Facebook ads have become a staple for online advertising. It is a common conception that they reach a large audience of people and can be an effective way of growing brand awareness for the target market. But is everyone successful when they advertise on Facebook. Are Facebook ads the magic formula for taking your small business and making it into a multi-million dollar business? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of Facebook advertising for your small business.
Let's start with the couple pros.
1. Targeted audiences: the great thing about Facebook advertising is you can set a filter for the demographics you choose to determine what Facebook viewers will see your ads. This explains why I almost all of my Facebook ads to the right of my newsfeed are all about weddings, dresses, and makeup! I am the perfect candidate for these advertisements because I just changed my relationship status to engaged, I am 22, and I am constantly shopping online.
2. Mobile viewing: As Judy Strauss states in her book, E-marketing, the use of internet on mobile phones is growing and is very important to consider when choosing where to advertise.
Now the bad news:
1. Empty Clicks: Facebook charges per click, meaning when someone clicks on your advertisement you are charged as they are being linked over to your website. The bad part about this setup is often internet users will click on the advertisement and never make a purchase, leaving you with a lofty bill and no income from the advertisements.
Below is a link to a horror story a man who ran a small line of online fashion magazines and was left with an unpaid bill of $370,000!
Let's start with the couple pros.
1. Targeted audiences: the great thing about Facebook advertising is you can set a filter for the demographics you choose to determine what Facebook viewers will see your ads. This explains why I almost all of my Facebook ads to the right of my newsfeed are all about weddings, dresses, and makeup! I am the perfect candidate for these advertisements because I just changed my relationship status to engaged, I am 22, and I am constantly shopping online.
2. Mobile viewing: As Judy Strauss states in her book, E-marketing, the use of internet on mobile phones is growing and is very important to consider when choosing where to advertise.
Now the bad news:
1. Empty Clicks: Facebook charges per click, meaning when someone clicks on your advertisement you are charged as they are being linked over to your website. The bad part about this setup is often internet users will click on the advertisement and never make a purchase, leaving you with a lofty bill and no income from the advertisements.
Below is a link to a horror story a man who ran a small line of online fashion magazines and was left with an unpaid bill of $370,000!
2. Ghost Clicks: Another problem is this link explains is the fact that Facebook does not allow outside audits, so there is no way to verify if the actual amount of clicks that you got on your advertisement. To me this is the biggest dilemma that I believe will be ratified in the coming years. Just as the giants on Wall Street were reprimanded by the Sarbanes & Oxley Act, I believe internet advertising will run into more severe laws in the near future because they are like tyrants running over small business with their bill bulldozers.
So what do you think, is Facebook Advertising worth it?
If you are selling a product does it actual help you convert window shoppers to $$$$?
Feel free to comment below about your experiences with Facebook Advertising.
So what do you think, is Facebook Advertising worth it?
If you are selling a product does it actual help you convert window shoppers to $$$$?
Feel free to comment below about your experiences with Facebook Advertising.