What You Need to Know Before Buying Facebook Ads

This article was written by Ted Dhanik

Every niche is different, so where you advertise is almost as crucial as what you say in that advertising. Placements on sites like Facebook were the gold standard for ad delivery. They provided a real-time platform for users to bid on position, and plenty of data to provide marketers with information on engagement levels. But Ted Dhanik of engage:BDR says that business owners are shifting ad spend away from Facebook and toward other ventures. Here is what you need to know before you make that decision for yourself.

User Intent

Facebook forces advertisers to compete with other forms of noise. With banner advertising on a blog, you know the user has come to read or comment on a story. With Facebook, that same user could be logging in to check messages, set up a date, or just make a wall post. And that’s only scratching the surface of possible interactions. With so many variables, it takes a lot of luck and money to get conversions.

Ad Units

Facebook is not the only alternative for ad sizes anymore either. The news feed, in-line video and margins were prime real estate and other sites have caught on. Traffic networks now offer placements in popups, pop unders and a variety of sizes above and below the fold.

Alternatives

There are plenty of alternatives for marketers looking to diversify. Facebook ads are not becoming less competitive, and social metrics may not be as valuable to some businesses. With display advertising on other networks, you can save money on traffic and narrow your targeting without your traffic suffering.

Bio: Ted Dhanik has experience in campaigns both on and offline. His 15 years of direct marketing expertise have helped launch brands like MySpace.com and LowerMyBills.com. Ted Dhanik currently functions as the CEO and co-founder of engage:BDR.