VBA 2
Alright ... you're interested.
And that's good because Facebook ads can open up a world of new opportunity that you might have not thought about.
But let's not get carried away ... fb ads aren't a cure all for your business ... they're not 'magic'.
Like anything, there are things you need to know and do.
So first, let's clear up what you need to know in order to run successful fb ads so that you can get the results you're after.
(You might want to take notes)
What You Need to Know
I've broken this into 5 steps, which are:
- 1Platform
- 2People
- 3Ads
- 4Content
- 5Measuring results
1. The Facecbook Platform
Before anything else, you need to be familiar with the facebook advertising platform ... the software that allows you to launch ads and show them to people on facebook.
This is like learning anatomy. It wont make you a doctor, but you can't be a doctor without learning it.
The thing is ... because there is SO much you can do with facebook, the platform can seem complicated ... and yet to get the kind of results you're after, there are many features you wont need to use.
The mistake I made when first teaching facebook ads was to show people TOO MUCH.
I don't do that anymore.
Instead, I short cut the process and only show people what they need to know ... instead of ALL there is to know.
And that's a BIG difference.
By doing it this way ... I can get my clients up and running with ads inside of a week ... and that's a fast win.
2. People
The next thing is how to show your ads to the people you want to show them to.
If you show your ads to the wrong people, you just wont get the result ... no matter how good your ads are.
But, when you get your message in front of the right people, it can literally dhange your life ... and theirs.
The name for this is 'audience targeting'.
In my X10 Entrepreneur Program, we go deep into audience targeting, and that's because we're often spending 5 figures a month in advertising and the audiences we're targeting are in the millions of people.
But for your health care practice or fitness facility, we keep it much simpler.
The way I do it now saves you about 6 hours of research (which at a professional hourly rate is going to be worth at least $600 to you, if not much more).
3. Ads
By ads, I mean the text you write and the images or videos you use.
Creating effective advertising can be a full time specialisation ... and traditional copywriters charge tens of thousands of dollars to write 'copy that sells'.
Funny thing is, it's often the kind of advertising that makes people like you and me CRINGE.
It turns out that the type of ads that work on facebook are different from traditional advertising, and that's a good thing for us.
It means we don't have to try and write like the traditional hyped advertising we see all around us.
Instead, what I've discovered is that the advertising that works best for us is VALUABLE ADVERTISING.
That means, I create ads that people actually find useful and educational ... so that they are valuable.
I see ads as the first 'value' exchange in the relationship with a person ...
And here's a hint ... instead of seeing Facebook ads as 'advertising' ... see it as you reaching out to people. It's you PAYING for the privilege of educating people in your local community.
The 'ad' is just the start of the conversation.
By seeing it this way, you'll be more successful with ads, and you wont feel 'weird' about advertising ... because the way I do advertising , it's an extension of what you ALREADY do in your consulting room.
4. Content
OK ... so someone sees your ad and 'clicks' ... what happens next?
You could send them to your website (a bad idea and almost never works).
Or, you could send them to a specific piece of content, written just for them ... that simply takes the conversation further.
Kinda like what I'm showing you in with these screenshots (they're not the best quality, but you get the idea, right?)
Top of page
Middle of page
Bottom of page
After all, if they respond to an ad about a specific 'thing', then they'd want to continue finding out about that 'thing' after they've clicked on the ad.
And if they click on your ad ... how should you respond? What is the best thing to do?
Let's look at what most people do and why it's a mistake.
How not to advertise on Facebook
Imagine this scenario ...
You're at a dinner party, and someone mentions to you that they have an injury ... or that they're trying to lose weight ... and you whip out your business card and give it to them.
You'd be the embarrassing guest, right?
Well, imagine that if instead of giving them your business card, you pulled out your phone and said ... "here, checkout my website and make an appointment!"
(LOL ... if only that were hypothetical. You'd be surprised how many people come up to me after a speaking engagement and pull out their phone to show me their website.)
Now, if you normally wouldn't do that at a dinner party, why would you do it online?
In fact, ask yourself ... what would you normally do at a dinner party?
If someone mentioned they had an injury or wanted to lose weight ... you'd ask a question ... you'd let them know a little about their situation ... and if they continued the conversation you might share some some of your wisdom.
And you know what happens then, right?
It doesn't take very long before they're asking YOU for your business card, rather than you offering it to THEM.
This is crucial for you to replicate online.
Do it this way, and you'll enjoy success.
At which point most of my clients heave a sigh of relief.
They're relieved because they don't have to become a 'marketer' in order to get the results they want.
They don't have to act like an obnoxious and embarrassing dinner party guest.
It's the total opposite. They get to be cool to people. They get to help them out.
They demonstrate to people that they can help them by ACTUALLY helping them first.
Read that line again.
The best way to show someone that you can help them, is by helping them.
Yet most advertising is all about cutting through the 'noise' and screaming "look at me!"
My approach is different.
Help people out before you ask them for 'business' ... and then they will GIVE you their business.
So, to recap, when someone clicks on your ad, don't send them to your 'website' ... instead send them to a specific piece of content that helps them out, and only then ... after you've helped them out ... at the bottom of the content ... give them the opportunity to continue the conversation by either filling out a form, or giving you a call.
This is how a 'value based professional' does it.
5. Results and Reporting
I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend hours looking at data in spreadsheets.
(That's a joke, just in case you needed me to point that out).
Look ... I've studied advanced statistics ... I had to for my PhD ... and I STILL seem to forget everything about stats, and find any excuse I can to avoid looking at reports.
[This is me holding all the data I received for the major study in my PhD ... all of it had to be manually entered into a stats package and analysed.
Hiding behind those eyes was the fear of statistics ... knowing that I just had to do it if I wanted to finish that PhD.
I'm still not sure how I did it ... but I needed help!
So, when it comes to facebook ads ... you'll be pleased that there are only TWO numbers you need to know.
Money IN, versus Money OUT.
It's official term is ROAS ... or Return On Ad Spend.
If I spend $100 on advertising and get one new client and their client fees are $100 ... then my ROAS is 100/100 = 1
That also means I only broke even ... no profit ... but at least I got my ad spend back.
But if I spend $100 and get one new client ... and the client fees amount to $500 ... then my ROAS is 500/100 = 5
This means I made a profit ... and a rather large one.
500% in fact.
Think about that for a moment.
Where else can you get a 500% return?
The return you'll get depends on a lot of things ... you probably wont hit a home run on your first set of ads.
But, the first ad you'll run isn't about making a 'profit' ... it's about learning how to run an ad.
Once you know how to run an ad, show it to the right people, continue the conversation, and invite them to engage with you ...
... then you'll have that skill for life and it's just a matter of improving with practice.
OK, so now you're no doubt ready for some brutal honesty ...
If you want to know what kind of return is possible, and also what the risk is, then