Saving Face: Get a Jumpstart on Facebook Advertising…Free!

Social media is everywhere. In fact, as the old saying goes, you “can’t swing a dead cat without hitting” some mention of social media.

Fur-flying aside (apologies to my feline-loving friends), social media offers small business owners many unique opportunities — not the least of which is the ability to compete on a level playing field with the “big guys” of their niche. And, while more and more mainstream corporations are certainly hopping on the social media bandwagon, nearly equal amounts have been reluctant to do so. While they have mistakenly underestimated the opportunities for brand building and nurturing customer relationships, wise marketers should be making use of this headstart to gain a strong foothold in the niche.

For new clients just testing the social media waters, I recommend starting with “the trifecta” of social media — Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. We’ll save the discussions on YouTube and Twitter for another day — our focus today is on setting up a Facebook ad campaign, and doing so without spending a dime of your own money.

THAT got your attention, didn’t it? Good!

It should be noted that you must already have a Facebook account in order to use this offer, and you must be new to Facebook advertising. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to starting your first Facebook ad campaign in no time!

1. Sign up for the Visa Business Network (a free business community) via this link.
2. Create your ad. It must measure 110 pixels wide by 80 pixels high. In addition, you will be able to use 25 characters for your text headline, and 135 characters for your text ad (which will run directly below your ad).
3. You will be prompted to enter your payment information (which will not be accessed until after your coupon has been exhausted. You will receive an email from Facebook to alert you of this.
4. Enter your coupon code (provided by Visa Business Network) where indicated.
5. After you’ve created and uploaded your ad, you will be presented with a series of targeting criteria that will help insure you ad reaches its intended audience. You can set the age range, geographical region, language, and keywords that will trigger the display of your ad. If you have run Google ads in the past, be sure and use your most successful keywords (and possibly even your ad text).
6. Wait for your ad to be approved – generally less than 24 hours.

While some may be tempted to set very broad keyword phrases, I would encourage you to be as specific as possible. This will enable you to maximize the budget you’ve been afforded by the coupon. Over the first week or so, you may want to tweak your ad text or keywords once you start to see the click-thru rates. What better time to make these changes than before you begin using your own funds?

If you are already using Facebook advertising, why not chime in and share your experiences with us? I would love to hear how you are using this tool for your business.

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