Move beyond boosted posts and tap into the power of Facebook Ad Manager.

Consumers are now spending 2/3 of their screen time on their mobile devices. The vast majority of this time is on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. To be able to sell a consumer we have to reach them where they are spending their time and right now that means on these social media platforms and on their mobile devices. This means advertising with Facebook which also owns Instagram.

Many cleaning companies have been using boosted posts for years because they are so easy to use.  However the more powerful tool is the Facebook Ad Manager, which you can reach by going to Facebook.com/business. The Ad Manager will let you design very specific targets based on gender, age, geography, income, and interests. Once you have a specific target market you can make a very specific advertisement for them. For this example, I want to let dog owners know that our company knows how to remove dog hair from furniture. The screen shot below is targeting dog owners who also own a home worth more than $200,000.

Great, so now I have my target, but I still need to design my advertisement. Facebook’s Ad Manager has thousands of free images we can use or we can upload one of our own. In this case I decided I want an image of a dog on a couch. I simply searched for that phrase and Facebook offered me tons of great free images.

At this point, Facebook gives me the chance to change the text that goes around the image. There is no need for a graphic designer. As you fill out the fields on the left, the advertisement on the right will change. In this case I would change the text to talk about how the dog’s favorite place in the house is also yours, and we know how to remove the pet hair he leaves behind. We can even add an offer to the advertisement. Facebook gives you a preview of how the advertisement will appear on mobile devices and on a PC, so you can make sure it looks good in multiple formats. Or you can change the advertisement’s settings so the ad only shows up in one type of device or another. The options are nearly endless and very easy change.

This article could go on for pages and still never cover everything you need to know about Facebook’s Ad Manager Tool. However, I hope it accomplished the goal of making you realize that when you hear people talk about the success they are having advertising on Facebook, they are not just talking about the content of their Facebook Business Page or even boosted posts. Chances are when you hear someone talking about their success with Facebook marketing, this is the tool they are using.  Next week we will get into more details with 5 tips for Facebook Marketing Success. Between now and then, get into your Ad Manager and get familiar with this powerful marketing tool.

Join Me in Indy, April 8th

Dealing with irate customers is a lot easier when you have the information and tools to handle them effectively. So is marketing. Join me for my upcoming event, Spring Growth 2017. It takes place April 8, 2017 in Indianapolis. ARCSI members get a $50 discount when they enter the code ARCSI50 at checkout.  For more information, click here.

Derek Christian is founder and owner of My Maid Service, Cincinnati’s largest, independent professional cleaning company. Prior to that, he spent twelve years at P&G working on household cleaning products. Derek is Co-publisher and Director of Business Development & Sales for Cleaning Business Today, and a partner in Cleaning Business Builders.