Most local businesses are using Facebook advertisements. That’s what I believe, and I’m backed by the evidence. It’s cost-effective and can help your business grow if you do it right.
What are the Available Ad Objectives for Facebook Ads?
When you create an ad on Facebook for your business, you can choose between 11 objectives which are divided into three categories: awareness, consideration and conversion. Let’s check them out.
Brand Awareness. Usually, these ads don’t get a high click-through rate because their goal is to make people aware of your brand. They are best utilized to attract new customers as the first step in a campaign.
Reach. If you want to have your ad in front of as many people as possible in your target audience, that is the objective for you. Now again, you may not get a ton of engagement here, but you’ll be sure your ad will appear in the feed for your target audience.
Traffic. Traffic ads are created to direct more traffic to the URL that you choose, which is usually a link to your website. Facebook only tracks the number of people that click on your links, which means you’ll need to track conversions separately.
Engagement. Engagement on Facebook means likes, comments and shares. If you want to get more people engagded in your content, this is the objective you should choose for the ad.
App Installs. This one is self-explanatory. If you have an app to sell or promote, the main objective is to choose App Installs.
Video Views. Have a promotional video? Choose the objective of Video Views to have more people watch your video. This goal is ideal for a video demo and explainer video of a product.
Lead Generation. The Lead Generation objective is ideal if you have a great lead magnet to promote because it allows people who see your ad to opt-in and get your lead magnet without leaving Facebook.
Messages. Message ads are created to get more people in your target audience to message you on Facebook for your business. They can be useful in initiating conversations, answering questions and nurturing leads.
Conversions. If your objective is to get more people to take a specific action, like as adding an item to your cart, buying a product, or RSVPing to an event, this is Facebook’s ad objective to pick. It works best when it’s targeted at people who already know your brand.
Catalogue Sales. The Catalog Sales objective is another ad objective that may be effective when targeted at people who already know your brand. You can use it to connect your product catalogue to Facebook and display specific products to your audience.
Store Visits. If you have a general brick-and-mortar store, this ad objective can help your Store attract more local customers. When you use it, you’ll need to make sure your business location(s) in Business Manager is accurate.
First, you should think about which goal you want to attain. Then, pick the Facebook ad objective that will assist you in getting there.
Which Ad Objective is Right for Your Business?
Now let’s talk about which objectives for Facebook ads make the most sense for local companies. Some are simply not good choices if you have a relatively small target audience.
Brand awareness is a good objective, especially if you feel that your competitors have more brand recognition than you have, or if you have not been in business for a long time. You should make sure that the ad you create is a compelling brand representation including the personality, voice and ethics of your brand.
The Reach objective is probably not ideal unless you have a large audience. The aim of that goal is to reach as many people as possible. Local businesses, mostly small, should be steering clear of this objective.
Traffic can be a good objective for small businesses that want to see more people visiting their websites. You should, however, make sure you have a well-designed landing page before spending any money on traffic. Once they click the link, you need to give people a reason to stay on your website.
I like the ad objective for Store Visits for local businesses too. It is arguably the most targeted ad objective available. The key, if you decide to use it, is to make sure your location information is up-to-date. You will also have to target the ad to people living within a small radius of your Store. There is no point in spending money on reaching individuals who are not within easy distance.
If you have an online store, then the goal of Catalog Sales may also be useful. It can help you show off and get your most popular products in front of an audience. Targeting will be important, once again. For the best results, you should be using this ad objective with an audience already familiar with your brand.
If you feel you need one-on-one contact with customers to overcome their buying objections, the Messages objective may be right for your company. However, if you are ready to monitor your messages and respond promptly when people write to you, you should only use this aim. A slow response time can undo
any good the ad itself does.
Visiting the Ads Manager page on Facebook will give you additional information and guidance as you create your ad. Remember, for the best results, the ad objective you choose should be carefully chosen to align with your business growth goals.
