Facebook Ads for SMEs

If you’re looking for experts in the “field of” online advertising, you’re in the right place

With over 10 years of experience in the industry, we have helped hundreds of clients achieve significant results with Facebook Ads.

You can find some reviews on Trustpilot, where our clients express their satisfaction with the results we’ve achieved together.

We invite you to get in touch with us and rely on our expertise.

We are ready to offer you a free 15-minute consultation on Zoom, during which we will discuss your specific needs and the business goals you wish to achieve.

Our team of experts will be happy to create a personalized strategy to help you get the most out of your Facebook Ads campaigns.

Don’t miss the opportunity to advertise and grow your online business.

Contact us today and discover how we can help you achieve success.

What are Facebook Ads and why are they important for boosting your business? We’ll answer you right away

Facebook Ads are a form of online advertising offered by the social media platform Facebook, which has billions of users.

These advertisements allow businesses and advertisers to promote their products, services, or content directly to Facebook and Instagram users.

This is done through sponsored ads that appear in users’ feeds, stories, sidebars, and other advertising spaces within the platforms.

The strength of Facebook Ads lies in their ability to target a specific audience based on demographic criteria, interests, online behaviors, and more.

Advertisers can customize their advertising campaigns to reach exactly the people who are most interested in their products or services.

This precise targeting makes Facebook Ads a powerful tool for increasing brand visibility and achieving concrete marketing results.

Facebook Ads can be in various formats, including images, videos, carousels, and much more.

Advertisers can also define specific objectives for their campaigns, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales.

Additionally, Facebook provides detailed analytics tools to monitor the performance of advertising campaigns, allowing advertisers to optimize their strategies based on real results and maximize the return on advertising investment, which depends on many factors.

Let’s see together how a Facebook Ads campaign works

A Facebook Ads campaign allows you to define the audience, create personalized ads, and measure results.

It’s an ongoing process of trial and error to continuously improve campaigns and achieve marketing objectives. Let’s look in detail at how Facebook advertising works:

We establish the campaign objective

To start a Facebook Ads campaign, we need to establish your objective. For example, you might want to increase traffic to your website, get more likes on your Facebook page, or generate leads for your business. The objective will guide the creation of your campaign.

We identify audience targeting

One of the most powerful features of Facebook Ads is the ability to select a specific audience. We can define the audience based on demographic criteria (age, gender, geographic location), interests (hobbies, purchasing behaviors), and more.

For example, if you sell pet products, we’ll target people who love animals and live in your area.

We create the ad

We can use images, videos, or text to capture the audience’s attention. For example, if you’re promoting a new clothing line, we might show an attractive photo of a person wearing your garments.

We set the budget and bids

Together with you, we decide how much you want to spend and how your ads should appear. We can set a daily budget or a total budget for the entire campaign.

Additionally, we can choose whether to pay for impressions (how many times your ad is viewed) or for clicks (how many times people click on your ad).

We constantly monitor performance

Once your campaign is active, it’s crucial to monitor performance. Facebook offers analytical tools that allow you to see how many clicks you’ve received, which ads are performing better, and how much you’ve spent.

We can then make changes based on the data to optimize your campaign.

We optimize relentlessly

We test different images, texts, or audience segments to see what works best.

What are the types of Facebook Ads campaigns? Here they are below

There are several types of Facebook Ads that we can use to achieve your marketing goals. Here are some of the most common formats:

1. Photo

These ads contain a visual image, which can be accompanied by a short text. They are ideal for showcasing products, services, or creating brand awareness. Example: an image of a car to promote a brand or a dealership.

2. Video

Video ads allow you to use video content to capture the audience’s attention. They can be short or longer videos and are suitable for storytelling or demonstrating products in action. For example, a demonstration video of a new product or service.

3. Carousel

Allows you to show multiple images or videos in a single ad. Users can scroll through different images or videos within the carousel. This format is great for presenting a series of products or features. Example: Airbnb accommodation listings.

4. Messenger

These are ads that reach users directly within the messaging application Facebook Messenger. These ads appear in users’ conversation lists and can be used to promote products, services, or generate direct interactions with the audience.

5. Slideshow

This is a sequence of images or short videos that automatically repeat. They are a lighter solution compared to actual videos, and it’s possible to add text and sounds. For example, they are useful for summarizing product features.

6. Collection

Allows you to combine a main image or video with smaller images of products. When a user clicks on the ad, they are directed to a landing page that shows all the featured products. This format is ideal for online retail. Example: the new collection of a sports line.

7. Playable

These are video ads that can be played automatically or interactively within the Facebook platform. These video ads can be used to capture the audience’s attention, tell a story, or promote products and services in an engaging way.

8. Interactive Experiences (formerly Canvas)

They offer a full-screen experience on mobile devices. They can incorporate images, videos, text, and interactive call-to-actions to engage users in a more dynamic way. For example, the presentation of a tourist destination.

The choice of format will depend on the marketing objectives and the type of content you want to promote. You can experiment with different formats to discover which works best for your business and target audience.

Want to know which activities Facebook Ads are useful for? We’ll tell you right away

Facebook Ads are useful for many activities and sectors, let’s see which ones together:

1. E-commerce: companies selling products online can use Facebook Ads to promote their products, attract new customers, and increase sales. Ads can show images or videos of products, special offers, and direct links to purchases.
2. Local businesses: local businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, medical practices, and law firms can leverage Facebook Ads to attract local customers. They can promote special offers, on-site events, and increase awareness of their presence in a well-defined area.
3. Brand Awareness: companies can use Facebook Ads to increase brand awareness by reaching a wide and targeted audience. Ads can showcase brand stories, value messages, or entertaining content to engage the audience.
4. Lead generation: Facebook Ads are effective for lead generation, such as collecting email addresses or contact information. Ads can promote special offers or downloadable content in exchange for potential customers’ information.
5. Mobile Apps: app developers can promote their apps through Facebook Ads, encouraging users to download and use the apps directly from mobile devices.
6. Creative sectors: artists, musicians, writers, and other creative figures can use Facebook Ads to promote their works, concerts, events, or books.
7. Non-Profit Organizations: can use ads to raise funds, recruit volunteers, or raise public awareness about important issues.
8. B2B Sector: companies operating in the business-to-business sector can use Facebook Ads to promote webinars, events, or informative content aimed at professionals and decision-makers.
9. Education: schools, universities, and online training platforms can use ads to promote educational programs, online courses, and learning opportunities.
10. Tourism and hospitality: companies in the tourism and hospitality sector can use Facebook Ads to promote destinations, vacation packages, hotels, and tourist attractions.

In general, Facebook Ads can be adapted to a wide range of marketing objectives and sectors.

The key to success is to carefully plan the advertising strategy, define the target audience, and monitor ad performance to constantly optimize the campaign.

Facebook Pixel: What They Are and How to Install Them to Leverage Their Potential

Facebook pixels are tracking and analysis tools that allow you to monitor users’ actions on the website.

These pixels allow you to collect valuable data on user behavior, enabling you to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on Facebook and optimize marketing strategies.

Here’s how Facebook pixels work and how to install them:

1. Pixel Creation:

• Go to your Meta Business Suite.
• In the “Business Tools” section, select “Website Events” and then “Pixels”.
• Click on “Add a pixel” to create a new pixel.

2. Pixel Code Generation:

After creating the pixel, you will receive a unique tracking code to add to your website. This code consists of a small JavaScript snippet.

3. Pixel Installation:

The pixel installation may vary depending on the type of website you are using. On a CMS (Content Management System) based website like WordPress, you need to copy the pixel code generated by Facebook.

Then it should be pasted between the tags of each page of the website, preferably just before the closing tag. Finally, save the changes and make sure the pixel is active on all pages of the site.

There are also some plugins that do the work for us, removing the “task of inserting the code into” the site.

4. Event Configuration

Once the pixel is installed, configure specific events you want to monitor. Events can include purchases, registrations, page views, cart additions, and more.

For example, if you want to track purchase conversions, you’ll need to configure the Purchase Completed event and associate it with the checkout button or process on your website.

5. Monitoring and Analysis

After installing and configuring the pixel, Facebook will start collecting data on users who visit your website and perform the actions you’ve configured.

You can view this information in your Meta Business Suite, in the “Website Events” section. Here, you’ll be able to analyze the performance of your advertising campaigns and get detailed insights into user behavior.

6. Using Pixel Data

Once the data is collected, we use it to optimize Facebook advertising campaigns. For example, we can create custom audiences based on specific user behaviors and create targeted campaigns for those users who have already shown interest in your products or services.

Facebook pixels are essential tools for tracking and analyzing user behavior on your website. Installing and configuring the pixel allows you to obtain valuable data to improve advertising campaigns and achieve better results in online marketing.

How We Define the Audience for Facebook Ads Campaigns

To define the audience for Facebook Ads campaigns, a series of targeting criteria are needed, which allow us to reach the right people. Here’s what we at Qreativa use:

1. Demographics: we define the audience based on demographic criteria such as age, gender, geographic location, and language. For example, we can target women between 25 and 35 years old living in Milan.

2. Interests: Facebook allows us to select users based on their interests. For example, we can reach people who are passionate about gourmet cooking, travel, or fitness.

3. Behaviors: we target based on online behaviors, such as the type of device used, previous interactions with the website or app, and more.

4. Connections: we include or exclude people based on their connections with your Facebook page, group, or app. For example, you can show ads only to people who already follow your page.

5. Custom Audience: we can create custom audiences using data we own, such as email address lists or customer phone numbers. This allows us to reach people who already know the brand or company.

6. Lookalike Audience: these are similar audiences based on existing ones, which allow Facebook to find users with characteristics similar to those who already interact with your company’s page.

7. Advanced Demographics: we can further refine targeting using information on advanced criteria such as marital status, education, occupation and more.

8. Life Events: used to target people who are going through significant events, such as birthdays, weddings, or people looking for a new home.

9. Geographic Segmentation: to select specific geographic areas, such as cities, regions, or a radius around a point of interest.

For example, if we need to promote a children’s clothing store based in Rome that wants to activate a special sale for mothers, we start by creating a target audience composed of women between 25 and 45 years old, who live in Rome and who have shown interest in pages related to children, motherhood, or online shopping.

The key to success in Facebook Ads campaigns is the correct definition of the audience. It’s important to be specific and target people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services, which will increase the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns.

Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads: Is There a Connection?

Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads are two related advertising platforms, as Instagram is owned by Facebook.

However, they have some significant differences and their use depends on your marketing objectives and target audience.

Facebook has a broader and more diverse user base compared to Instagram. This means you can reach a wide range of people based on various targeting criteria. It also offers a variety of ad formats, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, collection ads, and much more.

With Facebook Ads, you can distribute ads on the social network itself, as well as on Audience Network and other Facebook partner websites and apps.

You can set specific objectives for your campaigns, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or raising brand awareness.

Instagram is a visual platform, focused on images and videos. It’s particularly suitable for brands wanting to share high-quality visual content.

Instagram is popular among a younger and mobile-oriented audience. It offers creative ad formats such as story ads, carousel ads, and explore ads. These formats are great for visual storytelling.

Instagram ads allow direct interaction, enabling users to click on products in photos and purchase them directly.

The choice between Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads depends on your marketing objectives, target audience, and the nature of your content.

Many businesses choose to use both platforms in a complementary manner to maximize the reach and effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.

Now we’ll explain how we at Qreativa create a Facebook Ads campaign

Here’s how we create ads on Facebook Ads in our web agency:

1. Access Meta Business Suite (formerly Business Manager):

We log into the “Meta Suite account, or create one if you don’t have one”.

2. Navigate the interface:

Once inside Meta Business Suite, we go to the “Ads Manager” section in the left sidebar.

3. Create a campaign:

Click on “Create” to start a new ad campaign.

4. Choose the campaign objective:

We select the advertising campaign objective. We can choose from objectives such as Increase traffic to your website, Increase brand awareness, Generate conversions and others, based on marketing goals.

5. Define the target audience:

We specify the audience we want to reach with the campaign. We use targeting criteria such as age, gender, geographic location, interests, and behaviors to define the ideal audience.

6. Set the budget:

We decide how much to spend on your advertising campaign and establish whether you prefer a daily budget or a total budget. We can also set the start and end dates of the campaign.

7. Choose ad placements:

We select where we want the ads to be placed and displayed, among Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and other Facebook partner websites and apps.

8. Create the ad content:

We insert the “ad content, which can include text, images, videos, and links. We ensure that the content is relevant to the audience and the” campaign objective.

9. Configure advanced settings:

We can configure advanced settings, such as “ad delivery optimization”, display frequency, and more.

10. Review and publish

We check the campaign settings to ensure they are correct. Once done, we click on “Publish” to launch the advertising campaign.

11. Monitor and optimize

After publishing the campaign, we closely monitor the performance of the ads. If necessary, we make real-time adjustments based on data to improve campaign performance.

Every day we track results, perform A/B tests to further optimize campaigns and adapt them to audience feedback.

Here are the tools we use to make Facebook ads irresistible

There are several tools that help create and manage Facebook Ads campaigns more efficiently. Here are some of the best tools useful for this purpose:

1. Meta Business Suite: is the main tool provided directly by Facebook to create, manage, and monitor campaigns. You can access advanced targeting tools, performance analytics, and audience management.

1. Facebook Creative Hub: this tool helps create and test creative ads before publishing them. You can see how ads will appear on different platforms and devices.
2. Canva: is a graphic design platform that allows you to easily create images and graphics for Facebook ads. It’s useful for creating attractive and professional images.
3. AdEspresso: is an advertising campaign management tool that simplifies the creation and optimization of Facebook ads. It offers A/B testing features and advanced reporting.
4. Hootsuite: is a tool for managing campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. It allows you to schedule ads, monitor performance, and analyze campaign data.

1. Buffer: is a well-known social media management tool that also includes the ability to schedule and publish ads on Facebook and Instagram.
2. Adstage: is a multi-channel marketing tool that allows you to manage campaigns across various advertising platforms, including Facebook Ads.
3. Lumen5: is a tool that helps create engaging promotional videos for Facebook ads. It can quickly convert text and images into videos with visual and audio effects.

1. Sociograph: analyzes Facebook demographic data and allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your target audience. You can discover detailed demographic information about users who interact with your Facebook page or ads.

But how do we know if Facebook Ads are effective?

To understand if Facebook Ads are effective, we use various performance measurement metrics, including Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Here’s how we calculate ROAS and how we interpret it.

Calculating ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

ROAS is a metric that helps measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns relative to the expenses incurred. To calculate ROAS, we use the following formula:

ROAS=Revenue generated from ads/Advertising spend

Where “revenue generated from ads” represents the total earnings generated directly from conversions obtained through the ads.

Advertising spend, on the other hand, is the value that represents the total expenses incurred for the creation and distribution of ads.

Interpreting ROAS

• A ROAS greater than 1 indicates a positive return on advertising investments. For example, a ROAS of 5 means we obtained 5 euros in revenue for every euro spent on advertising.
• A ROAS of 1 means we obtained a return equal to the advertising spend, which means we just covered the advertising expenses.
• A ROAS less than 1 indicates that we obtained less revenue than we spent on advertising, which can be a sign of campaign ineffectiveness.
• A very high ROAS, for example, 10 or more, indicates a highly effective campaign where we are getting a significant return on investment.

It’s important to note that the ideal ROAS varies depending on the campaign objectives and profit margins.

For example, a company with higher profit margins might be willing to accept a lower ROAS, while a startup might aim for a higher ROAS.

Furthermore, to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns, we must also consider other metrics such as cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, cost per conversion, and audience reach.

For this reason, we regularly monitor metrics to optimize campaigns and maximize return on investment.

And now let’s talk numbers: how much does advertising on Facebook cost?

The cost of advertising on Facebook depends on many factors, including the target audience, campaign objective, competition in the sector of interest, and the type of ads we choose to use.

There is no fixed amount for Facebook advertising, but we can set the budget based on needs and financial resources.

Here are some important considerations:

1. Daily or total budget: we can set a maximum daily budget, or a total budget for the campaign. For example, we decide to spend 10 euros per day, or set a total budget of 100 euros for a specific period.
2. Bid optimization: Facebook uses a bidding system to determine how much we’ll actually spend for each click (CPC), or every thousand impressions (CPM). We can choose to optimize for objectives such as clicks, views, or conversions, and Facebook will automatically adjust bids based on these objectives.

1. Competition: the cost of ads is influenced by competition. If many other advertisers are trying to reach the same audience, we need to make more competitive bids to gain visibility.
2. Type of ads: the type of ads we choose to use affects the cost. For example, video ads tend to have a higher cost per view (CPV) compared to image or text ads.
3. Target audience: the size and segmentation of the audience influence the cost. Targeting a very specific audience requires a higher CPC, but can also lead to more qualified conversions.
4. Campaign objectives: campaign objectives influence expenses. If the goal is to obtain conversions, we need to invest more compared to a campaign aimed at generating website traffic or increasing brand awareness.

In general, the cost of advertising on Facebook can vary from a few cents to several tens of euros per click, or thousands of impressions.

It’s important to plan the budget based on campaign objectives and available resources, taking into account metrics such as ROAS to evaluate the return on investment.

We can start with modest budgets and then increase or decrease expenses based on campaign performance. Flexibility is one of the main features of Facebook advertising.

Better to invest in Facebook Ads or Google Ads? The answer is below

The decision to invest in Facebook Ads or Google Ads depends on your marketing objectives, target audience, and the nature of your business.

Both platforms offer unique advantages, and the choice depends on your specific needs. Here are some factors to consider:

Facebook Ads:

• Interest and demographic-based targeting: Facebook allows you to reach users based on interests, demographics, online behaviors, and connections. It’s particularly effective for brand awareness campaigns and for reaching a very specific audience. It addresses latent demand, precisely because it allows you to reach users who are not actively searching, based on interests, demographics, and behaviors.
• Creative formats: Facebook offers a variety of creative ad formats, such as images, videos, carousels, stories, and more. These formats can be used to engage the audience in different ways.
• Retargeting: You can use Facebook to reach people who have already interacted with your website or your brand, making it effective for remarketing and lead reinforcement.

Google Ads:

• User intent and direct demand: Google Ads is effective when users are actively searching for information, products, or services online. You can reach users based on specific keywords and queries they type in searches, which means you’re reaching an audience with a strong purchase intent.
• Extensive search network: Google Ads can be displayed on the SERP, on YouTube, on Display Network, and other Google platforms, offering wide reach.
• Conversion tracking: Google Ads offers an excellent conversion tracking system, allowing you to accurately measure conversions on your website.

The choice between Facebook Ads and Google Ads depends on your marketing objectives. If you want to increase brand awareness and reach a broad and diverse audience, Facebook Ads can be a good choice.

If, on the other hand, you want to capture users who are actively searching for your products or services, Google Ads is more appropriate.

Often, many companies choose to use both platforms complementarily to best leverage the strengths of each.

Want to better understand the world of Meta ads? We’ve thought of a nice gift for you, a free course on Facebook Ads for your business! If instead you want to plan a complete strategy that also includes TikTok Ads and LinkedIn Ads, don’t delay and contact us now.