience based on their previous actions, preferred devices and digital activities.
• Custom Audiences: Target ads to a specific set of people with whom the business has already established a relationship on and off of Facebook.

Each ad placed on Facebook can help you achieve different objectives such as clicks through to your website, increase Facebook page likes, or you can even drive the audience to a specific page of your site to help increase conversions (results from a Pay Per Click campaign).

Adding Facebook Ads is a great way to expand your digital marketing efforts and take advantage of the #2 most visited website in the world! Speak to an expert at Ferocious Media today to learn more about this powerful network.