Facebook, Instagram, Sales, Social Media | Feb 27, 2020
We are all accustomed to the traditional ways of marketing a product or service and understand how those influence each stage of the buying lifecycle. Often what businesses don’t realize is that marketing on Facebook and Instagram is no different. Running a sales focused ad campaign on Facebook and Instagram requires the strategic planning and implementation of a multi-phase system. Each phase of the system works together, leading the consumer through the buying lifecycle to form a complete and optimised sales funnel.
This sales funnel is what allows businesses to truly take advantage of Facebook and Instagram advertising’s unique benefits and is a highly effective way to promote your products and services using social media.
Essentially, a Facebook sales funnel is designed to capture the attention of the audience and continuously remind them of your product or service until they are ready to buy. By using specific key messages in ads displayed at each stage of the funnel, the audience is gradually convinced to make a purchase. Facebook allows advertisers to optimize the delivery of the ad for a specific objective at each step of the sales funnel, which is why this form of advertising and strategy is so effective.
Generally, there are 4 stages to a Facebook and Instagram advertising funnel:
Phase One
Generate Awareness: run an awareness-based ad to audience members who have had no previous interaction with your brand on Facebook or Instagram. The focus of this ad shouldn’t be to sell your product or service but to rather introduce your product or service and communicate why your audience needs it i.e. the key benefit.
Phase Two
Continue to Promote Why Your Product or Service is Needed: running a retargeting ad targeted at those who interacted with your awareness ad would be your next move. At this stage, the audience is now aware of your product or service but are probably not convinced as to why they absolutely need it. This is the perfect opportunity to address your audience’s pain points and how you can solve them. Promote certain key features of your product or service which you know solves a problem for your audience or that your audience absolutely cannot go without.
Phase Three
Offer an Incentive to Purchase: now that your target audience is aware of your offering and its benefits, they are ready for the purchasing stage. Here, run a retargeting ad aimed at audience members who engaged with your ad and website during stage two, promoting a special discount or offer. As many people in this audience have most likely never tried your product or service before, offering a discount or special offer with their first purchase is a great way to encourage them to make that final decision to purchase. This stage is all about adding value and rewarding the consumer for showing interest in your product all the while providing an incentive for the audience to convert. Placing a limited time frame or deadline on your offer evokes a sense of urgency and further encourages the audience to take action.
Phase Four
Continue to Sell and Encourage Referrals: The ultimate goal is to gain repeat customers and continue to increase their lifetime value for as long as possible. This phase is a great opportunity for you to retarget your previous and current customers with new products and/or a special offer on their next purchase to keep them engaged and your brand top-of-mind. In addition, advertising a referral incentive to your loyal customers will encourage word-of-mouth and simultaneously add value to those clients.
The highly competitive nature of the environment within in which businesses operate requires organizations to be increasingly strategic when it comes to their marketing efforts. If done correctly, Facebook and Instagram advertising presents a significant opportunity for growth and is one of the most effective and strategic ways in which a business can advertise their products or services in today’s market.
Guest Post By Lauren Quibell from Blue Rabbit Digital
If you are looking for further advice on how to market your business using Facebook and Instagram paid advertising, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We will happily provide a 30-minute free consultation call to discuss how your current/future social media marketing plans and strategies can be optimized using this form of advertising. Contact Us Now.
