Facebook Advertising: The Business Owner's Step-by-Step Guide

Before diving into Facebook advertising, it's crucial to research your target audience and ensure they are active on the platform. This step helps you make informed decisions and avoid wasted investment. If your audience is on Facebook and you're considering social media advertising - here’s how.

Facebook Ads are a powerful tool for businesses to promote products, services, or brands to a highly targeted audience on Meta. By leveraging Facebook's extensive user data, businesses can create campaigns that reach specific demographics, interests, behaviours, and locations. This level of precise targeting is what makes Facebook Ads particularly effective for marketers looking to maximise their reach and impact.

Facebook Ads help increase brand awareness and engagement with constantly evolving tools and features. With multiple objectives available, you can tailor your ads to drive traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or raise awareness. Additionally, Facebook provides valuable audience insights to refine your marketing strategies continually.

How to Advertise on Facebook

1. Set Up Your Facebook Business Page

Create a Page: Log in to Facebook and click "Page" under "Create"
Choose Your Category: Select "Business or Brand"
Fill Out Information: Enter business name, category, and details
Complete Your Profile: Add photos, website, contact info, and description

2. Set Up Your Facebook Ads Manager Account

Access Ads Manager: Click "Ads Manager" under "Create & Manage"
Set Up Payment: Enter your payment information
Optional: Create a Business Manager account for advanced features

3. Define Your Advertising Objectives

Choose objectives: Think about what it is you want to achieve - brand awareness, traffic, engagement, app installs, video views, lead generation, conversions, sales, or store traffic

4. Create Your Ad Campaign

Choose Objective: Select your campaign goal in Ads Manager
Set Up Ad Set: Define your target audience, budget, schedule, and ad placements

5. Define Your Target Audience, based on

Demographics: Age, gender, location
Interests: Hobbies, pages liked
Behaviours: Purchase history, device usage
Custom Audiences: Use customer lists or website/app data
Lookalike Audiences: Find new users similar to your existing customers

6. Set Your Budget and Schedule

Daily Budget: Average amount spent per day
Lifetime Budget: Total amount spent over the campaign's lifetime
Schedule: Choose continuous running or specific times/days

7. Choose Ad Placements

Automatic Placements: Facebook selects for best results
Manual Placements: Choose specific locations like News Feed, Stories, Messenger

8. Create Your Ad

Ad Format: Image, video, carousel, slideshow, or collection
Ad Creative: Upload media and write ad copy
Ad Preview: See how your ad looks across different placements

9. Submit Your Ad for Review

Publish: Click “Publish” and Facebook will review your ad within 24 hours.

By following this guide, you can create impactful campaigns, optimise their performance, and achieve your marketing goals whether your objective is to boost sales, generate leads, or enhance brand awareness. Facebook Ads offer the tools to effectively engage your audience and maximise your return on investment, provided your target audience is active on Meta.

Ad Formats and Dimensions:
What is required and what is effective

When creating Facebook ads, focusing on the required and most effective formats will help you ensure broad compatibility and optimal performance across different placements. Here are the specs:

1. Image Ads

Dimensions: 1200 x 628 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 1.91:1
File Type: JPG or PNG
Recommended Text Length: Primary text up to 125 characters, headline up to 40 characters, description up to 30 characters.

2. Video

Dimensions: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels (square), 1280 x 720 pixels (horizontal)
Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (square), 16:9 (horizontal), 4:5 (vertical)
File Type: MP4 or MOV
Recommended Length: Up to 15 seconds for best engagement

3. Carousel Ads / Animated

Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels (for square images/videos)
Aspect Ratio: 1:1
File Type: JPG, PNG, MP4, or MOV
Recommended Text Length: Primary text up to 125 characters, headline up to 40 characters per card, description up to 20 characters per card.

4. Stories Ads

Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 9:16
File Type: JPG, PNG, MP4, or MOV
Recommended Length: Up to 15 seconds per story