Ever ask a customer how they heard about your business? Often, they’ll say it was from a friend. Today, those “friends” can come from social networks like Facebook. That’s why some small businesses are raising their visibility with Facebook ads.

Here are some tips on advertising your business on Facebook:

• Talk to the right people – Advertising is most effective when it’s seen by people who are most likely to buy from you.  Facebook’s “Choose Your Audience” feature lets you target your audience using factors like: age, gender, geographic location, family status, and areas of interest. Facebook then provides an estimate of how many people with that profile are likely to see the ad.
• Determine your objective – What problem are you trying to solve? Do you want to get more “likes” to your Facebook page? Do you have a special event you want to promote? Be sure your ad answers that question using words and an image that gets them to take action.
• Set your budget – Pricing is based on a bid system. Facebook provides a suggested range based on the price others are willing to pay to reach the same target market. You bid based on the number of times the ad is displayed on a single page (Cost Per Thousand or CPM) or the number of times someone clicks on your ad (Cost Per Click or CPC). With either method, you set your maximum budget.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – Test several different ads to see which gets the best results. Facebook suggests you change just one element at a time. For example, try switching out your image to see if one is more effective. They have a feature that makes it easy to create a similar ad.

For more information, go to Business Facebook.