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How to Use Facebook Meta Ads for Retargeting + Remarketing 20 Mar 5:25 PM (7 months ago)

Introduction

Facebook Meta Ads provide powerful tools for narrow retargeting and remarketing, enabling businesses to display advertisements exclusively to website visitors. By leveraging Meta Pixel and Events Manager, businesses can effectively track and target users based on their actions on a website, ensuring precise audience segmentation and higher conversion rates.

Setting Up Facebook Meta Ads for Retargeting

1. Install and Configure the Facebook Meta Pixel

The Meta Pixel is a piece of code embedded in your website to track visitor actions and behaviour. To set up the Pixel:

2. Define Standard and Custom Events

Events help track specific user actions, such as:

Set up these events using Event Setup Tool or manually adding event codes.

3. Create Custom Audiences for Retargeting

To show ads only to past website visitors:

4. Exclude Irrelevant Audiences

To refine your targeting:

Setting Up Facebook Meta Ads Campaign for Retargeting

1. Create a New Campaign

2. Set Up the Ad Set

3. Create High-Performing Ads

To ensure high engagement, craft compelling ad creatives:

4. Add Personalised Copy & CTA

Optimising Retargeting Ads for Maximum ROI

1. Implement Frequency Capping

Avoid ad fatigue by limiting how often the same user sees an ad. Set a frequency cap of 2-3 times per week.

2. A/B Test Different Variations

Run multiple ad variations to determine the best-performing elements:

3. Use Automated Rules for Budget Adjustment

4. Leverage Retargeting Funnels

Create a multi-stage funnel:

Tracking Performance with Events Manager

1. Monitor Event Data in Events Manager

2. Analyse Key Metrics in Meta Ads Manager

Track key performance indicators (KPIs):

3. Make Data-Driven Adjustments

Conclusion

Mastering Facebook Meta Ads for narrow retargeting can significantly boost conversions by reaching only relevant audiences. By properly implementing Meta Pixel, creating Custom Audiences, optimising ad creatives, and continuously refining performance metrics, businesses can maximise their advertising ROI.

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Unlocking Success: Digital Advertising for Hospitality Venues 8 Mar 2024 5:42 AM (last year)

Introduction to Digital Advertising for Hospitality Venues

Pubs, bars and restaurants are not having an easy time of it lately in Ireland. The cost of living increases, and increases in the prices of alcohol and food in general has generally caused the purse strings to snap shut. Running a hospitality business is not easy, and costs involved have increased dramatically since the COVID-19 Pandemic. As with any economic downturn, typically the first thing to go is marketing and advertising. But the idea of cutting marketing and advertising budgets usually matches a lack of planning as well as strategic measurement of the effectiveness of existing marketing and advertising programs. If you can’t measure it, why spend the money?

In today’s digital age, effective advertising is essential for hospitality venues to attract patrons and stay competitive. Budgets always change, and even with seasonality in mind, that’s okay. With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram/TikTok there’s pressure to tick boxes and create content for content’s sake without measurement. When in reality any effective digital advertising that is measured will become the lifeblood of getting customers in the door.

digital advertising and marketing for pubs and venues



Nowadays, digital advertising has become more accessible and targeted than ever before. This article explores the potential of Meta’s Facebook advertising platform for event and hospitality venues in Ireland, with a focus on key targeting features and successful case studies.

Understanding Meta Facebook Advertising Platform

Targeting Features

Meta’s Facebook advertising platform offers a plethora of targeting options, allowing venues to reach their ideal audience with precision. From demographic targeting based on age, gender, and location to interest targeting and behavioral targeting, advertisers can tailor their campaigns to specific audience segments.

Benefits for Event and Hospitality Venues

For event and hospitality venues, leveraging Meta’s Facebook advertising platform can yield numerous benefits. By targeting users interested in dining out, nightlife, and events, venues can effectively promote their offerings and drive foot traffic. Additionally, features like event promotion and dynamic ads enable venues to showcase their unique offerings and special events to a highly engaged audience.

Case Studies: Successful Venues in Dublin

Pichet.ie: The Best French Restaurant

Pichet.ie, renowned as one of Dublin’s best French restaurants, harnesses the power of Meta’s Facebook advertising platform to maintain a strong online presence. Through targeted ads highlighting their exquisite cuisine, elegant ambiance, and special promotions, Pichet.ie effectively attracts diners seeking a taste of French culinary excellence.

NoLIta: The Best Italian Food and Late Bar

NoLIta, a beloved Italian restaurant and late bar in Dublin, capitalizes on Meta’s Facebook advertising platform to engage with patrons and promote their vibrant atmosphere and diverse menu offerings. By utilising targeted ads and event promotion features, NoLIta ensures that it remains top-of-mind for locals and visitors alike. NoLIta’s social media activity is also bolstered by Google search advertising to attract customers based on searches for Italian restaurants and late cocktail bars.

The George: The Best Gay Bar In Dublin

The George, a legendary gay bar in Dublin, utilises Meta’s Facebook advertising platform to connect with the LGBTQ+ community and promote its inclusive environment and lively entertainment lineup. Through targeted ads and event promotion campaigns, The George maintains a vibrant online presence and attracts patrons from across the city. The George also takes advantage of Google search advertising to attract potential customers less familiar with the venues existing brand equity.

Whelan’s: The Most Famous Rock Pub In Dublin

Whelan’s is a fantastic rock style venue with a great vibe for socialising, hanging out, and listening to great music or catching a great live band. The pub has a famous history in context of some of the incredible artists that have played at the venue, and this is something greatly leveraged on social media. The theme of Whelan’s is also easily taken advantage of with many people searching for this style of venue, and this is also leveraged with Google search ads to bolster getting engaged online audiences in the front door.

Strategies for Maintaining an Online Presence

To maintain a strong online presence, hospitality venues should adopt a strategic approach to digital advertising. This includes regularly updating their social media profiles with engaging content, leveraging user-generated content to showcase the guest experience, and monitoring and responding to customer feedback and reviews. In addition to social media activity, leveraging qualified search traffic for these types of venues typically has very strong return on advertising spend.

Digital advertising on platforms like Meta’s Facebook advertising platform offers unprecedented opportunities for event and hospitality venues to connect with their target audience and drive business growth. By harnessing the platform’s targeting features and implementing strategic advertising campaigns, venues can effectively promote their offerings and maintain a competitive edge in the market.

FAQs

  1. How can I effectively target my desired audience using Meta’s Facebook advertising platform?Meta’s Facebook advertising platform offers a range of targeting options, including demographic, interest-based, and behavioral targeting. By defining your audience based on relevant criteria, you can ensure your ads reach the right people.
  2. What types of ad formats are available on Meta’s Facebook advertising platform?Meta’s Facebook advertising platform supports various ad formats, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and dynamic ads. Experimenting with different formats can help you find the most effective way to showcase your venue and offerings.
  3. How can I measure the success of my Facebook advertising campaigns?Meta’s Facebook advertising platform provides detailed analytics and insights into campaign performance, including metrics like reach, engagement, and conversions. By monitoring these metrics, you can assess the effectiveness of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed.
  4. What are some best practices for creating compelling ad creatives on Meta’s Facebook advertising platform?When creating ad creatives, focus on captivating imagery, concise messaging, and a clear call-to-action. Use high-quality visuals that showcase your venue’s unique features and offerings, and experiment with different messaging to see what resonates with your audience.
  5. How can I optimize my Facebook advertising budget for maximum impact?To optimize your advertising budget, start by defining your campaign objectives and allocating resources accordingly. Monitor the performance of your campaigns regularly and adjust your budget allocation based on what’s working best for driving results.

The post Unlocking Success: Digital Advertising for Hospitality Venues appeared first on Facebook Training Ireland.

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How to Use Facebook Advertising for Car Dealerships and Brands 11 May 2023 3:38 AM (2 years ago)

In the digital age, advertising on social media has become a crucial component of a business’s marketing strategy. As a car dealership or brand, advertising on Facebook can help you reach a wider audience and connect with potential customers who are in the market for a new or used car. In this article, we will discuss how to use the Facebook advertising platform to create effective advertising, especially for car dealerships and car brands. We will also explain which targeting options within the Facebook advertising platform are best suited to car dealerships and why.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Before creating an ad on Facebook, it is essential to understand your target audience. As a car dealership or brand, your target audience is likely to be people who are interested in purchasing a car, specifically used cars. By understanding your audience, you can create ads that are tailored to their needs and interests, increasing the likelihood of them engaging with your business.

Best Targeting Options for Car Dealerships

Facebook Ads provides a variety of targeting options that can help you reach the right people at the right time. As a car dealership, here are the targeting options that are best suited to your business:

Location Targeting

Location targeting is a powerful tool for car dealerships as it allows you to target people who are within a specific geographic area. This targeting option is especially useful for used car dealerships as you can target people who are in the market for a used car within a specific distance from your dealership.

Interest Targeting

Interest targeting is another useful targeting option for car dealerships. You can target people who have shown an interest in cars, specifically used cars, or have engaged with car-related content on Facebook. This targeting option can help you reach people who are more likely to be interested in your business.

Lookalike Audiences

Lookalike audiences allow you to target people who are similar to your existing customers. This targeting option can be especially useful for car dealerships as you can target people who have similar characteristics to your existing customers, such as interests and behaviors related to used cars.

Best Targeting Options for Car Brands

As a car brand, here are the targeting options that are best suited to your business:

Demographic Targeting

Demographic targeting allows you to target people based on their age, gender, and income level. This targeting option can be useful for car brands as you can target people who are more likely to be interested in your products based on their demographics.

Interest Targeting

Interest targeting is also a useful targeting option for car brands. You can target people who have shown an interest in cars, specifically your brand, or have engaged with car-related content on Facebook. This targeting option can help you reach people who are more likely to be interested in your products.

Lookalike Audiences

Lookalike audiences can also be useful for car brands as you can target people who are similar to your existing customers. This targeting option can help you reach new potential customers who are likely to be interested in your products.

Creating Effective Facebook Ads

Use High-Quality Images and Videos

car dealership advertising on facebook

Now that you know the best targeting options for your business, it’s time to create effective Facebook ads. Here are some tips to help you create ads that are tailored to your target audience:

Images and videos can help make your ads more engaging and eye-catching. Make sure to use high-quality images and videos that showcase your products in the best possible way.

Write Compelling Ad Copy

Your ad copy should be compelling and tailored to your target audience. Make sure to highlight the features and benefits of your products and include a call to action that encourages people to engage with your business.

Testing and Measuring Your Ads

Once you’ve created your ads and chosen your target audience, it’s important to monitor their performance and make any necessary adjustments. This can be done through Facebook Ads Manager, which provides detailed metrics on your ad’s reach, engagement, and conversion rates.

One important metric to keep an eye on is click-through rate (CTR), which measures the percentage of people who clicked on your ad after seeing it. A low CTR may indicate that your ad is not resonating with your target audience and may need to be adjusted or replaced.

Another key metric is conversion rate, which measures the percentage of people who took the desired action after clicking on your ad, such as filling out a lead form or making a purchase. If your conversion rate is low, you may need to re-evaluate your ad’s messaging or the landing page it leads to.

It’s also important to test different versions of your ads to see which perform best. Facebook Ads Manager allows you to create multiple ad variations and automatically rotate them to determine which one performs best.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the minimum budget for running ads on Facebook?

The minimum budget for running ads on Facebook is $1 per day. However, depending on your advertising goals and target audience, you may need to allocate a higher budget to achieve the desired results.

2. Can I target specific car models with Facebook ads?

Yes, you can target specific car models with Facebook ads by using the detailed targeting options available in Ads Manager. For example, you can target users who have expressed an interest in a specific car model or who have visited a car dealership website.

3. How can I measure the ROI of my Facebook ads?

To measure the ROI of your Facebook ads, you’ll need to track the revenue generated from your ad campaigns and compare it to the amount you spent on advertising. Facebook Ads Manager provides detailed metrics on your ad’s performance, including conversion rates and revenue generated.

4. How can I optimize my Facebook ads for mobile users?

To optimize your Facebook ads for mobile users, make sure your ad’s images and text are optimized for smaller screens and shorter attention spans. Use short, attention-grabbing headlines and clear, concise messaging, and avoid using too much text or small fonts.

5. Can I target users who are in the market for a used car?

Yes, you can target users who are in the market for a used car by using the detailed targeting options available in Ads Manager. For example, you can target users who have recently searched for “used cars for sale” or who have visited a used car dealership website.

6. What is the best type of Facebook ad format for car dealerships?

The best type of Facebook ad format for car dealerships depends on your advertising goals and target audience. However, some effective ad formats for car dealerships include carousel ads featuring multiple car models, video ads showcasing car features and benefits, and lead ads offering special deals or promotions.

Conclusion

Facebook’s advertising platform offers a powerful tool for car dealerships and car brands looking to reach their target audience and drive conversions. By utilizing the platform’s advanced targeting options and testing and measuring the performance of your ads, you can create highly effective campaigns that generate real results.

Remember to keep your messaging clear and concise, use attention-grabbing visuals, and tailor your ads to the specific needs and interests of your target audience. With the right strategy and execution, Facebook ads can help you connect with more potential customers and grow your business.

The post How to Use Facebook Advertising for Car Dealerships and Brands appeared first on Facebook Training Ireland.

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Facebook Pixel Guide 29 Sep 2020 1:45 AM (5 years ago)


Before embarking upon any kind of online advertising, it’s crucial to have tracking implemented correctly. 

All businesses that run Facebook advertising campaigns should have a Facebook Pixel script setup on their website. This provides advantages in terms of measuring the effectiveness of advertising and analysing how people engage with a website after they click on a Facebook Ad. Let’s go into more detail and explain what exactly this all means. Read on!

What is Facebook Pixel?

Facebook Pixel is a code that is implemented on a website and helps measure, optimize, and create an audience for future Facebook marketing campaigns. Facebook Pixel is used to set a cookie that will track visitors to your website to access them later – a smart technique called retargeting.

 How does Facebook Pixel work?

Imagine that someone clicks on your ad and is redirected to your website and buys a particular product. With the help of Facebook Pixel, this action will be recorded. Facebook will be able to read this action and collect data, so that you, as a marketer, can use this data to create relevant ads with relevant products for this user.

You will be able to show them the ad related to the previous products or new products again, so in a month, they will see your ad and are more likely to make a purchase, again and again, right with your brand. Previous positive shopping experiences increases the probability of consumers coming back for a repeat purchase. Since the potential new consumers already had some touch with your business, they are more likely to repeat their purchase.

There are so many more things we can do to take full advantage of the Facebook Pixel. The website traffic you have to your website, the more data you have to work with and use to your advantage, especially when setting up strategic Facebook paid campaigns.

The main benefits of using Facebook Pixel:

1. Conversion tracking

Facebook Pixel allows you to see visitor interactions with your website. This option can be handy since if you are not satisfied with the weekly results, you can check and improve what went wrong.

2. Remarketing

The data you collect with Facebook pixel can help you to create targeted ads for specific groups or interested users.

3. Create a (lookalike audience) similar audience 

On Facebook, you can use the visitor data that you have collected to create a similar audience. Facebook will find people who like related pages have the same demographics and occupations as people who visited your website and made a purchase (or some other action).

4. Create effective ads

Facebook Pixel helps you to create more targeted ads with better results and higher ROI. Since you target the right audience with the right ad, you can expect better campaign performance overall. Having a proper audience can save you a budget and time, which are the essential sources nowadays.

5. Extra push to complete purchase

Sometimes, people added products to cart, but they didn’t purchase. Facebook Pixel can show us which users need an extra push, and you can create and use that audience to help them complete the final action.

How to install a Facebook Pixel?

You can do it in several ways, so we will describe some of them.

  1. You can create it in Ads Manager:

Facebook Business Manager> Ads Manager> All Tools> Pixels;

Click on “Create a Pixel”;

call your Pixel to know what it refers to;

Click on “Install Pixel Now”;

Copy the code and paste it into your webpage or a template to automatically use it on the whole page;

If you want to track different actions on specific websites, add “events” for that page. The “Event” code allows you to follow specific actions and segment them in creating an audience.

  1. You can use Google Tag Manager.

A Facebook Pixel contains a specific advertiser ID. If you still don’t know your pixel ID, you can find it in your Ads Manager. Once you find your pixel ID you need:

Open Google Tag Manager;

Select “Tag” and then “Create a new tag”;

Give the tag the name “Facebook Pixel”;

Under the product, mark the “Custom HTML tag”;

Tag Configuration: Click on the “Configure tag” and paste your Facebook pixel code

Triggers – mark your tag on all pages (Select all Pages);

Create a Tag;

After these simple steps, you will need to post your changes to appear on your website genuinely.

If you want to check your job done correctly, you can use a Chrome plugin called “Facebook Pixel Helper” to see if it is implemented well.

This blog has shown you the incredible benefits of using Facebook pixel to capture data and which can help you develop more targeted and powerful campaigns that will prove to have better results. If you want to do Facebook advertising and need help setting up a Facebook pixel, contact us here.

If you want read more about Facebook Advertising you can click here.

facebook pixel

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Advertise my Business on Facebook 30 Jul 2020 1:42 AM (5 years ago)

Advertising Your Facebook Page

Facebook wants to encourage Facebook Business users to invest money on Facebook advertising. Creating Facebook Ads requires some initial steps to create a qualitative basis for the future. After Login to Facebook Ads Manager, it is essential to Setup Facebook Pixel to be able to follow some statistics about your Facebook campaigns like the audience, conversions or remarketing. The Facebook Pixel is especially important for Facebook Remarketing that allows your Ads to be displayed to all users who have visited your website before. Web stores often use this type of Ad to remind users of products left in the cart. Facebook pixel is very easy to install if you have WordPress. Then we should move further and start with our campaign.

How to create Facebook Ads

The creation of Facebook Ads is going through 3 steps:

Step 1: A campaign where we have to name it and choose our Objective.

Facebook Advertising

Different kinds of campaigns will require choosing a different objective.

Step 2: is the next level of Ads creation, more popular as an Ad Set which considers targeting the right audience, placements, and Ad budgeting. 

When it comes to the right audience we should be aware of Custom and Lookalike audience.

Custom Audience gives an opportunity to be able to display Ads exactly to those who are interested in your product or service. This is a very powerful advertising tool for anyone building their databases and storing emails, customer phone numbers, or leads. As an advertiser, Facebook offers you the ability to display Ads to all persons who are in your database and are registered on Facebook with an e-mail address or telephone number that is in your database. With the help of the Custom Audience audience, you will reduce the cost of advertising and show your Ad only to those who are interested. It is very important in any case to comply with the rules of personal data protection prescribed by the GDPR.

Lookalike audience – another powerful addition to the Custom Audience. When creating a Lookalike audience, Facebook will find users with similar characteristics that our Custom Audience audience has. Facebook can expand its audience with the help of the Lookalike audience. Examples from which the audience can expand are email lists, website visitors, Facebook users who engage in posts on your site. Make sure you use this audience when you want to increase engagement with your posts.

Creating Facebook Ads, Ad Set part - Audience

Here in Ad Set, we have the most common question which is: 

How much should I spend on Facebook Ads

When we are talking about budget, there are various factors that influence this decision. However, we can not expect huge results from no investments. The best solution is to start with a small amount of daily budget (for example 10 euros), try to optimize a campaign the best we can, and monitor the learning process. After the first week, we can see some results and analyze what we can improve in that campaign. Often we didn’t target the right audience or location, or we could find more suitable interests that define our potential customer more correctly. 

Besides that, the budget can be daily or for the entire duration of the Ad. If you choose a budget for the entire duration of your Ad, you’ll be able to choose what time you want your Ad to run. This is very useful if you have a specific industry so Ads are displayed to the potential customers at the right time when they are interested in your products the most (in the morning before brunch at work or in the evening).

Also, the choice of platforms to advertise on depends on the type of Ad you create, so if you want to increase the number of queries related to a product or service, you can use Messenger as your advertising platform. With Facebook advertising, it is very important to test the ad positions, see which position has the best results, and then invest the budget in the Ad that showed the best result. After selecting a platform, you’ll choose which devices you want your ads to appear on. For example, if you’re developing Android apps, you’ll only show your Ads on Android devices, and if you’re selling Apple equipment, you’ll choose to show ads only apple devices.

Step 3: is the final touch called Ad segment, where we need to include all our creativity, experience, and analytical skills. Creating text and visuals for ads is a complex process that consists of brainstorming, text design, testing, and proofreading. When it comes to the success of Ads, one of the barriers is to have attractive images or videos that will attract the attention of a carefully targeted audience.

If you want to find out how popular AI is changing Faceboook Marketing check it here.

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How AI is changing Facebook Marketing 3 Mar 2020 1:34 AM (5 years ago)

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping all areas of businesses, so there is no doubt that marketing will not be taken as well. There are a lot of benefits and challenges that are coming with the new AI revolution. In this digital transformation are we will discuss how AI will have an impact on Facebook marketing.

Facial recognition

According to Jeff Bullas, face recognition can be used in ensuring closer relationships between brands and customers. Every day, Facebook users are posting 350 million photos where recognition technology is already working. Businesses can benefit from this emerging technology and create campaigns to ensure customers’ recognition of their faces with the business. It will be a high level of engagement for users and companies can gain huge brand awareness.  

Facebook personalisation

Artificial technology provides a huge amount of data that have to be analysed. Even marketers are busy during their workday, analysing this data can be crucial for the personalised Facebook solution. Today, customers have high expectations and brands are straggling with fulfilling them. Forbes states, Facebook is a great platform to gain a wide range of customers insights and if marketers analysed them carefully they can target a right audience, in the right moment and ensure significant good results. 

Automated messages

Chatbots have already appeared on webpages, in apps, on social media. Facebook Messenger bot is in use and it has shown great results. However,  AI will bring even more in the future. Hootsuite highlights positive effects on reaching customers directly with huge time savings, re-engaging customers and handling e-commerce transactions.

AI will make Marketers life easier

Whenever we are talking about AI, in most of the cases it has a challenging connotation. New technologies are bringing with themselves new knowledge and that means that people have to take some time and learn about it. Even though that is a case with AI, this technology will be significantly helpful in time-consuming management and non-waisting a budget for consumers who are not interested in our products or services (Marketingaiinstitute, 2019).

Different opportunities of Facebook influenced by AI

Source: www.healthimaging.com

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Google AdWords or Facebook Advertising? 18 Mar 2017 12:49 AM (8 years ago)

There are so many debates about these two advertising platforms and which to choose. For SMEs it is difficult to not be swayed by one or the other, especially with the mass of opinions out there. How can you know which advertising method is better for you?

Facebook’s recent ad algorithm change when it comes to predicting who will see your ads has been of interest. Now, the success of an ad on Facebook will be determined by the amount of likes or shares it has. Like a domino effect, the more reach your ad has, the more reach it will generate. In turn, of course marketers will spend more on Facebook ads to compete in the advertising market. How many times have you seen the “Pay xx and reach xx people.” Facebook knows how to make money? What about all those fantastic ads with super content that are left in the dark simply because Facebook users have not been exposed to it? This will make advertisers pay more for an ad so that it gets exposure.

But what about Google AdWord’s PPC?

Targeting

Facebook targeting is very specific and can be customized to distance radius of a location, a person’s age, gender or job title. Facebook ads are exposed to viewers based on their behavior on social media, what they share or like, their hobbies or interests, meaning that your ad target audience will be very precise. With Facebook retargeting, you can also reach again those who visited your website. Perhaps the downside of Facebook targeting is that you cannot select times, or days of the week to display an ad. Facebook also offers Lookalike Audiences where you can expand your customer list and reach more people with the same interests.

Google on the other hand, is more restrictive in this regard as you can target people within a country or region, and where your clients are located when they search. While Google does monitor a searcher’s behavior and predicts whether he/she is likely to click on your ad, they will only be exposed to this ad initially if they type target keywords which you also used in your own ads. Take this example: If Mary-Jane sells cakes and wishes to advertise her business via Google AdWords, she would only be targeting people who search for a keyword related to baking or cakes. On Facebook, however, if a person is scrolling aimlessly through feeds and suddenly sees an enticing ad regarding cakes, he/she may immediately become interested, although it never occurred to them to search for such a business.

Also, if you have a small business, it may be best to use Google AdWords so that you are targeting the right people near you. Facebook advertising is more of a shoot in the dark when controlling who can view your ads, and therefore causing you to pay more without really getting any visitors or sales.

While Facebook allows you to choose between desktop or mobile ad appearances, Google AdWords forces you to choose all (tablet, smartphone, desktop etc). This may affect the profitability of the ads since some have proven to be more successful on mobile, while others on desktop.

Ready to Buy vs Scrolling 

When customers search on Google, you know that they are ready to buy something. On Facebook, browsers rarely want to buy anything. If you are looking for immediate sales or conversions, Google AdWords may be the best option. If you want to spread brand awareness, Facebook may be the way to do it.

Quality and Cost of the Ad

While on Facebook you have endless ways to advertise, such as videos, image carousels, gifs and infographics, Google also allows for text ads, ad extensions, images, gifs, WAP mobile ads, click-to-download apps, video and product listing ads, as well as videos. Google may cost more, but your ad exposure will be greater, giving viewers the ability to interact with your business in diverse ways. However, Google’s advertising options will always depend on the campaign type you have, whether on the Google Search Network or the Display Network, and most of the times it require you to have ‘All features’ turned on for each. For video ads, for example, you can only show on Google Display Network. Image ads can also only be displayed if you have both Search and Display Network campaigns, or at least Display Network campaigns.

Average CPC:
Facebook is between €0.45 and €1.
Google AdWords is between €0.35 and €5.

CPM:
Facebook is between €0.80 and €1.
Google is €2.75.

CTR:
Facebook has a click-through-rate between 0.027% and 0.9%.
Google has a solid 2%.

Conversion:
Facebook has a conversion rate between 1-2%.
Google ads generally lead to a 2.35% conversions.

Average Cost per Conversion:
Facebook likes on your ads generally cost between €0.34 – €1.57.
CPA for Google varies depending on your AdWords bidding.

The benefits of Google AdWords is that you can see an immediate ROI. By determining the CPC, you can better see how you are making a profit and what needs to be readjusted to ensure a good ROI. Google’s fantastic ability to track click-to-calls right through to actual sales is very comprehensive in showing how your audience interacts with your ad. Facebook does not offer such a detailed analysis off your ad performance, nor does it suggest ad prices, such as bidding options and suggestions available on AdWords.

Since the targeting options on Google AdWords do not include age, gender, interests etc, some ads may reach irrelevant searchers who may simply click on the ad for entertainment or out of curiosity, but which does not actually lead to conversions. If you are using Google AdWords, your website must be top-notch as this contributes to the Quality Score of your ad.

As you can see, there are many reasons to pick either Facebook advertising or Google AdWords and each business is different, therefore requiring different advertising approaches. Some key questions to think about before deciding which advertising medium to use are: Is my product/service tailored to age, gender, or people with specific interests? Do I want to drive immediate sales or just spread brand awareness?

If you were too lazy to read the above article, or simply did not understand it, have a look below for a quick, interactive summary. google adwords or facebook advertising

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How to Buy a Website Domain, Set Up WordPress & Add Plugins 11 Feb 2017 3:05 PM (8 years ago)

1. Buy a Website Domain & Hosting

Buying your domain and hosting from the one provider makes life easier.

There are a number of good cheap domain registrars and hosting providers. GoDaddy.com is one of the largest, and most popular. Other options include the likes of HostGator.com. It’s worth noting that only some website domain name registrars can offer .ie (Ireland) TLDs (top level domains). If you’re looking for an affordable solution for a .ie website, which also offers good customer service – Look at Register365.com

Alternatively you can host your wordpress website at wordpress.com. For this you only need to register a domain with a preferred registrar. However, this option limits the flexibility of wordpress in terms of theme designs, extra plugins, and general customisation. For an insight into hosting your website on wordpress.com’s own hosting solution – check out: https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

2. Set up WordPress

It is not as hard and daunting as it may seem, and you will have a new website running within minutes. Many hosting providers offer one-click installs. This means once you’ve purchased your domain name, and hosting package, and you’re logged in – You’re only one click away from setting up WordPress.

Otherwise, you’ll need to setup a database on your hosting account, access your host via FTP (file transfer protocol), and upload the latest wordpress files manually. WordPress has it’s own install facility that will ask you for your database details, and then install all the wordpress files accordingly. You should then be able to login to wordpress having completed the installation wizard.

Some handy step by step guides are here:
http://support.hostgator.com/articles/how-to-install-wordpress-manually

Your preferred hosting provider is very likely to have a comprehensive step by step guide for manually installing wordpress. If you’ve gone with wordpress.com’s own hosting you don’t need to worry about this!

Now that you’ve installed WordPress you can login and get used to the sidebar menu options!

Wordpress Sidebar Menu Options, learn wordpress, set up wordpress account

WordPress Sidebar Menu Options

When you’re all set up, the first thing you want to do is to go to General Settings and setup the basics. Give your site a name or title, and a tagline.

Avoid changing the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) or you may encounter problems as your database is very likely already setup for a specific web address (from the wordpress installation wizard).

Changing WordPress URL, set up wordpress account

Choose your theme, which is located in ‘Appearances’, and ‘Themes’, that fits the purpose of your website.

Set up your date, time, location, language by clicking into ’Settings’, then go to ‘General’ and change the details to suit you. Always ensure you ‘Save Changes‘.

When you create ‘Pages’ in WordPress, you can edit the permalink URL for the resulting page. For the purpose of the example below, you can see that the permalink is automatically created based on the Title of your ‘New Page’. Click on ‘Edit‘, and change this as you please. This is ideal for any page where you may want a longer title, but a shorter permalink URL. For example you may want very short and simple permalink for your contact page or your terms & conditions page. Some more detailed examples:
Title: Contact <my website name>
Permalink URL: www.mywebsitename.com/contact/

Title: Terms, Conditions & Privacy Policy
Permalink URL: www.mywebsitename.com/terms/

It is good practice to have SEO friendly permalink URLs once you set up your website. Optimize permalink URL structure by adding keywords that are most relevant to you. Go to ‘Settings’, and ‘Permalinks’. Select ‘Category Base’ and replace the typical wordpress folder of ‘category’ with a high value keyword relevant to your blog. This will result in the following example change:

From:
www.mywebsitename.com/category/this-is-a-new-blog-post-about-social-media/
To:
www.mywebsitename.com/social-media-news/this-is-a-new-blog-post-about-social-media/

To finalise your best URL permalink structure on your new site; Go to ‘Common Settings’ in the ‘Permalinks’ option section, click on ‘Post Name’. Always press ‘Save Changes’.

It is also a good idea to remove comments as they will most likely be spam. WordPress is optimized to be a very social platform, however that gives people the chance to spam you. You can disable comments under ‘Settings’.

Change Permalinks and Disable Comments WordPress, wordpress set up website

Change Permalinks and Disable Comments

Next you will need to install some plugins.

3. Must-Have WordPress Plugins

Display Posts Grid Plug-in, top plugins for WordPress

Display Posts Grid Plugin

  1. Display Posts Grid, List Without Coding is a good plugin. Since a lot of WordPress themes don’t have a grid layout, this plug in will list posts by category, tags or authority ID. Not a fan of coding? Install and activate this plugin and it does the work for you.If you want to create a page that serves a purpose and posts are organized neatly and sharply. Next go into the plugin and ‘Add New ’ so that you can start to create a post grid.Add New Plugins, best wordpress plugins,

If you click on ‘Display Settings’, you will be able to choose how to display your posts on the front-end of the website. Go to ‘Layout’ and be creative in how you want to lay out your post grid. Play around with the skins that are available, for example some rotate images, others have visual effects. In ‘Display Settings’, you can choose the width and height of the post grids. Don’t forget to press ‘Save’ so that all your efforts are not in vain. Now, when you write a post, first go to ‘Shortcodes’ and copy and paste the short code into the content of your post before you publish it. Without this plugin, you’d have to create your own template code and insert it in order to make your posts appera in a grid-based layout.

Yoast SEO Plugin

Yoast SEO Plugin Content Type

Display Posts Grid Plugin Display Settings

Display Posts Grid Plugin Display Settings

 

2. Yoast SEO is a fantastic plug for SEO purposes. This plugin allows you to do many things such as add meta robots (noindex, nofollow). It tidies up permalinks. You can also verify your Google Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console to approve your own website and allow Google to crawl it. Yoast lets you to optimize titles with keywords, add meta tags and descriptions, as well as change them with every post you make. Although there is a Premium option, the standard, free version also has a lot on offer.

Once you have installed and activated the Yoast SEO plugin, click into theplug-in and select ‘General Settings’ and then ‘Your Info’ tab and fill in the relevant information. Next you’ll want to enter the ‘Webmaster Tools’ tab, select Google Webmaster Tools, and Google’s search engine will send you code to verify your ownership of the site. You will need to copy/paste that code in the relevant ‘Google Search Console’ box.  Alternatively, as shown below, you can choose Bing Webmaster Tools or Yandex Webmaster Tools.

Yoast SEO and Google Webmaster Tools

Yoast SEO and Google Webmaster Tools

 This code will be like adding a meta tag to your site. With this option, you can access important information about who visits your site based on Google’s search engine.

Under the Yoast SEO tab,  go to the section ‘Titles and Metas’. Within this section, go to the ‘Post Types’ tab. The Title Template is a good place to add some extra keywords. By default, the title will look something like this —> “%%sep%% %%title%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%”. A clever tip is to add keywords before this title template, for example if your website will host photographs from Dublin, and you want to rank well for that, you should insert the following: “Best Photography Dublin” %%sep%% %%title%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%. This is very handy as you manually put insert this title once and it will work for each category, page or post. Yoast SEO has so many more title meta template variables to choose from where you can optimize your WordPress categories, pages, posts and menus, stuffing them with keywords for SEO purposes. Additionally, every time you add a post, Yoast SEO gives you the option to fill in a Meta Description box for each, individual post. You should take advantage of this feature! Here you will also see the Meta Robots option and Date Snippet Preview.

Yoast SEO Page Type Settings, best wordpress plugins

Yoast SEO Page Type Settings

 

3. Lastly, you’ll want to add Wordfence Security. This is a security plugin that should be installed last. Every time you access the WordPress CMS, you’ll notice in the URL that it says “wp/admin”. lf hackers keep trying to access your wp/admin, Worfence Security will block the IP addresses of the hackers and send you notification emails. Here is an example of hackers trying to log in to our WordPress website, and it shows their blocked IP addresses. You’ll be surprised how many hackers are out there!

Wordfence Security Block IP Addresses , wordpress security

Wordfence Security Blocked IP Addresses

 

The post How to Buy a Website Domain, Set Up WordPress & Add Plugins appeared first on Facebook Training Ireland.

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Top Tools for Automating and Scheduling Facebook Business Page Posts 3 Feb 2017 2:54 AM (8 years ago)

Managing a social media marketing strategy is not an easy task, considering the targeted and numerous audiences, but also the intricate mechanisms of Facebook advertising.

Some of the challenges of Facebook marketing include reduced organic search, social media trolls or limited time to sustain a Facebook marketing strategy. Moreover, undertaking social media marketing also requires you to deal with multiple platforms, to write high quality blogs and posts, to analyze reports and to adjust the strategy accordingly. Sounds so…overwhelming!

Although most of the times, I like to keep my hands on anything that’s related to Facebook (especially interacting with the customers and readers). Automation tools come in handy when it comes to making the process smoother and more effective.

While some marketers prefer to use the Facebook tools for updates, others prefer a social media management tool for the sake of productivity and ease of use. Let’s see what Facebook has in store for you in terms of marketing automation.

Third party tools are great if you simply don’t have the time to update your Facebook pages on a regular basis, which is much better than not updating the page at all☺. There are a number of tools that brands, social media experts and Irish companies are using to update their Facebook pages. Here are three popular third party tools used for updating Facebook effortlessly; of course, depending on your needs, preferences and budget, we recommend you to do a more thorough research in order to see what fits you best.

1. HubSpot is perhaps one of the most used automation tools for Facebook marketing.

HubSpot helps you validate any Facebook marketing efforts on-the-go, especially since it’s also mobile. You can plug it to your customer database and it will simply help you prioritize responses, after efficiently color-coding customers and leads. HubSpot provides actual ROI and features a number of options, allowing you to publish personal/business pages, to schedule posts, to attach content and anything else to drive prospects straight in the middle of action. 2.

2. Sprout Social is an excellent tool to use for scheduling and publishing updates for the major social networks, including LinkedIn, Twitter and, of course, Facebook.

Whenever new content is available, Sprout can connect the RSS feeds with your account and regularly update the social media networks. In addition, it can track the engagement levels for an affordable pricing plan. The great thing about Sprout is that allows you to shorten links, attach photos and customize the posts. For just $9 you can manage 10 profiles, while for $899 a month you can have unlimited coverage. However, you can try the one month free trial to see if your Facebook marketing improves.

3. Buffer is another excellent tool that enables users to schedule and publish regular Facebook updates.

Setting specific scheduling patters is one of the features that made Buffer a highly appreciated Facebook automation tool. Buffer works as great on other social media platforms – for free if you want to start with up to 10 updates at a time. Other pricing packages include: a Pro plan for $10 per month (handle up to six social media accounts) and a Premium plan for $99 (up to 50 scheduled updates).

Other great Facebook automation tools are Pardot, Marketo, Act-On, LeadSquared or AgoraPulse. Some platforms are better at email, others at analytics or social media. Choose according to your needs, ease of use and of course, budget. Facebook marketing is the spice of any marketing strategy. Without it, your efforts may not reach maximum potential.

The post Top Tools for Automating and Scheduling Facebook Business Page Posts appeared first on Facebook Training Ireland.

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Advertising and Marketing through Facebook in Ireland 3 Feb 2017 1:49 AM (8 years ago)

Facebook is a social platform that basically suits everyone and anyone. If you are an Irish entrepreneur, you will be surely glad to hear that on Facebook, everybody gets equal chances, even when competing with big brands.

The bottom goal of using Facebook to advertise an Irish business is not only to gather as many likes as possible: it’s to create a targeted audience, to interact with prospect customers and complement the overall marketing strategy. Social networks are widely used in Ireland for promoting all sorts of businesses. Here is a brief insight of the top three social networks used by Irish entrepreneurs to reach an extended number of prospect customers: Twitter 23%, YouTube 35% and an astonishing 52% are using Facebook.

Marketing an Irish business through social platforms such as Facebook usually focuses on actions such as:

Since every Irish business sets different target audiences and different niches, it is obvious that the approach to Facebook should vary, although the marketing tools are basically the same.

Marketing an Irish business on Facebook can be achieved by means of three effective tools:

1. Pages

Any entrepreneur can create a Facebook business page for his company. It’s free, easy to set up and can smoothly complement the overall marketing strategy. Whenever a visitor “Likes” the page, they will automatically receive updates from your page (unless they opt for not following the page). Unlike regular Facebook pages, a business Facebook page doesn’t have a limited number of friends/followers. It may take a while until you build a fan base and start activating prospect customers, but on long term, a business Facebook page will deliver a constant stream of targeted audience.

2. Ads

If you are willing to spend some money, Facebook ads can attract the interest of an extended number of prospect customers. Again, Facebook is very flexible when it comes to budgets and ad marketing. This is a fantastic targeted advertising platform that enables Irish entrepreneurs to create specifically targeted ads, according to:

– Education levels;

– Geographical area;

– Age;

– Type of device used for checking Facebook.

The main advantage of using Facebook ads is the extremely detailed and powerful targeting parameters. The downside? It’s not free, but it can get you exceptional results.

3. Groups

Any Irish entrepreneur that want to be in the middle of the action can create or join a Facebook group, closely related to his domain of activity, type of business, target audience etc. Facebook groups are similar to discussion forums, but with a bit of extra juice. Creating a Facebook group for your company will provide you with some extra features, similar to the Facebook page – for example, a posting wall, timeline. Creating a group is free and leads to high levels of engagement. Invest some time in creating one and keep close to the prospect customers – you will not regret it!

Ready to delve in the animated Facebook marketing world? Here are a few extra tips for posting on your business Facebook page or Group. Remember that the audience is very selective and has plenty of competition to choose from. Make each post count, provide valuable information and always keep in touch! Plus…:

The number of Irish internet users is huge, so going online is the most logical thing to do. Some big companies focus mainly on their websites and direct marketing strategies, ignoring their presence on social media. The great thing about Facebook is that anyone has a chance to succeed. Are you ready to grab yours? Good luck, mate!

The post Advertising and Marketing through Facebook in Ireland appeared first on Facebook Training Ireland.

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