Facebook is one of the most versatile social media platforms. For consumers, it’s a place to share family photos, connect with like-minded people, and hunt for bargains on the Marketplace. For businesses, it’s a marketing powerhouse. In 2022, Facebook generated $114 billion in ad revenue, and the Statista Research Department predicts this figure will rise to $127 billion by 2027.
Of course, Facebook marketing isn’t as simple as posting pictures of your products — if it were, every business would have record sales. To effectively engage your customers on this platform, you’ll need the right marketing strategy and tools.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to build a successful Facebook marketing campaign, from setting goals to tracking your progress.
What is Facebook marketing?
Facebook marketing is the strategic use of the social media platform’s tools to connect with customers and promote a brand. There are two main types: inbound and outbound marketing.
Inbound marketing focuses on attracting customers with meaningful and relatable content. This approach engages users naturally through valuable interactions instead of bombarding them with ads. On Facebook, inbound marketing may involve creating educational posts or sharing user-generated content.
By contrast, outbound marketing is about taking the initiative and actively sharing your promotional messages with potential customers. Facebook allows businesses to reach out to targeted audiences with paid advertisements.
Many businesses use a combination of inbound and outbound marketing techniques to reach a wider audience. Some users respond well to direct advertisements, while others prefer to discover content more organically.
What are the benefits of Facebook marketing?
At first, Facebook marketing may seem unnecessary, especially if you’re already attracting customers through other channels. You may wonder, “Is marketing my business on social media really worth the effort?”
While Facebook marketing does take time and money, it can offer a high short-term return on investment (ROI). According to a 2022 Meta study, European companies in the retail and telecommunications industries earned an average short-term ROI of 187 from Facebook and Instagram marketing. If you want to grow your bottom line quickly, this platform can help you achieve your goal.
Plus, Facebook marketing can be highly cost-effective. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer or go all out building a private studio. As long as you have a smartphone with a decent camera and some basic editing skills, you can create quality content.
An effective Facebook marketing campaign also significantly increases brand visibility. As of 2023, the social media platform has approximately three billion active users monthly. This massive reach makes Facebook a great place to spread the word about your business and connect with new audiences.
How to market your business on Facebook
Whether you’re a seasoned social media pro or a total newbie, getting started on Facebook can feel intimidating. You may worry that your audience won’t connect with your content or worse, ignore it altogether.
While there’s no way to guarantee immediate success, a thoughtful Facebook marketing strategy will help you grow your online presence steadily. Follow these simple steps to build a strong marketing campaign.
Define your marketing goals
You may feel tempted to start posting random content to see what works, but that approach can lead to many dead ends. Instead, set clear goals upfront to help you create targeted and purposeful content.
Use the SMART framework by developing marketing goals that are:
- Specific: Focus on one area or objective at a time.
- Measurable: Create quantifiable targets to track your progress.
- Attainable: Make sure you can realistically achieve your goal with your resources and skill set.
- Relevant: Set goals related to your business’s overall mission or objectives.
- Time-sensitive: Keep yourself accountable with milestones and deadlines.
Here are a few examples of potential Facebook marketing goals:
- Boost brand awareness by gaining 200 followers within six months
- Create two educational posts weekly to build brand authority
- Earn $1,000 this month with pay-per-click ads
- Respond to 100% of inquiries within 24 hours to improve customer satisfaction
Start with one or two small goals to help you learn the platform and stay motivated. For instance, “Share a how-to video weekly to build brand awareness” is much more achievable than “Create a viral video with one million viewers.” Once you’ve built a track record of success, you can tackle more ambitious goals.
Identify your target audience
No single piece of Facebook content will appeal to all three billion users — and you shouldn’t even try to reach that many people. Focus on developing content for the users most likely to show interest in your products and services.
Analyze your existing customers to learn more about their characteristics, including:
- Behavior
- Demographics
- Geographic location
- Interests and hobbies
- Needs
- Preferences
There are many ways to gather this data. Focus groups and surveys allow clients to share their interests and needs directly. Web analytics tools can also provide useful insights about customer behavior and location.
Defining your target audience will help you tailor your Facebook marketing strategy. For instance, if your target audience is pet owners in their twenties, you could share photos of adorable dogs and cats with your products. On the other hand, if you’re targeting middle-aged travelers, practical vacation tips might get more engagement.
Create meaningful content
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to only share marketing content that your audience genuinely values. Random memes might get a chuckle but won’t drive long-term engagement.
To create valuable content, you’ll need to listen to your target audience. Research their challenges, interests, and goals. You can also look at what your competitors post on Facebook to see what gets people buzzing. Use these insights to design content that feels personal and relevant — something that doesn’t feel like just another ad.
Do your customers want to learn about the latest advancements in your industry? Create infographics and videos to keep them informed. Are they experiencing specific challenges? Share customer testimonials or how-to videos demonstrating how your products can help. This targeted content shows you’re committed to meeting their needs and can boost engagement.
The quality of your content matters, too. Studies consistently show that social media posts with images get more engagement than text-only posts. A 2024 study found images with vivid, complex colors are especially effective at capturing users’ attention.
If you’re not camera savvy, you might hire a photographer or use professional stock images. Text-to-image generators — like Midjourney and Dall-E — will also produce custom visuals to fit your vision. This content can drastically improve your engagement levels and help you reach more people.
Drive conversions with powerful calls-to-action
We’ve all been there — scrolling endlessly through social media, quickly swiping from one post to another. As a business, though, you don’t want your content to get lost in the shuffle.
Strong calls-to-action (CTAs) can help your posts stand out and encourage users to keep interacting with your brand. The most effective CTAs are concise and action-oriented. Here are a few examples:
- Let’s talk
- Try for free
- Get weekly updates
- Book a free demo
- Shop Black Friday deals
These CTAs can motivate customers to take the next step after viewing your post, boosting conversions.
Setting up a Facebook business page
A Facebook business page is a public profile for your company. These pages offer many benefits, including:
- Built-in data analytics tools
- Direct customer engagement
- Improved credibility
- Increased online presence
Building a Facebook business page only takes a few minutes. You’ll need a personal Facebook profile to get started. Next, go to Menu and select “Create a Page.” Choose a category, and optimize your page by adding essential business information, such as:
- Contact information
- Description
- Opening hours
- Profile photo
- Website
Once your page is live, you must promote it to attract followers. You can invite your mailing list to follow your page or run a few Facebook ads to reach new leads. Don’t stress if you only have a handful of followers at first — building an audience takes time. Keep sharing valuable content consistently, and your following will grow.
Designing Facebook ads and when to use them
In theory, you could build a loyal following just by sharing content for free on Facebook. But if you want to reach a larger audience quickly, consider investing in paid Facebook marketing services.
Facebook ads allow you to promote your brand to very specific audiences. If you run a hiking business, for example, you could target your ads to people who are into outdoor activities. If you sell quirky sweaters, you might show your ads to young women who love cozy clothing. This approach can help you engage users who might never hear about your brand organically.
Follow these simple tips to create the most effective Facebook ads:
- Keep the text short and direct to grab scrollers’ attention
- Use an image carousel to showcase your best products
- Create video ads to highlight services
- Add a powerful CTA button
- Localize ads with location-specific images or sayings
Examples of quality Facebook marketing campaigns
Obviously, you don’t want to copy other businesses. However, studying successful Facebook marketing campaigns can be a great way to find inspiration and see what works.
This paid Chewy ad checks all the boxes for an excellent campaign. It features an image carousel with vibrant photographs that practically jump off the screen. In the corner of each photo, a text box highlights the company’s Black Friday sale: “Up to 50% off.” Chewy also includes a simple CTA: “Shop now.” This direct messaging encourages readers to visit the company’s website to shop for more sale items.
Meanwhile, REI’s business page has entertaining reels designed to hook outdoors lovers. In this example, a man puts on a jacket while standing on a mountain. Captions and arrows appear on the screen to point out the jacket’s top features, such as “Full coverage hood” and “Water-repellant.” These concise descriptions help customers to quickly grasp the jacket’s standout qualities, while the natural setting lets them imagine wearing it on their own adventures.
The reel’s caption offers additional context: “Ah, the sweet, sweet sounds of the Magma 850 Down Jacket… It’s water-repellant, packable, and modeled after our sleeping bags to keep you comfortable.” This detailed description gives more information while emphasizing the quality of the jacket. Plus, a link at the end of the caption makes it easy for users to buy it directly from the website.
Tracking your results
Facebook comments and likes can help you measure your campaign’s performance, but they don’t tell the full story. For example, a post may receive dozens of likes but lead to no sales. Or you might get a few comments, but they’re not from your target audience.
Monitoring your Facebook campaigns is key to understanding if you’re reaching your goals. Visit the Meta Business Suite for in-depth insights for your company page. This tool offers a wealth of data, including:
- User demographics and interests
- Engagement data
- Follower trends
- Benchmark comparisons against similar businesses
Tracking this data over time will help you measure your progress. If engagement goes up, you’re on the right track. If it stays the same or drops, it might be time to rethink your Facebook marketing strategy.
You can also use A/B testing to improve your paid Facebook ads. The premise is simple: You’ll create two or more versions of your ads with slight variations — like different CTAs or images — and compare their performance. This method helps you understand which elements click with your audience and refine your campaigns.
Master Facebook marketing and beyond
Facebook and marketing go hand-in-hand to grow your reach. Start small by creating a business page and sharing relevant reels or photos with your audience, and gradually build up and enhance your content.
Get the most out of your Facebook marketing campaigns with Constant Contact. Our social media marketing tools will help you design compelling ads, schedule posts, and track results. Plus, our email marketing features allow you to connect with your audience beyond social media.
Start your free trial today to see how Constant Contact can level up your social media marketing efforts.
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