How Quilt Shops Can Use Facebook Ads

Don't Boost That Post – Try Facebook Ads Instead

Have you ever been monitoring your business Facebook page and get a notification from Facebook?

"Your post is performing better than 75% of posts on the page. Boost it to reach 1,300 more!"

Or perhaps a variation of this, all with impressive looking numbers which sounds great. You might think this is it! This is the way for my shop, my product, or my service to be seen! But hold your horses – don't click that button. A boost may be seen by more, but in the end will do very little for you.

First, know that Facebook can tell you are currently active on your page or even just on Facebook itself. You could be scrolling through your own personal feed and then get this notification. This notification is clear "click bait." The boost will take one of your posts, that is actually doing well, and 'boost' it to more people.

However the real question is, Facebook will boost your post but to what people? Here lies the downfall of 'boosting a post.' You have very little control on how it is being used. You can pay Facebook to boost the post, show it to more people and in return you may get more views or likes. But wouldn't you rather have new followers, visitors to your webpage, and most importantly – sales?

Instead of boosting a post, take a look at Facebook's Ad Center. You can find a link to it on the top of your business page. Facebook's ad center is a very straight forward system, with ease of use for every user. Including you!

Decide which option you want to promote. Remember to skip over that boost a post button! Once you make a selection you will find the ad process is step by step. If sending to your website, you need to put in your web address. For an event, you will need to link to a current event. This is part of selecting your "Call to Action." Do you want people to learn more, sign up, or call your store? Depending on the promotion you selected, you will have a list of options for your ad.

Next you will need to fill out the Headline and Text that people will read in the ad. Your business name will show automatically, so you don't need to write it again. You have very limited space and Facebook gives you a character count so you know how much you can fit in. Try to get the most from this space! Create a compelling headline and text which will make people want to click your ad.

You will also need to upload your own image. Depending on what type of ad you are doing you can upload a single image, multiple, or even create a slideshow or video out of them. Remember Facebook loves videos, so any motion and your ad will be presented even more than a standalone photo.

For your images, try to use as little as text as possible. To be approved the ad will run through an automated system and if Facebook detects too many words in your image, it will be denied. You can ask for a manual approval if that happens. Using less words or no words at all in your image will do better for approval.

And finally, and this is the best part of their ad creative, you pick your audience. You can select the specific demographic you want to see your ad. Choose their age, their location, and their interests. As you complete this step Facebook will give you an approximate range of people your ad can be seen by.

It does not mean your ad will be seen by that many people! This is where the final step comes in, the payment. As you can expect, the more money you spend on your ad the more it will be seen on Facebook. Pay what you feel is best for this promotion. Once you submit your ad and it is approved, you can return and edit any changes. You can end it early, change a demographic, or even add more money if it is working well for you.

Facebook Ads are made for you to reach your target audience. Try an ad for your next big product push or special event. You may find people coming in to your store saying "I saw you ad on Facebook!"

Editors Note: Remember Facebook Ads will run you $10, $20 or whatever you spend to reach hundreds of people for that period. QuiltingHub is only $8/mo for Quilt Shops to reach thousands quilters who are looking for you. Remember to add your events to your QuiltingHub shop listing for the best results. That is an even better value than Facebook! Upgrade your listing today and start profiting!