We often speak to people about the power of Social Media Marketing and Advertising – and it is powerful. However, it might be time to clear up a few misconceptions.
Over the last week we were approached by two business owners, who had been hearing a lot about Facebook marketing and, specifically, the advertising opportunities. During our conversation, it became clear that both of these people believed that simply posting updates to their Business Pages and running a few ads would cause an immediate increase in sales. One of the owners actually wanted a guarantee of a 138% ROI!
There are no Guarantees
The reality is that no one can guarantee a specific ROI for any type of marketing and advertising – not on Facebook, yellow pages, television ads, radio spots, or any other medium.
What we can point to are the many surveys and studies that prove that, when done correctly, Social Media Marketing and Advertising has worked and continues to work for many companies. We can promise to work hard to engage current Page fans and attract new ones. We can promise to deliver well-researched and targeted ads to the people most likely to be interested in what a business is offering. And we can do it at a much lower cost per view than traditional advertising.
Social Media Marketing produces 3 times as many leads and costs 62% less than traditional advertising
Real Customer; Real Results
While we never how successful a Social Media Advertising program will be, we have seen some remarkable results, and continue to be amazed how well some of our clients have done with a relatively small monthly budget. Here is just one example:
One of our clients specializes in a very specific service for disabled children. When we began their Facebook advertising program, they spent about $ 20 a day in advertising, and combined this with a daily marketing campaign with a formal strategy. After one month, they had nearly 200,000 views of the ad with over 500 clicks to their website. They also had nearly 7,000 daily views of their Business Page. People shared the updates and the ads with their friends, who also clicked through to the website, giving the business even more online visibility, as well as better SEO.
After the first week, the client became impatient, and called to complain that no one had called. We suggested a tweak to his Website. During the next 3 weeks, the customer added 9 new clients. Because clients sign up for ongoing service at a fairly high hourly rate, the ROI was quite significant.
The bottom line is that a Facebook ad has done its job when it directs as many people as possible to a website or other landing page. This is where the sale is made.
Facebook and other Social Media outlets are the “new kids on the block” when it comes to marketing. Business owners, steeped in traditional marketing ideas, must move outside their comfort zones to begin to understand how these platforms actually work, how to use them and, probably most importantly, what to expect from them.
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