We’ve all been there — your Facebook campaign fell flat and you have no idea why. The truth is, the tricky nature of the beast that is Facebook has felled many a campaign, and because it offers so many free and paid marketing opportunities, it can be difficult to pinpoint what exactly went wrong. So, instead of mourning your failed campaign, pay attention to the common mistakes below and revise your strategy for next time.
You didn’t optimize and refine your ads
Even if you’ve spent time really studying your competitors’ Facebook ads, and taken some pointers from our guide to creating excellent Facebook ads, chances are you won’t get it just right the first time around. This is where Ads Manager comes in. Use it to track the performance of your ads and try to zero in on what is working about that particular ad. Is that particular image grabbing users’ attention? Is the ad copy’s call-to-action causing lots of people to click the ad? Take this information and use it to create an ad that uses the best elements of your ads while getting rid of the least effective.
You didn’t ration your ads budget
The trick to Facebook ads is going in expecting to refine your approach over an extended period of time. We’ve already discussed that your first attempt at creating ads probably won’t be the most effective, so don’t waste most of your budget on them. Instead, plan for the long haul and give yourself some room to increase your spend once you’ve gathered enough data to refine your ads and approach. Just as in the previous scenario, Ads Manager will be your friend, so be sure to use it!
You promoted every post
There’s no question that the Facebook marketing game got more challenging when the Edgerank algorithm changed earlier this year. As a (paid) solution to this, Facebook introduced the Promoted Posts feature, which brands were quick to either deride or embrace. Although the feature does increase the visibility of your chosen post, the attention it may get as a result isn’t necessarily the kind the you want. A case study recently conducted by Econsultancy found that the the inability to target a specific demographic, location or category of user didn’t necessarily give them the return on investment that they were hoping to see (i.e. lots of new ‘likes’ but most from a country where the brand doesn’t have a presence and by people with no interest in their industry). Although the feature can do your brand some good, don’t use it to promote every post. Be selective with the posts you promote, and be conservative with your budget. If you notice that you’re not reaching your target audience, it may not be worth the cost for your brand.
You spammed your friends with Page Invites
If you’re a small business owner, Facebook’s Page Invites feature can be great. It can allow you to reach out to to your entire circle of friends quickly and efficiently to ‘like’ your business’ page, but it can easily turn to spam. Inviting friends to ‘like’ your brand’s or client’s page can be annoying and frustrating, especially if your friends dont’ necessarily support the brand. Take the pressure off your friends and ease off promoting your page. Avoid sending mass page invites and opt, instead, to share quality content, products or sales information.
You did nothing but self promote
Sure, Facebook is a great platform for promoting your brand’s services and products, but that doesn’t mean your presence should be limited to just that. Even the biggest brands take the time to share relevant news, interesting photos and videos and even interesting facts. Don’t be afraid to share third-party stories, photos, videos or links as long as they’re interesting and will appeal to your audience. A feed full of self-promotion is sure to turn off even the most loyal follower/customers, but a feed interspersed with fun and interesting posts will be more interesting to fans and could bring better engagement, too.
Have you found some other Facebook marketing mistakes the hard way? Share them with us! And brush up on the best Facebook marketing techniques with our comprehensive posts.
