How to Advertise on Facebook

Placing ads on the social networking website Facebook is one of the best opportunities on the Internet for targeted advertising. Because Facebook users provide information about their age, gender, location and interests, you can target your ads directly to the demographic you want to reach.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Go the advertising page on the Facebook website. Click on the "Advertising" link at the bottom of the page. Click on the "Create Social Ad" button to get started.

2. Insert your website. This is where users who click on your ad will be directed.

3. Target your ads. On the next page you'll have the opportunity to choose the demographics you want your ad displayed to. Choose a gender, age group, educational status, relationship status or political views or leave the options blank to create a more inclusive group. In the keywords section, put in keywords relating to the interests you would like your targeted group to have.

4. Create your ad. Move to the next page to input your Facebook ad. Create a short, catchy title and a few sentences of copy to explain your website or product. To insert a photo, click "Upload Photo" from the drop down menu below.

5. Choose whether you want to pay per click or per view. When you pay per click, you'll only pay Facebook when someone clicks on your ad. When you select pay per view, you'll pay every time your ad is displayed to a user. Then, click on the appropriate tab.

6. Set a budget. Put in the amount of money you're willing to pay every day. You may pay less than this, but this is most money you'll pay for one day of Facebook ads.

7. Bid for ad space. Facebook determines which ads to display by how much you're willing to pay per click or per 1000 impressions. Choose the maximum amount you want to pay. The amount you actually pay depends on how much other advertisers have bid, so enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay.

Tips & Warnings

• Click on "Test" on the left side of the Create Your Ad section to make sure your website properly loads. Clicking on "Test" will show you what the Facebook user sees when he clicks on your ad.
• The higher your maximum bid, the more likely your ad is to be displayed.
• Note the suggested bid amounts on the Budget section. This is the range other advertisers are currently paying for users in the demographics you choose.
• See how many people are in your demographics by watching the number at the top of the screen in the Audience section. The number displayed is the total number of users with profiles that match the demographics you choose.

Resources

• Place ads on Facebook.