Facebook Ads that Work
The Importance of Creating an Evergreen Sales Funnel
Run Facebook ads, they said. It will be fun, they said. And most importantly, it will pay off, they said. And yet... It doesn’t seem to be working and it just doesn’t make sense. You think you’re doing all the right things. You’re using your data, targeting relevant interests, selecting age ranges and using geo-targeting to the best of your abilities… Sound familiar?
Well, the truth is even if you have all the pieces of the puzzle in front of you, they have to be in just the right order for it to work to your advantage. And to have ongoing success? Now that’s what dreams are made of.
So, what’s the secret to an evergreen sales funnel that works? Let’s take a look.
Know Your Audience
The Facebook ads funnel will look different based on who you’re talking to. So first things first, are you sending the same message to different audiences? The biggest mistake we see in Facebook advertising is to ask for a purchase from both your high loyalty customers and your new prospects. Each of those groups are in different phases of a relationship with you – different phases of the funnel – so it’s important the content of the ad you’re serving reflects that.
Take a minute to identify who these groups are. The more specific you are, the more engaging your ads will be to the target audience. Keeping in mind that you should capitalize on your data when building custom audiences, some common groups are high lifetime value customers, email lists, tasting room visitors, website visitors, lookalikes of each of these, and targeted interest groups.
Establish Your Steps
Once you’ve mapped out who you’re talking to, it’s time to tailor the right messages to each audience. For example, your longtime wine club members’ evergreen ad funnel may simply look like a reminder of their wine club benefits or ongoing sales.
However, a lookalike of a wine club member who is new to your brand and will require more steps on the path to conversion and consequently a higher cost per acquisition. So lay out what those steps are and the timeline for each, and think about how you like to interact with brands. Maybe the first step is to introduce the consumer to a blog. This leads them to the website where, with the Facebook Pixel, their data is captured and they can then be retargeted with additional content. From there, perhaps website visitors are directed to learn more about the brand, be it team members, winemakers, events, etc.
After a few touchpoints and building brand trust, then the funnel moves to be product-facing – but reality check, this could be a year out from the first touch point. Introduce the consumer to your products with an entry-level purchase offer. Take advantage of Facebook’s Custom Events so you can segment even further and retarget cart abandonment with either a shipping offer or simply a reminder of what they were browsing in your shop.
Review and Pivot
Evergreen Facebook Ad funnels are beneficial for the omnichannel marketing process, but they can’t be left alone forever. “Always be testing” is a marketer’s favorite mantra and it absolutely applies here. Check in on your funnel periodically and pivot accordingly. Using Google Analytics, if you have applied UTMs to your campaigns, you can take a look at time spent on your website, bounce rates, and ultimately conversions. Based on the information you find, make changes to your funnel in terms of art, content, and offers.
Efficient and Effective
Creating ads that run well and are worth your money can be tricky. The best way to maximize your budget is to accept the fact that not every group will be amenable to the final sales pitch at first introduction. Segmenting your audiences as much as possible and serving them each with the appropriate messaging will allow you to build qualified, quality relationships with new customers. Meet your consumers where they want to be met!
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