First things first, I cannot claim that I am an expert at using Facebook Ads like a number of people have claimed to be. I will claim that I am using it and am constantly learning on it and will continue to use it until the money is not worth it. I will tell you my journey with it at this point and will give more and more updates on my use with it as I continue to learn while using it. It will be part of my journey and you all will get to be a part of it and can learn from some of my mistakes going through it.
Facebook Ads are huge and we have already booked weddings using it. There are some things that I know that have failed for me though. I will never waste money boosting posts on Instagram and Facebook at this time. It will get people to view your post and get some likes, but who really wants that? What we really want as photographers are solid leads. Boosting posts will only look good for your numbers on social media but won't look amazing for the numbers in your bank account. You might as well buy some likes on some other third party place.
Instead of boosting post, you need to get to Facebook Ads Manager. If you don't know how to get to that, then you are going to have to do a little bit of google to get to the right spot. I usually create Lead generation ads and use the money that I would be spending on The Knot or anywhere else and focus it on Facebook. With Facebook, there are a number of people you can target. Selecting people that just got engaged within the last 3 months or within the last 6 months has to be on top of the list. From that point, you can narrow your target even further to include other interests. I used to use Income as an option, but they recently removed that possibility. So we have to find other creative ways to target people that we want as brides.
What does your dream customer look like? What do they drive? What kind of bags do they like? Do they have pets? What kind of places do they like? These are all things that you can target with Facebook. Do you know what your dream bride is like? Narrow it down! Don't just say EVERYONE that has the money is my dream bride. That just doesn't work out for you.
Lead generation ads will collect all the information that you want to collect. I collect email, phone number and wedding date from the brides. I respond immediately I get a lead in and usually will try to get a phone call in.
That first email is key! Don't jump all in and trying to score on the first email. You gotta treat it like someone that you have never met before, because most likely they have no idea who the heck you are. Introduce yourself and tell them about the things you do and what you can provide. Ask them a questions and make sure that they feel a need to respond back. When they don't respond... FOLLOW UP. Then Follow up again. And again, until they tell you that they are sick of you and to shut up. Wedding planning gets busy and if you don't stay top of mind you are going to get married and be out of the running in a hurry.
As part of your Facebook ad, you will need to think of some creative copy. Make sure that you add a call to action. "CLICK on the link below to get more information."
Right now we are spending $15 per lead and looking to bring that number even smaller. Booking a couple of those leads will pay that marketing budget right off.
There is a lot to do, but you have to jump in and try. Then.. try some more. Then keep trying till you get the right mix.
You can make it happen. What things have you tried with Facebook ads that have worked? What targets are you looking for with people and how much do you spend per lead?
If you got some amazing tips on how to make these things work, then share it all! We are all here to make each other better.
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