How to Make a Facebook Ad

Target your ad to the specific audience you want to reach.

Facebook ads are highly targeted to the location, age group, education and interests of the audience you want to reach. They appear in the right-hand column of many Facebook pages and may be linked to other actions you and your friends have taken on the site. For example, if a friend has liked a business Page, you may see an ad for that business together with the information that your friend likes it. You can pay for the number of times your ad appears, called cost per thousand or CPM, or only when someone clicks on it, which is known as cost per click, or CPC.

Things You'll Need

• Facebook account
• Credit card or PayPal account

Instructions

1. Log in to your Facebook account and click the "Create an advert" link in the right-hand column.

2. Click the drop-down box to choose the type of destination you want people to reach after they click your ad. Choose between an external URL or one of your existing Pages or Applications. Ensure the "Facebook Adverts" radio button is checked.

3. Enter the URL of your landing page if you've chosen an external URL as your destination. Click the "Suggest an Advert" box to see Facebook's suggestion for your ad text and layout. Type a title and body text into the text boxes. The preview will reflect your changes as you make them. Upload a related image for your ad. When you're happy with the appearance of your ad, click "Continue."

4. Target your ad by location, demographics, interest and connections on Facebook. These options may vary depending on the type of destination you selected. Click on "Show Advanced Targeting Options" to select further targeting options such as birthdays, relationship status, education and work. Note the estimated reach -- the number of potential ad viewers -- that Facebook displays in the right column. This number changes as you refine your targeted audience. Click "Continue" to choose your campaign details.

5. Click on the "Account Currency" drop-down box to select the currency you want to pay in and select your account time zone. Type a name for your campaign into the "Campaign Name" field and set a daily or overall budget as the maximum you want to spend excluding tax. Choose when you want your campaign to start in your account time zone.

6. Click "Advanced Pricing Options" if you want to pay for impressions or if you want to set a maximum price for each 1000 impressions or each click. Note that tax is not included in these amounts.

7. Click "Review Advert" to check the accuracy of your ad. Click "Edit Advert" to make changes or "Place Order" to complete your payment details. Click "Credit Card" or "PayPal" on the popup screen to select your payment option and enter your details on the next screen. Click "Submit" to finalize your order.

References

• Facebook: Ads
• Business Insider War Room: Facebook's Self-Serve Ads Are Ridiculously Easy to Make; Nicholas Carson; October 2009

Resources

• Facebook: Advertise