How To Use Facebook Advertising To Gain Likes For Your Page

Posted on Aug 13 2013 - 1:47am by Patrick Rafferty

Everyone wants to be liked these days.

When it comes to social media, it seems we’re all starved for attention. That attention comes in the form of likes. We constantly check for updates every time we post something with the hope that people will click that little button that tells the whole world you liked a picture. The more the merrier.

There are many ways to go about getting those ever-important likes, but the easiest and most efficient way, especially for a business, is to target Facebook advertisements. Though Facebook ads have somewhat of a stigma for some reason, they work. They’re easy to set up, cost effective and you get instant exposure from people who would never see your page otherwise.

So what’s the best way to create an ad? Like everything else these days, there are several ways to get the same result. For the most part, though, there are two main options for a small business:

  1. “Get more likes” option—Mostly for small Facebook pages with less than a few hundred likes
  2. “Build audience” option—For bigger, older pages looking to grow an audience

Get more likes 

Step 1: Look above cover photo 

You can use the “get more likes” option if it shows up in the admin panel above your cover photo. If you say the “build audience” option, which means that your page is already too big for the “get more likes” option, and you should scroll down (in this post) to the “build audience” section.

Step 2: Set budget 

The beauty of Facebook ads is that you can set your budget for as big or small as possible, depending on the market that you want to reach, the amount of time you want your ad to run and the keywords you want to target. Beginners should start with a small budget, say $5-$20 just to figure out how to use it in a concise manner.

Step 3: Click “promote page” 

An ad summary should show up once you click “promote page.” The ad summary will show you a few things. It will show you a sample advertisement to each respective demographic. You can increase or decrease your budget, which Facebook will use to calculate your estimated number of likes per day. You can also choose who in particular to target. For example, you can choose people from your city, state or the entire United States. If you have a local company, it might be best to choose to target a local market. Remember, you can get as many likes as you want, but if they aren’t part of your target market, there’s no use.

Once you are satisfied with your advertisement preferences, click the “promote page” again and you should be on your way. You should see a notice that says “Your ad has been created and will not run until you stop it.”

You can also edit the advertisement once it actually occurs. You can also end it at any time with no repercussions.

“Build Audience” Option 

This option is for Facebook pages with over a few hundred likes. It, like the “get more likes” option can be very beneficial for building a good audience.

Step 1: click “Build Audience” 

The setup for the build audience is very similar to the “get more likes” option. You start by clicking the build audience option, which will take you to a drop down menu with several options. Click the “create ad” option to get started.

Step 2: Choose “Get More Page Likes” 

You should get taken to a page with more options form the create ad option. You can either promote a post or “get more page likes.” Click the latter.

Step 3: Edit your ad 

The one’s fairly straightforward. You should have several spaces to enter text and pictures, such as “headline, landing view and image.” Combined, these will form your ad.

To keep things simple, click the option “People liking your page” on the “sponsored stories” section, unless, that is, you know how to use URL tags. Sponsored stories just means when someone’s friend likes your page, a sponsored story will appear in their news feed.

Step 4: Choose your audience 

You have a good deal of power in this section. Choosing your demographics is key to any advertisement, as you should conform your message to meet the needs of your target audience. For instance, you can choose from seven options: Location, age, gender, precise interests, broad categories, connections and friends of connections. The more you play around with them, the more comfortable you should get.

Step 5: Campaign, pricing and schedule 

This section lets you choose the name of your campaign, how much you want to spend and how long you want it to run. You can choose CPM (cost per impression) or CPC (cost per click. CPM will get you greater, but will cost more, and CPC will be more competitive, but you will only pay when someone clicks on the advertisement.

Once again, the more you play around with these settings, the more comfortable you should become. There is no guaranteed formula, and every business will have certain preferences. Go with CPM if you want to keep it simple, otherwise try out CPC.

Step 6: Review ad

This just ensures you did not make a mistake. Check it thoroughly, as a mistake could cost you a good bit of money.

Step 7: Place order 

That’s it. You’re finished. Congratulations. Now watch the likes pour in.

Once you get comfortable with these options, try other possibilities, such as promoting a specific post. This just scratches the tip of the iceberg. Facebook should change this process more than once, like they have everything else, so the earlier you get in on it the more successful you should be.

Good luck, and enjoy your likes.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Andreas Ivarsson

About the Author

Written by Patrick Rafferty, Digital Marketing Specialist for Online Optimism, an online marketing firm located in New Orleans, Louisiana. They handle a variety of different services for their clients as a New Orleans SEO company.