There was Facebook long before someone learned TikTok's choreography or complained on Twitter. It's still the most widely used social network in the world, but B2B marketers don't always see it as a viable platform for generating leads. When LinkedIn is right there and you're ready to start your business, it's easy to dismiss Facebook as a place to share memes and Cork E-Bikes Zone discussions with your most disliked uncle. Easy but wrong — Facebook is a viable channel for B2B marketing with the right strategy.
Typical Facebook feeds are fast-moving and chaotic, and are ideal for B2C ads that provoke the urge to get the user's attention and make quick purchases. The small target audience and long sales cycle that characterize the B2B buying process can be a bit of a conflict with the platform method. But the lead is there. Over 48% of B2B buyers making decisions are investigating their purchases on Facebook. Marketers who learn how to use Facebook ads effectively can get a clear advantage over competitors who accidentally write down their platform.
What are Facebook Ads?
Facebook Ads is the name of Facebook's integrated advertising platform. Your ad will appear in your news feed and sidebar based on the targeting options your advertiser chooses. User activity (both Facebook on and off), demographic data, profile details, and device information can all determine the factors that cause a user to see a particular ad.
Facebook ads consist of the visuals and text that make up the actual ad, as well as some behind-the-scenes components (targeting specifications, placement, and schedule of ad duration). Advertisers also need to determine their ad click or impression budget and bids.
One of the things that isn't technically part of the ad, but should be treated as mandatory is Facebook Pixel. By installing it on your website , you can track different conversions and collect useful information about the performance of your advertising campaigns.
Are Facebook Ads Suitable for B2B?
Traditional knowledge says that Facebook is much more friendly to B2C than B2B when it comes to marketing. However, most companies ( 91% according to one survey) hedge their bets by investing in Facebook's presence to reach leads and customers . In another study, Facebook has partnered with LinkedIn as the social advertising platform with the highest ROI . If you can't find a way to connect with prospects on Facebook, someone else will.
There are several benefits to using Facebook ads . Facebook's vast user base and flexible advertising budget options provide marketers with a great environment for experimenting, testing and improving their campaigns. Another advantage is that ad placement is not limited to the platform itself. Facebook ads can also be displayed on Instagram and other apps that are part of the Facebook Audience Network.
That said, it takes a bit of work to get B2B marketing to work on Facebook . If you're selling a large enterprise-scale software solution to a niche market, you probably won't get great results with a "click here to buy now" ad. Meanwhile, Facebook ads can be leveraged to provide educational and insightful value-added content to potential clients and their colleagues. This tactic promotes brand awareness, establishes authority, and demonstrates thought leadership. Most importantly, it softens the lead to sales and marketing tactics encountered further down the goal-achieving process.
How to succeed with B2B Facebook ads
There is one distinction between B2B marketers who get the value of money from Facebook ads and marketers who are convinced that the entire platform should be abandoned by the B2C crowd. It's a winning strategy. Come on with an unfocused approach, and you'll see your budget wasted on messages lost in the turmoil. If you want to take advantage of Facebook and run marketing campaigns to serve, you can do it in the following ways: