#MKTG – Part 3 Facebook Ads Details

/ Jan Sikes

Hi, SE’ers! Jan here again with another segment on book marketing. I was all ready to move on to another social media platform when I came across some detailed and valuable information about Facebook Ads. So, sorry, but we’re still on Facebook this time. I promise to move on after this.

Image Courtesy Geralt/Pixabay

In a step-by-step video, Matthew Kadish really breaks it down. The video is quite long, but if you want to watch it, you can click HERE.

Otherwise, here are the specifics he shares in the video.

The first thing you are going to be asked to choose when setting up a FB ad campaign is your goal for the ad. In this video, Matthew suggests you always choose the “Traffic” option. Then you give your campaign a name such as the title of the book you are promoting. The dropdown menu from there will let you choose whether you want landing page views or link clicks. Most likely you are directing people to a purchase link, so link click would be the correct choice here.

Next, you choose the countries you wish to target. I don’t know how he came to this conclusion but was very specific.

  • United States
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New Zealand

I haven’t had a chance to try his theory yet, but I most certainly will. Directly following that is the choice of who you want to target in these locations. His recommendation is to choose the people who live in this location, not the everyone option. In the video, he explains the reasoning behind this.

When selecting the age group, he suggests 21 and over. Studies have shown the largest buying audience falls in this age group due to them having credit cards whereas before 21, most likely they don’t.

Language:

  • English All
  • English US
  • English UK

Again, he voiced his reasons for those specific choices.

The next important thing he shared was new to me. The “Automatic Placement” will be checked by default, however, he suggests you choose “Edit Placement.” When you expand the menu, unselect everything except for Facebook Feed. That will assure that your ad will only show up in Facebook feeds and not everywhere that will perhaps get you clicks, but no purchases.

Targeting is an area I have been very unsure about, and he made it simple.

Under the heading of “Detailed Targeting,” there is an option to “Expand interests when it may increase click links at a lower cost per link click.” If that is available to you, choose that option.

When it comes to your target audience, his advice is to type in the word “Kindle” which will bring up the “Amazon Kindle” option. Then choose every applicable option that comes up under that. This will then tell Facebook you want to target anyone who has expressed an interest in reading.

The last part of setting up a successful Facebook ad is choosing your budget and the dates you want the ad to run. He suggests a “Lifetime Budget” option for those (like me) who don’t have a large budget to work with. Understand that this Lifetime Budget only applies to the specific campaign you are creating.

He does suggest that you choose a start date of at least twenty-four hours in the future as it often takes Facebook that long to approve your ad.

I know this is a lot. I apologize, but I just wanted to share with you a tried-and-true strategy for running a successful Facebook ad campaign, should you decide to try it.
Having the advice of someone who has studied it intensively is helpful. Of course, Matthew goes into much greater detail on his video and I highly recommend watching it all the way through before starting your next ad campaign.

With a new book releasing soon, you can bet I’ll be trying his suggestions on a new campaign. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for bearing with me and I hope you’ve gotten something good out of this.

If you missed the two previous #MKTG posts, here are the links:

Every Author’s Four-Letter Word – #MKTG

#MKTG – Part 2 – Facebook Ads And Passion Pages

Thanks for stopping by!

75 thoughts on “#MKTG – Part 3 Facebook Ads Details”

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  3. As I’m reading this in June, 2022, I’m wondering if you tried the method, and whether it worked for you.

    I learned and tried Amazon ads, but I have the feeling that the readers I seek – the omnivores, the whales – don’t go to Amazon and use the search box. If they go there, I think it is to buy a book (and have it delivered) that was recommended to them elsewhere, especially during the pandemic years. Partly based on how I would use it (when I buy books, I already know what I want, I use the Look Inside, and I read some of the reviews on Amazon to see what people are saying and how they’re saying it), and I’ve been unsuccessful at several attempts to hook readers on other platforms – so I’m not sure yet what the best method is for me to advertise mainstream fiction, written by an indie and not a traditionally published author.

    Trying FB ads is on my list, as I spend a fair amount of time there (in quite limited forums). But I’ve never responded to a FB ad for a book as a reader, because I am in writer groups, not reader ones.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, Alicia. The Amazon Ads maze is still a mystery to me, but I keep trying. The last ad I ran only yielded two sales. Not much of a return for all the work required to set them up. However, I am attending an Amazon Ads Workshop in July, so hope to have some new information to share after that. Facebook ads are easy to set up and I do think they are worthwhile, but as you say, targeting the readers is another puzzle to figure out. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your comment. I wish you much success!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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  20. This was a great post, Jan. I had a very bad experience with Facebook Ads for hiring an employee four our team. Maybe I did something wrong. I’ll pay attention to this if I ever get ready to push the publish button.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • I’m sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with Facebook ads. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad experience, but have tried plenty of times with no success. I will be trying Mr. Kadish’s methods the next time I venture that way. Thank you, Dan, for stopping by!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  22. There’s a lot of valuable, clear information here. I’m on a very limited budget and also scared of getting things wrong and so I’ll not be dipping my toe in the water yet, but I’ll keep this in case I do decide to go for a dip! Many thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  23. Hi Jan,
    Thank you. I have heard of target marketing a product but was very uncertain about it. But I see now that is really something to consider and try.
    Thanks for the information. It’s great.
    Shalom aleichem

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • I agree, Jacquie. I’ve dabbled with FB ads for several years without any results. I now realize I was using the spaghetti method which gets nothing. I am curious to try Mr. Kadish’s suggestions when my next book releases. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. Great post, Jan 🙂 I haven’t done a Facebook ad in a long time. After reading all your tips I will be revisiting it soon. I look forward to seeing how it helps your upcoming release

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, Jacqui. Thanks for leaving a comment today. According to Mr. Kadish, his method works. I know there are others out there such as the ones Sue Coletta mentioned. I think the key is understanding how to make them work for you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  33. Hey there. The reach with your posts, without paid ads is limited. You might get ten views per 1,000 contacts. However, is the ROI with paid ads really worth it? If you go through the bother of setting up your platform and building your base – are you reaching the max potential with a paid ad? It feels like you’re limited in this respect.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I think the way Facebook controls what people actually see of posts, the only way to get any real exposure is through tossing a few dollars at them. At least that’s my opinion, Ben. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

      Reply

  34. I used to run a ton of FB ads just as you described, and they worked well. Until FB changed its algorithm. You can also include author targeting (big named authors who write in the same genre). David Gaughran has a fabulous series of videos about FB ads, BB ads, and Amazon ads. Highly recommend.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  37. I used to run FB ads a lot and paid careful attention to how I chose my target audience. After reading this post, it appears I was doing everything correctly, which is probably why I got good results from the ads. I did drill down the audience in other ways too. It was the one aspect of FB I found beneficial.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • That is so good to hear, Mae. I do think if done properly, a FB ad can be very beneficial. After all with such a huge platform, it’s bound to reach a few interested people. Thank you for your confirmation!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  39. Thank you for offering insight into this mystery, Jan. I’m clueless about Facebook marketing and most marketing endeavors. You amaze me with your knowledge and skill. Bravo!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you for the kind words, Gwen. I realized early on in this writing game that I would need to learn something about marketing in order to get my books discovered. I’m still learning and still experimenting. I hope if you decide to do a FB ad, that Matthew’s guide will be helpful. Have a great Monday!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  40. Pingback: I’m at Story Empire today – A detailed guide to #FacebookAds! – Writing and Music

    • I think Matthew’s guidance might make the difference between a successful ad and an ad that bombs. I’ve had plenty of bombs, so will try his methods when I release Jagged Feathers. Thanks for your comment, Joan!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  44. Pingback: #MKTG – Part 3 Facebook Ads Details | Legends of Windemere

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