Unlideals Talks About Facebook Ads to WIT Students

Social media is not just an avenue for communication; it has also become a channel for individuals and businesses to boost their presence around the world. Brands are no longer limited to location. People don’t need face-to-face meet-ups if they want to network. Thanks to social media, the world has indeed, become smaller.

That’s why understanding platforms like Facebook has become more important than ever – especially for students.

In order to prepare them for a digital future, I once again gave a talk about Facebook ads and how it helps to boost online presence. This time, the discussion was held with students from the Western Institute of Technology (WIT). The event was held at the Audio Visual Room of the WIT RTS Campus, with support from the Department Head of Information Technology, Anrem J. Balontong, MSCS.

This presentation hopes to equip students with the basic knowledge and skills about marketing on the Web using Facebook ads. Not only would this information aid them in future career endeavors, this can also be helpful should they decide to pursue entrepreneurship.

Leveraging Facebook Ads Today

If there’s ONE thing that separates Facebook ads from other social advertising options, it’s that it is fully customizable.

Set your objective and your budget, adjust details like target market, location, age, language, etc., then just wait for Facebook to approve your ad. You can go for as low as $1 or as high as $20 a day. It all depends on WHAT you want to achieve. Use it for your budding business OR to promote a blog post. It’s completely up to you.

There are already numerous success stories that got their head start with Facebook ads.  One such example is the story of Mychal Stittsworth and his dad’s legacy, Stittsworth Meats.

When he first brought the meat shop from his father, one of the first things he did was setup a Facebook page. To drive more foot traffic into their store, he cut costs from print ads and invested them on giveaways and Facebook ads. Mychal noticed the difference in ROI. This is proof that in this digital age, even small local businesses like Mychal’s can benefit from a little boost online.

Even if you’re a novice in digital marketing, social media makes it easy for anyone to start a campaign right away. Don’t worry: you’ll learn as you go along. The important thing is to EVALUATE and MONITOR your ads.

For example: after running it for a week, see if you were able to achieve your objectives. Was your goal sales? If so, how many people clicked on your ad to be taken to your website? Was your goal brand awareness? How many unique impressions did your ad receive? Take note of this and apply your findings to the next campaign.

Conducting A/B Testing is one of the most common – yet effective – ways to know which Facebook ads will give you the best return on investment.

Simply set the same objective and budget for TWO different ads. For instance: one could have an image, the other could be text-only. It depends on what you want to test. Next, run them for the same duration. At the end of the experiment, check which one was more successful in reaching your goal. Was it ad one or ad two?

Facebook Ads Forum with WIT Students

The WIT students were highly attentive during the entire event. As the subject of social media marketing can be somewhat complex, we enjoyed answering their questions to clarify a few matters.

One of the queries during the Q and A portion was about having too much text on the Facebook ads. Currently, the social media giant is strict when it comes to this aspect. If text exceeds 20 percent of the entire image, your ad will NOT be approved. But don’t worry! If you still want to elaborate, you can do so in the description, headline, or meta description fields.

Another interesting question was on WHO can run Facebook ads.

Facebook may be strict in moderating their ads, but they are welcoming to those who want to give it a try. In general, there are just two main requirements: you need be the administrator for the Facebook page you want to run ads for, AND a Paypal or credit card for expenses. Whether you’re a student, a business owner, or a social media manager, if you meet those requirements, you can begin creating your own Facebook ads today.

One of the last queries was really insightful: why would people WANT to run Facebook ads? Isn’t having a profile enough? After all, one can always post links and promote to friends and family.

While that is of course, one of the basic strategies you can do (especially if you’re just starting out), Facebook ads has the following benefits:

• Cost-effective, particularly for those who can’t post consistently.
• Targeted, as you can choose specific details about the audience you’re trying to reach.
• Consistent, your posts won’t look like spam – so you have higher chances of getting clicks!

Unlike other advertising methods, you can run Facebook ads for as low as $1 a day. Set a budget everyday OR per month, based on your needs and budget. It’s easy and you get your own analytics to measure results.

It was really fun to share these insights with them. Those who actively participated in the forum received amazing freebies and prizes from Unlideals. All in all, it was a fruitful day for everyone involved.

Facebook Ads Knowledge for a More Informed Future

Navigating the world of social media can be complex and overwhelming. But with the right help, it can be fun and informative.

In behalf of Unlideals, I’d like to thank the faculty and staff of the Information Technology department, especially Mr. Anrem J. Balontong, MSCS. To the Western Institute of Technology students, thank you for having us. It was a pleasure to share these lessons with you.

For more information regarding digital marketing or social media, don’t hesitate to contact us.