I’m just going to say it. There’s more to small business advertising than just Facebook Ads. It’s easy to jump on the FB Ads bandwagon, and they can be very successful – but they can be confusing, and usually you will need to spend a lot of money for them to provide a worthwhile return.

There are many other options to try, and I would suggest giving a few a go until you find the right fit for your business, and your audience. Advertising is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach – what works for other businesses, other products, and other audiences, won’t always work the same for you.

Try my top 3 alternatives, and supercharge your digital marketing strategy. All of these are powerful and effective in converting customers for your business!

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Google Ads

Let’s start with my top pick – Google Ads.

The main benefit to Google Ads, is that you’re only paying for clicks, compared to Facebook Ads where you’re paying just to be seen – which means you can drain your entire budget without getting a single visitor to your website – and yep, I’ve seen that happen! With Google Ads, you create a set of ads highlighting your products, the key elements of your business, points of value etc. and create a set of keywords to bid against. So that, when a user searches for a phrase including your chosen keywords, you have the chance to be shown to a potential customer, in the prime real estate at the top of Page 1 in Google. Sounds pretty good – AND you will only pay for that space if the user clicks on your ad – even better! How much that click costs depends on a few factors, but you ultimately have control over how much you spend, so it can’t get too out of hand.

Google Ads allows you to be found where your customers are already looking for your product or service, so half the battle has already been won. With the right messaging and tweaking, you can pay to drive quality potential customers right to your doorstep!

You don’t have to start with a huge budget, I go through my Google Ads Magic Number Number here, but make sure you give your Ads time to run. A few weeks will give you a good idea about whether they’re going to work for you!

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing – a relatively new form of digital advertising, but incredibly powerful. In fact, 88% of people are likely to purchase a product that an influencer has talked about. Team the right product with the right social media influencer, and you will have customers visiting your store in droves.

There are a few ways to approach influencer marketing – I’ve found the most effective way is to reach out and start a conversation with someone you have an existing relationship with i.e. you have followed for a while, and engaged with. Have an honest conversation, see if they would be happy to receive your product (for free) in exchange for an agreed amount of posts/stories. This is called a contra deal – exchange of products for exposure.

Another way it can work is to pay an agreed amount in exchange for a post/story – this is usually how it works for high profile influencers.

Find an influencer that has an engaged audience, don’t just look at followers. An easy way to check this is to have a quick look at the likes and comments on their last few posts. Are their followers actively interacting and part of a community? Make sure the influencer has an audience filled with your target audience as well, otherwise it’s going to be of little benefit and value to them.

Remarketing

Ever browsed through The Iconic, added a few items to cart, then remember you have nothing to spend this month and promptly close the tab – only to be followed around by that dress, or those shoes for the next few weeks? That’s remarketing…powerful isn’t it? Remarketing will show your ad to customers that have already come to your website, or engaged with you on social media, but they didn’t purchase from you – and it works. In fact, website visitors who are retargeted are more likely to convert by around 43%.

You can show your ad, or even prompt them with the product they were looking at, to increase the likelihood that they will finalise their purchase. It’s like an abandoned cart email on superdrive. The customer doesn’t have to have been close to placing an order, they could have just viewed your carousel on Instagram, or come to your website and had a little browse, or yes added products to their cart and abandoned them. These are potential customers that have shown an interest in your products, your business, your services, and therefore are more likely to make a purchase than those that haven’t – almost 50% more likely!

Facebook Ads are an effective marketing tool, but they are not magic and don’t necessarily work for everyone and every budget. Try some of the strategies above and you will be surprised at the impact!

Need a hand with your Google Ads? My Google Ads Management services will ensure you are setup correctly, and that your campaigns are optimised to get the most out of every Advertising cent.