Facebook PPC: The Next eCommerce Trend

What’s the Future of eCommerce and Facebook?

Facebook and eCommerce have gone hand in hand for quite some time now, and many companies rely on their Facebook presence to survive. That makes sense, too, because nothing generates user interest or participation like engagement on the most popular social media platform that exists. However, this kind of organic advertising and engagement may soon come to an end. Mark Zuckerberg has recently announced that he plans to “fix Facebook,” and even more recently, Facebook has decided to reorganize the way that they present newsfeed in an attempt to reduce the spread of “fake news” and negativity. This may seem like a sincere attempt to better the website, but it will also affect the branding content that users are exposed to.

What Should You Do?

In the last quarter, Facebook’s ad rates rose 35 percent. That should be a clear indicator that these new site changes aren’t exactly brand-friendly. Facebook hasn’t been secretive about the biggest losers in this change-up: publishers and brands are going to take the largest hit. The News Feed used to be filled with memes, news, sales, and articles, but the new Facebook will tone down the visibility of these posts. The site intends to focus on actual communication between friends and family, and take away the clutter of public advertising and posting. This doesn’t just put your organic advertising in peril; it reduces its purpose significantly. If you want to stay in the game, you’re going to need to focus on paid advertising.

You’re likely to have to pay a larger amount to acquire the same amount of views and user participation. In truth, there may not be a way to repair your organic reach once these changes are finalized. That’s why it’s imperative that your business focuses on paid advertisements, and 1Digital Agency would like to show you how:

Assess your goals.

When starting your Facebook campaign, you’ll notice that the first question you’ll be faced with is your objective. Without a clear goal in mind, you risk running a vague campaign that spreads itself too thin. Also, depending on which option you choose, ranging from Brand Awareness to Engagement (and plenty more), you’ll face a new onslaught of questions and ideas. These are all customizable, so, although Facebook may simply call your campaign “Brand Awareness”, you can name it whatever you’d like. Take the time to strategize and pinpoint your desires for your campaign; it’s important to hit the ground running!

Pinpoint your target audience.

Your second objective is to select your audience, and this is no simple feat. One of the largest contributors to failure in a campaign is the lack of focus put towards a target audience. You’ll just be wasting money if you aren’t reaching the correct people. That means you need to be thorough when filling out this section and brainstorm exactly who you’d like to reach. Think about age, gender, location, and anything in between. Your business should already have a solid concept of who these people are, so if you don’t, this is an absolute must step on your path to success (Facebook campaign or not).

Right below the Audience section, you’ll see a “Detailed Targeting” and “Connections” section. Both are wonderful tools, as they allow you to further specify who should see your ad. You can choose to target people with specific interests with Detailed Targeting. Connections go even deeper, allowing you to choose people who like certain Facebook pages, groups, or even apps. Diligence is of the utmost importance in this section; it can make or break your campaign.

Create Your Advertisement

Placement is literally where the ad is placed, so it’s of the utmost importance that you choose wisely. You can post on the newsfeed, mobile news feed, desktop right column, etc. Earlier in the setup, you can also get more specific with your placements instead of clicking on automatic placements. Automatic placements are usually the best option for a beginner, and you can change your mind later on if you aren’t satisfied.

After this, you figure out your budget (which is also self-explanatory), choosing between a Daily Budget, and a Lifetime Budget. A Daily Budget charges you per day and runs your ad every single day. A Lifetime Budget spreads your ad over a set length of time, and the money that you spend is spread evenly throughout this designated period.

Facebook allows you to choose between “reposting” a previous post or creating an advertisement from scratch. If you choose to create your ad from scratch, you’ll be presented with several options: Single Image, Single Video, Slideshow, and Canvas. This is all pretty self-explanatory, but one cool feature that you’ll be grateful for is a huge selection of stock images from Facebook (if you don’t have an image to use from your own library). Once you’ve chosen an option, you just add text and set up your placement.

How 1Digital Can Help

A PPC campaign can be stressful and difficult, but 1Digital Agency has a tenacious grasp on the world of PPC. Facebook PPC is no exception. We’ve been conducting successful campaigns for soon-to-be satisfied clients for over five years. For some, eCommerce is a pain in the back, but for 1Digital, it’s a gentle Swedish massage. There’s something to be said about that feeling of freedom that you get when you know your project is in the right hands. It gives you time to focus on the important aspects of your business and the projects that matter most. If you think that your business could prosper from a PPC campaign conducted by 1Digital Agency, contact us today at 215-809-1567.