If you’re a service-based business, you may be struggling with the right approach to online advertising.
Consumer Buying Journey
You’re responsible for delivering a service, whether at someone’s home or at your location, having a great web presence and online reputation are important to your prospective customers. Consumers want to feel comfortable and confident when hiring a service provider. So, it makes sense that these buyers typically spend more time thinking about their purchase decision, and it’s usually not with the first business that shows up in the paid ads on a search engine.
“Content Marketing”
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Instead, potential customers may take some time to check out multiple businesses, look at websites and reviews, ask friends and family for recommendations, compare prices, and more. And, because many service purchases aren’t immediate, busy consumers may forget about them while they go about their day. So, with tactics like Facebook advertising, local service providers can effectively remind people of their services and convert more interested leads.
Actively Manage Your Facebook Page
If I hear about a new business from a connection on Facebook, I’ll immediately check out that business’ Facebook page.Make sure all your business information is complete, that you post regular updates—like tips, offers, specials, photos—so users will form a positive view your business at first glance. You should also respond to any negative reviews and comments you receive on your posts or page. Doing so won’t just help your organic presence, but is fundamental to your advertising success.
Choose Your Goal
While Facebook ads look a lot like display ads and work to grow brand awareness and interest from users, many Facebook campaigns can generate tangible results for a service business.If you don’t have a physical location or someone dedicated to answering phone calls, choose a program that helps you drive online leads or appointments—like a Website Clicks or Lead Ads campaign. If you have a robust website that provides additional, helpful information about your business and a lead intake form or phone number, a Website Clicks campaign might be most effective. If your website is not ideal or set up to capture leads, you can opt for a Local Awareness or Lead Ads campaign that allows you to generate leads or calls directly from Facebook.
Target Ads to Your Ideal Consumers
There are a lot of powerful targeting capabilities on Facebook, so it can be a challenge to decide exactly what’s best for your advertising campaign. customers live: First, a local service provider should determine the ideal geographic area to target.Facebook allows you to choose one or more locations to target. It can include specific zip codes or a radius around a specific location, a city, state, or country.
Desired income level, age range, and more: Facebook’s advertising programs allow you to show your ad to users in specific demographics or who have desired traits. For example, if your services have a higher cost, such as pool installation or home remodeling, Facebook’s financial demographics can help you narrow your audience to people who would be more willing to pay for your services.
Relevant niche demographics: Users that provide information like their homeowner status or life events can be a goldmine for service providers. For instance, if you are a landscaper who only wants to target new homeowners, or a lifestyle photographer who wants to reach people who have recently gotten engaged or had a baby, you can do so if they’ve provided that information to Facebook.
Retargeting and custom audiences:This can include your current Facebook fans, people who have previously contacted you, newsletter subscribers, and others who haven’t made a purchase for one reason or another. You can also leverage Facebook’s “lookalikes” capabilities, which uses its data to create a list of new prospects that “look like” the people on your list and target them with your ads.
Command Attention with Great Ads
Creating an eye-catching and effective Facebook ad is crucial to getting results from your campaign.
An engaging image: Although Facebook doesn’t allow “before” and “after” images, you can still use great imagery that stands out in the News Feed. Using your own images not only makes your ads look more authentic, but they’ll be differentiated from every other stock photo image in the News Feed.Short, yet impactful messages: If you are running any specials, holding an event, or offering any unique services, include them in your ad’s headline and description.
The right call to action: Select a call to action that makes the most sense for your ad and your business. If you’re trying to generate onsite appointments or service estimates, using a CTA like “Book Now” or “Contact Us” might work best to get people to submit an inquiry through Facebook or on your website.
Your Facebook Advertising Planning
If you’re not sure what will work for your business, try testing different programs, targeting
techniques, and creative, then review your results to see what’s resonating most with your target audience.
Source:searchenginejournal
Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. His expert knowledge on Internet Marketing practices and techniques has earned him the title “Internet Marketing Guru“ He is also an innovator, investor and entrepreneur widely recognized by the top players in the industry.