7 Beginner Facebook Ad Tips For Photographers
Let’s talk about Facebook Ads.
Most photographers fall into two camps when it comes to paid advertising on Facebook. They either are completely unsure where to start OR they’ve dabbled a bit, but feel like they’ve wasted money.
I’ve personally have spent a lot over the years on Facebook ads and though the platform is constantly changing, I have gained insight into how to maximize the investment I make within Facebook. Depending on the campaign on the campaign I run, it’s not uncommon for me to 4, 6 or even 8 times my investment!
But it didn’t start out that way! In the beginning, I was clueless when it came to ads! I was terrified to put my hard earned dollars into ads because I was wasn't sure I'd get my money back. After all, I didn't want to waste the money I worked so hard for!
I know there are many other photographers (maybe you), who use or would like to use Facebook Ads to attract ideal photography clients, but are unsure where to start or you've tried but didn’t see the return you were hoping for.
So for today’s video I want to share 7 Tips to Market Your Photography Using Facebook Ads so that in time, you too can become confident with your ads and see an ROI as well!
1. Determine Your Ad Objective
There's a lot you can do with Facebook Ads and in order to be effective with ads, you first need to define what your goals are.
Do you want to get more traction, likes and engagement to your Facebook or Instagram business pages?
Do you want to build your email list?
Do you want immediate bookings?
Each objective will have a unique strategy and campaign associated with it so the first step in creating effective ads is defining what your ad goal.
2. Send Your Leads to a Landing Page (Not Your Website Homepage)
This point piggy backs off the first point. I have found that when photographers do not have a clear objective for their ads, they will default to sending leads to the homepage of their website. You may have a gorgeous website, which is great, but here's the truth: sending cold Facebook leads to your website homepage is a waste of money.
It is much more effective and profitable to send your leads to a landing page. A landing page can be built within your website, but instead of having multiple options for your viewer to click on (like the pricing section, blog, about me, investment, etc), a landing page offers ONE CLEAR objective or button for your visitor to choose. Usually it's to grab a freebie so you can build your email list or it can be to book a session. If your lead has only ONE option to choose, they are less likely to get distracted with all the other options and take the exact action you want them to take.
3. Have a Clear Call To Action in Your Ad
This tip is not only limited Facebook Ads as it can be applied to any and ALL marketing content but essentially....
You must tell your lead what to do next after seeing your ad! Do you want them to click the link? Comment below? Like or follow?
Most people will not take an action unless you tell them to so take the few extra moments and clearly say what your lead should do next.
4. Do Not Always Sell In your Ad
If you're constantly marketing with "book me now" or "discount available" type of ads, you may be sending the wrong message and sound too desperate.
Don't get me wrong. These ads do work, and yes, there is a time and place for them.
However, it's important to vary up the ads you use (or use them simultaneously). This keeps your ad content fresh and is also a wonderful opportunity to offer value based content that builds trust with your potential client. Things like What to Wear Guides, Photoshoot Checklists or anything that address your client's common concerns is a great way to build rapport.
One strategy that I’ve found helpful to spend a bit of my ad budget to promote short video view ads for the purpose of building brand awareness. In these videos, I’m not pitching or selling at all. I'm only offering helpful content for the purpose of building brand awareness. This has worked incredibly well. One of my recent bookings literally told me "I started seeing your helpful videos everywhere on Facebook so I had to book you!" And that, my friend, is the goal!
Getting the booking is great! But don't underestimate the power of offering helpful content along the way that builds trust and rapport.
5. Follow Up With Ad Leads Consistently.
I was with a few new friends the other day, one of whom is in the middle of planning her wedding. And you know what she said to me?
She was expressing her frustration because photographers are not responding back to her inquiries or are simply taking too long to get back to her! Another person in our conversation pipped up and said she deals with the same thing every year when she looks to book a family photographer! Both women were frustrated that photographers are not responding to them in a timely manor!
When you do not respond to your inquiries and leads or do not follow up with them every few days, you will loose the booking!
Personally, I make a point to follow up with my hot leads every three days or so. I'm such a stickler for following up that I actually have an excel spreadsheet where I document the conversations I have with leads and when I follow up. I've been doing this for years and over and over again, my leads are thanking me for following up with them and they are then booking me! Of course this tip can also be applied to any lead regardless of whether or not they show up in your inbox as a result of Facebook Ads.
6. Invest Money
In order to see results with ads, you have to spend money. I know that may make you feel uncomfortable but there is no away around it. You have to be willing to invest and invest more than just a few dollars.
When a photographer tells me they are not getting results with their ads, one of the first questions I ask them is how much money are they spending on a daily basis.
I typically hear back $2 or $5 day....and to be blunt: That's not enough to really gain traction and see results with ads, especially for conversion ads.
The more you spend, the more Facebook will put your ad in front of people. The more people who see your ad, the greater likelihood you have of building your audience, growing your email list and booking more clients.
I recommend a daily spend of $15-20 for conversion ads to start out with. If you spend less, understand that it will take longer to see results. If after a day or two you are not getting any results, it doesn't necessarily mean your ad is not working. More likely, it means that not enough people have seen your ads. At the end of the day, this is a numbers game.
7. Invest Time Learning & Testing
So often, I hear:
"Facebook Ads didn't work for me."
"Facebook Ads is a waste of money."
"Facebook just took all my money and I didn't even get a single lead!"
Even though I've spent over six figures on Facebook advertising, I was CLUELESS when I first started too.
I made mistakes and I didn’t always see an ROI on every single campaign I ran.
As with all other areas of life, business and marketing, it takes time and diligent practice to increase in your knowledge and skillset. You didn't pick up a camera the first time and immediately know how to shoot in manual mode and you didn't initially know all the ins and outs of lighting or how to pose your clients. You had to learn. Every bit of knowledge you have now, you had to learn through time and practice.
Why do we expect Facebook Ads to be any different?
If you are willing to put in the time, practice and a bit of money, you can learn effective ad strategies that will allow you to see a massive return on your investment.
Facebook Ads is a wonderful option when it comes to attracting more clients and booking out your photography calendar. Use this list to get you started and if you are curious to see our prove ads and would like support creating your very own apply to work with us inside our mentorship. Comment MENTORSHIP below so we can connect!