Facebook ads and community management: what you need to know

These days, Facebook ads are becoming a must-do for most organization. Recent changes to Facebook’s algorithms have stifled organic reach; now, you’ve got to pay to play.

Sprout Social reports that “93% of marketers use Facebook advertising regularly” and Social Media Examiner adds that “78% of advertisers are satisfied with their Facebook ads”. However, there is a downside to these ads that many marketers haven’t considered. Keep reading to find out about the pitfalls of Facebook ads, and what you can do to deal with them.

Facebook ads and community management

Meaningful engagement and conversions by your audience are the golden tickets of Facebook advertising, but Facebook trolls and spammers are an inescapable downfall of the process. These three groups converge in the comments section, which means Facebook ads aren’t a set-it-and-forget-it kind of deal. Just like any other post, you have to monitor comments, shares and other forms of engagement on a daily (or even hourly) basis.

If you want to stay in your CEO’s good graces, make sure that your Facebook ad comments are getting the attention they deserve – especially if your industry deals with contentious issues. Letting ignorant, unfounded and otherwise ugly comments linger on your ads is not a good look – and your reputation could suffer in the process.

 

Create a social media conduct policy

While your audience should have the right to express their opinions on your ads and posts, you should still set clear boundaries around what’s acceptable and what’s not – think hate speech, swearing and personal attacks, for example. If someone crosses the line, feel free to delete their comment – you can always ask them to rephrase their opinions using appropriate language.

 

Have a process

In order for your community management strategy to be effective, make sure to have a process in place. Check you ad comments regularly. Decide on approved responses to inappropriate comments and frequently asked questions beforehand. Set up language filters to cut down on profanity. Enlist help if the volume of comments is overwhelming. Basically, don’t get caught unprepared. Having a plan in place before launching your ad campaign will save you grief down the line.

 

Don’t forget about Instagram

When running Facebook ads, you also have the option to run Instagram ads – even if you don’t have an Instagram account. However, if you elect to run Instagram ads sans account, you won’t be able to manage the comments. Take this into consideration before launching your next campaign.

While Facebook ads require a little more work than the average digital ad, the increase in reach, engagement and brand awareness is worth it. If Facebook is a part of your digital strategy, we highly recommend experimenting with ads – and if you need help running your campaign, you can always get in touch with us.