If you were invited to a beach party, you would not show up in a tuxedo, would you? Nor would you go to a wedding wearing your swimsuit? Then why are you running your search pay per click (PPC) ads on Facebook?
If you are an experienced PPC marketer, you understand the connection between your keyword and your ad copy. If customers are actively looking for blue widgets, then you tell them about your blue widgets! Tell the customer that you have the biggest selection, lowest prices, and friendliest service. In fact, here is a 25% off coupon!
However, on Facebook, people are not searching! They are merely “surfing.” Your customers are flipping channels on the new TV, to be entertained by their friends. Like your display ads, you are interrupting them. Therefore, since you are interrupting your ads must be credible, friend-based, and engaging.
The customer on Facebook is not in the process of shopping, so coupon codes and sales are usually ineffective. Remember, the customer is not researching, so ebooks and free articles do not catch their attention.
Your customer, on Facebook, is among friends socializing, so YOU must fit in. Imagine your target is having dinner (virtually, of course) among a group of friends. He does not know you. Would you just barge into the discussion, arms wildly waving, proclaiming a sale on widgets? Absolutely not! But what if you have a mutual friend at the table and were able to ask for an introduction? This is friend-of-fan connection targeting in Facebook. What if these friends were discussing their favorite TV show and you had some interesting insight about that? Maybe you are Rosetta Stone and can tell them the translation of that foreign phrase in that TV show.
Not engaging users is the fatal mistake made in Facebook advertising. Your Ads MUST BE SOCIAL, as if you are having a one-on-one conversation with a friend. To become a fan, those ads MUST lead to an engagement activity -”watch a video, take a quiz, create a badge, spin the wheel, or some other intermediate activity prior to a lead or sale.”
Facebook lets you know at what stage of relationship you are with the user: whether they are already friends with you or not (fan targeting), whether they are aware of related interests (interest targeting), and whether you have friends in common (friends of fan targeting). Would you say the exact same message to a lifelong friend as to some random stranger? Then do not run your Google PPC ads on Facebook. Divide your messaging not by keyword, but by stage of engagement and interest target.
Consider that keywords and interest targets are not the same thing. The term “cars” on PPC will yield ads for car dealerships, auto insurance, and auto parts. The “interest cars” on Facebook will yield folks who like the “Pixar movie, Cars” and the “rock group Cars.” You will not find discount car insurance as an interest target on Facebook, anymore than you would wear a t-shirt that has this as a slogan across your chest.
So, please DO NOT make that fatal blunder of waltzing into a beach party with your suit and tie on; people will look at you funny!
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Dennis Yu – Chief Executive Officer, BlitzLocal