Benefits of Running Ads on Facebook & Instagram

In today’s fast-paced digital age, small UK businesses are constantly seeking ways to stand out, reach more customers, and grow sustainably. With millions of people using social media daily, running targeted ads on platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) can be a game-changer for small businesses. Meta advertising offers powerful tools for targeting the right audience, driving sales, and building brand awareness, all while being cost-effective and scalable. This guide will walk you through the benefits of Meta advertising, how it works, and why it could be the best move for your business.

Why Advertise on Meta?

Meta’s advertising ecosystem is vast, with access to billions of active users globally. In the UK alone, Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, boast millions of daily users. For small businesses, this means unprecedented access to potential customers – not just broadly, but in highly targeted segments.

Here’s why running ads on Meta makes sense for small UK businesses:

  1. Reach Your Target Audience: Meta’s ad system allows businesses to target users based on a wide range of factors including location, interests, demographics, and even past behaviours. Whether you run a local café in Brighton or an online clothing store, you can specifically target people who are most likely to engage with your business.
  2. Cost-Effective Marketing: Small businesses often operate on tight budgets. The good news is Meta ads can be affordable, as you only pay for the clicks or actions you specify. This means even a modest budget can generate measurable results. It’s also easy to set limits to ensure you never spend more than you intend.
  3. Brand Awareness and Lead Generation: Meta platforms are perfect for generating awareness about your products or services. With Meta ads, you can put your business in front of the right eyes, increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, and boosting leads. By utilising advanced targeting, you’re more likely to attract individuals who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
  4. Trackable and Measurable Results: Meta advertising provides detailed analytics, allowing businesses to track every aspect of their campaigns in real-time. Metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversion rates offer valuable insights, enabling you to fine-tune your strategy for maximum performance.

Targeting the Right People

The success of Meta ads largely comes down to how well you can target your audience. With robust tools, Meta makes it possible to hone in on those most likely to be interested in your products or services.

Demographic and Interest-Based Targeting:

You can target users by age, gender, job title, income bracket, education level, and more. For example, if you run a gym in Manchester, you might target fitness enthusiasts aged 18-35 who live nearby.

Geographic Targeting:

If your business serves a local area, you can focus your advertising on a specific town, city, or region. This ensures your adverts are seen only by people who can realistically visit your shop or use your service. For example, if you own a hair salon in Bristol, you could limit your ads to a 10-mile radius around your shop.

Behavioural Targeting:

Meta also allows targeting based on behaviour. You could target people who have recently made a purchase online, visited your website, or even those who like your competitors’ pages. This is especially valuable for e-commerce businesses wanting to reach people who are already in the buying mindset.

Lookalike Audiences:

Meta’s Lookalike Audience feature is a powerful way to find new customers. It works by finding people who are similar to your existing customers or website visitors. If you own an online clothing store, you could upload a list of your best customers, and Meta would identify similar users who are likely to be interested in your brand.

Types of Ad Content You Can Use

One of Meta’s strengths is the flexibility it offers in terms of ad formats. Each type of content has its own advantages, and the best choice depends on your business objectives. Here are some of the most popular options for small businesses:

1. Carousel Adverts:

These ads allow you to showcase multiple images or videos in a single advert, with each having its own link. Carousel ads are perfect for businesses that want to display different products or services. For example, if you own a furniture store, you could use a carousel to show off a range of your bestselling pieces.

2. Catalogue Adverts:

Catalogue ads work incredibly well for e-commerce businesses. These ads pull data from your product catalogue, allowing users to see real-time product details like price and availability. Integrating your Shopify store with Meta lets you display these ads to users, making it easy for them to browse and buy directly through your online store.

3. Video Ads:

Video content has proven to be one of the most engaging formats on social media. A well-made video ad can tell your brand’s story, demonstrate how your product works, or show happy customers using your service. For example, a small café could run a video ad showcasing their baristas in action, drawing people in with visuals of fresh coffee and tasty pastries.

4. Image and Slideshow Ads:

Static image ads and slideshow ads are also great for driving engagement. Simple, eye-catching imagery with a compelling call-to-action (CTA) can yield high conversion rates, especially when combined with a promotional offer.

Retargeting: Bringing Customers Back

Retargeting is one of the most effective tools in the Meta ads toolkit. Retargeting allows you to show ads to people who have already interacted with your business in some way, whether they visited your website, added an item to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase, or engaged with your content on social media.

Here’s how it works:

  • Facebook Pixel: This small piece of code is placed on your website to track visitor behaviour. When someone visits your website but doesn’t convert (i.e., doesn’t make a purchase or complete a sign-up form), you can retarget them with ads encouraging them to return and complete the action.
  • Dynamic Ads: These are retargeted ads that dynamically display products a customer has viewed or added to their cart. For instance, if you run an online shoe store and someone added a pair of trainers to their cart but didn’t check out, dynamic ads can remind them of the item and entice them to return with a discount or promotion.

Retargeting is a powerful way to recover lost sales and keep your business at the top of potential customers’ minds.

Setting Up a Meta Ad Campaign: The Basics

Getting started with Meta ads is relatively simple, but it’s important to follow a structured approach to ensure success. Below is a basic outline of the steps involved in setting up a campaign:

  1. Create a Meta Business Account: Start by creating a Meta Business Account if you haven’t already. This will allow you to manage your ads, payment methods, and track your campaign performance.
  2. Install the Facebook Pixel: Installing the Facebook Pixel on your website is crucial for tracking visitor behaviour and retargeting ads. It’s a small piece of code that you can integrate with platforms like Shopify or WordPress with ease.
  3. Define Your Audience: Use Meta’s Audience Insights tool to define who you want to target. Set parameters such as location, interests, behaviours, and demographic information.
  4. Choose Your Ad Objective: Meta offers various objectives based on what you want to achieve, such as brand awareness, traffic, engagement, or conversions. Make sure to select the right goal to maximise your campaign’s effectiveness.
  5. Select Your Ad Format: Choose the right ad format based on your content strategy – whether that’s carousel, video, or catalogue ads.
  6. Set Your Budget and Schedule: Determine how much you want to spend daily or over the course of the campaign. Meta’s flexible budgeting options mean you can start small and scale up once you see results.
  7. Launch and Monitor: Once your ads are live, monitor their performance using Meta’s Ads Manager. Keep an eye on metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions. Don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy based on what works best.

Case Study: How a Small UK Business Grew Using Meta Ads

One great example of a small UK business successfully using Meta advertising is Haxby Bakehouse, an artisan bakery in York. By using Instagram and Facebook ads, they were able to increase online orders by targeting local audiences with mouth-watering visuals of their products. Their simple yet effective strategy included carousel ads showcasing their seasonal range, paired with a strong call to action and limited-time discounts. This campaign generated a significant increase in online sales during the festive period.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Real Bread Campaign (@realbreadcampaign)

Conclusion

For small UK businesses, Meta advertising presents a highly targeted and cost-effective way to reach new customers, grow brand awareness, and increase sales. Whether you’re showcasing products through carousel ads, retargeting past website visitors, or engaging new audiences with video content, Meta provides the tools you need to drive real results.

By understanding the basics of setting up a campaign and leveraging Meta’s powerful targeting features, you can grow your small business effectively and efficiently – all while keeping an eye on your budget.