There are a lot of social media channels that have come and gone over the years, but somehow Facebook is still hanging on as the most-used platform and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon. Even as teens flock to TikTok, their parents — i.e., the ones with the money to spend! — are still camped out on Facebook, and most people check their feeds a few times a day. This makes Facebook a great place to advertise any small business.

We provide Facebook Ad services at Main Street ROI, but in addition to creating and running your campaigns for you, we’re also available to give you a helping hand getting started if you plan to manage your advertising yourself. Here are some common questions we hear from small business owners just like you about the ins and outs of Facebook Ads…

1. How do I promote my small business on Facebook? Can I use my Facebook page instead of buying ads?

There was a glorious time many years ago when it was possible to build organic reach on Facebook through your business page. Now, the businesses that are able to achieve this are pretty much unicorns — the vast majority of companies could put years of effort into growing an organic Facebook following that converts to sales and still not see any results. 

Facebook realized there was money to be made from small businesses and free advertising wasn’t the way to make it. Several years ago, they began stifling the organic reach of business pages in an attempt to get them to purchase ads instead. All this is to say, the best way to promote your small business on Facebook is to use Facebook Ads.

2. Are Facebook Ads worth it in 2023?

Every few years, there seems to be a flurry of “the sky is falling” types of articles predicting a mass exodus from Facebook because of privacy concerns, election interference, general fatigue, or a new social media platform. These predictions never seem to pan out, but they do give a lot of small business owners pause when they’re considering taking the plunge into advertising on Facebook. 

So, is it still worth it to advertise on Facebook? Yes, it is! There are a lot of reasons to love Facebook if you’re a small business owner. No other method of digital advertising offers the level of targeting provided by Facebook, which means you can spend your money wisely and make sure you’re getting the ROI you want.

Even with the challenges from Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature (which reportedly cost Facebook $12.8 billion in 2022), our clients are still seeing great success with Facebook Ads.

3. How much does a Facebook ad cost?

The cost of a Facebook ad varies depending on your location, your competition, and a number of other factors. This probably isn’t the cut-and-dry answer you’re looking for, but behind the scenes, each ad space is being auctioned and the highest bidder at any given moment wins out. You’ll decide the total amount you want to spend each day or over your whole campaign, along with the maximum you want to spend for someone seeing your ad or taking your desired action.

4. How do I start a Facebook ad?

The process of advertising on Facebook can be daunting with so many options available.  Here’s an overview of the process:

  1. Choose your objective, or what you want to get out of advertising on Facebook. Building brand awareness? Quote requests? A purchase?
  2. Select your audience and pinpoint the precise demographics you want to target.
  3. Decide where you want to run your ad. 
  4. Set your budget for each day or for the entire campaign.
  5. Pick an ad format.
  6. Submit your ad for review.
  7. Manage your ad and monitor its performance, making adjustments as needed.

5. How do Facebook Ads work?

Users are targeted by Facebook Ads based on their geographic location, demographics, and profile data (likes, interests, etc.). You select a budget and a maximum bid for each action or thousand impressions that your ad receives once it’s live on the site. The users you target will see your ads in the Facebook sidebar or in their newsfeed, and you’ll be able to view reports and track your campaign’s success.

6. Is Google Ads better than Facebook Ads?

Generally speaking, if your goal in advertising is sales or lead generation, both platforms work well, but as a visual medium, Facebook has a leg up when it comes to selling products. If brand awareness or growing social following are important to you, Facebook should be your top choice. Google Ads is ideal for advertising services or anything someone may be searching for on Google, which is especially relevant for service providers like dentists or plumbers. 

Another way to think about it: Facebook works well for selling people something they didn’t know they want or need, while Google is the best for selling people something they’re already looking for.

7. Do Facebook Ads really work?

They do! Not only do Facebook Ads work, but you’ll also be able to see that they work because Facebook offers in-depth reporting to help you understand how your campaigns are performing. If your first campaign isn’t successful, tweak it and try again. We believe almost all small businesses can have success with Facebook Ads, it’s just a matter of crafting the right message and displaying it to the right audience. Our Facebook Ads experts have over a decade of experience doing just that, but if you’re up for a little bit of trial-and-error, it’s something you can manage yourself, too.

8. Does Facebook advertising work for small businesses?

Yes, Facebook Ads aren’t just for huge national corporations — they are an effective marketing tool for small businesses. You’ll be able to get exposure for your business, reach new customers, and build your brand with carefully targeted ads.

9. Is Facebook Ads cheaper than Google Ads?

The average cost-per-click for Facebook Ads is lower than that of Google Ads, but this is like comparing apples to oranges because what you’re really after are conversions. Because people were already searching for your services or products with Google Ads, you’re more likely to have users make a purchase or book an appointment. We recommend monitoring your ROI with both platforms and deciding where you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

10. Should I turn off Facebook Ads at night?

We do not recommend turning off Facebook Ads at night because when you pause an ad, it loses its optimization. Then, when you start it up again, you’re back to square one and it must re-optimize. 

11. How long should you run a Facebook ad?

This is best decided on a case-by-case basis.  Some ads will fatigue, or lose effectiveness, after just a few weeks, while other ads can run effectively for a longer period of time.  The biggest factor here is the target audience.

12. Is it bad to pause Facebook Ads?

We only recommend that you pause advertisements that aren’t doing well so you can devote more of your budget to the ones that are getting results. Don’t feel like you have to see a campaign through to the bitter end or wait to see if things will get better — in our experience, they probably won’t without making some changes to targeting, ad content, or both.

13. Can I see who clicked on my Facebook ad?

No, Facebook doesn’t track the identities of the users who click on your ads, so you won’t be able to access this information. If you want to use Facebook Ads to build a mailing list, set up an ad for that.

14. How do I find my competition’s best-performing ads on Facebook?

Use the Facebook Ad Library to search for their name to view their ads. Another method is to go to their Facebook page and use the navigation on the right side of the page to locate the Page Transparency box. Then, in the Ads From This Page box, select View in Ad Library.

15. How do I optimize my Facebook Ads?

There are many ways to optimize Facebook Ads, so the key is trying a few different methods and seeing what works. We recommend doing A/B testing, and then rotating the ads you’ve been successful with to keep them fresh. When targeting, start with a buyer persona (also known as a customer avatar) to conceptualize your ideal customer and apply their demographics when doing your targeting. Create an enticing value proposition and make sure you have a great call to action.

16. How much do I need to spend on Facebook Ads?

There’s no minimum budget required, but generally speaking, we recommend a minimum of $1,000 per month as a test ad budget to ensure we have enough data to optimize the campaigns.  However, for e-commerce businesses without a lot of historical sales data, we generally recommend a minimum of $2,000 per month.  This will ensure we generate enough sales data or at least enough “add to cart” data to optimize with.

17. What is the Facebook Ad Manager app?

The Ad Manager app gives small business owners like you more power to manage your ad campaigns wherever you are. You can track ad performance and edit existing Facebook Ads using the app for iOS and Android.

18. What is the difference between Facebook Business Manager and Ads Manager?

The Ads Manager is the tool you’ll use to create and manage Facebook Ads campaigns.  You can access the Ads Manager from within the Facebook Business Manager.  Plus, you can access other tools like your Facebook Page, Audiences, and Conversion Events from within your Facebook Business Manager account.  

19. How do you know your Facebook Ads are working?

One key indicator is your Relevance Score, which is similar to the Google Ads Quality Score. Facebook Ads are rated on a scale of one to 10; an ad rated 1 is in dire need of help, while a 10 is a runaway success. Of course, in addition to monitoring metrics on Facebook, you’ll also want to monitor things on your end. Are you seeing an increase in traffic? Phone calls? Purchases or appointments?

Need Help with Facebook Ads?

Click here to request a quote for Facebook Ads management services