For those looking to explore the possibilities of paid advertising on Facebook, you have your work cut out for you. However, recent changes at Facebook have possibly opened up a window of opportunity for advertisers looking to augment their CPC strategy. Coupled with the recent change to Facebook fan pages (instead of becoming a fan, now you simply “Like” a business page), successful Facebook advertisers are seeing higher click-thrus more converting than ever before. This seemingly small semantic change amounts to higher click-thrus and conversions because quite simply, it’s feels like less of a commitment.

The Conversion Occurs When A Visitor “Likes” You

FB advertisers who are sending clickers to their web page or wall are missing the opportunity created by this semantic shift. The bottom line is, you want your audience to “Like” your fan page so your updates begin to appear regularly on their wall. If you send a visitor to your wall or your website, there is a greater likelihood they will browse-and-abandon. Remember, your intention should be to draw them into your inner circle and capture those Fans. Once a visitor becomes a fan…excuse me, LIKES your page, every message you post moving forward will appear on their wall. Those “Likes” are the equivalent of (if not greater than) the value of an email address. Once you have it, let the drip marketing campaign begin!

Create A Custom Landing Page

Visitors who are not yet fans of your page can be driven to a landing page of your own design. From this point, use your imagination on how to incentivize a visitor to Like your page. “Exclusive offers for FB fans only! But first you must become a fan…click the “Like” button above!”

Ad Development

The bottom line is the more ads you test, the more effective your campaign will be. Finding the handful of ads that appeals most to your audience will obviously yield more clicks. But did you know it will also reduce your cost-per-click? That’s true! In your ads, you have to ask your visitor to like your ad. “Click the like button to show some support!” It’s also extremely important to rotate your ads. Any ad left in place too long will see a dropping return.

Campaign Setup

Their advertising interface is extremely easy to use, and requires very little technology comprehension. This should be highly attractive to those looking to spread their wings in the world on PPC. Furthermore, their segmentation abilities are amazing; not only can you target based on age, location, and gender, but you target consumers based on religion, sexual orientation, and relationship status. Even more amazing is their ability to create search parameters within users profile to advertise (e.g. “target anyone who lists Tool as their favorite band and Watership Down as their favorite book”). If you choose a larger campaign, you create a plethora of ultra-targeted ads in a sort of micro-segmentation.

The Catch:

While the technology is great, a Facebook PPC campaign is a hands-on job. For those considering creating 1 ad and sending it down the river, I wouldn’t count on substantial results. Also, like any PPC campaign, it’s easy to let the cost of ads get away from you. Of course you can set a budget, but you have to pay attention to your cost-per-click.

The Takeaway:
If you want to test content in a limited fashion, or have a high-end product that doesn’t require widespread response, the segmentation abilities of Facebook ads are great. This is especially true for those who are not technologically savvy. If you want to run a larger PPC campaign, many other opportunities exist that will give you better ROI. Remember, even if the segmentation ability isn’t there, if only interested people are clicking on your ads, you are still reaching your target audience.

Your Thoughts:

So, what experience do you have with Facebook advertising? Was it worth it?