Some marketers are hesitant about the need to spend marketing budget on Facebook advertising and why / how / where they should find those dollars. A sensible Three Step Process for succeeding in the new Facebook landscape includes creating content most likely to be shared by consumers, putting ad dollars behind it to boost it, and enabling your community to make you part of their community.

Here are 5 reasons why this small investment will pay off.

1. Impressions rule. We talk a lot about interactivity and engagement. But don’t underestimate the plain ol’ audience impressions you’re gaining with Facebook ads. We may not know how great the positive effect of social media impressions are on your brand for years.

Look at TV advertising: buying habits in 2014 are influenced by TV ads from many years ago. If you want to influence the brand of beer I buy today, you should go back in time to 1989 and make better beer ads. That Spuds MacKenzie…he was rad.

  

2. The cost per impression for Facebook ads is almost nothing compared to that of television or newspapers. And your Facebook ad may actually interact with a consumer as opposed to getting skipped on DVR or never read.

Media Sales guru Herb Tarlek says,
“Newspapers: Kids today don’t read.
And Television: Stinkerino.
Facebook: where your ad dollars buy more!” 

 

3. Even better news is that your competitors may now be on their way off of consumers’ radar. Let your competitors complain about the lack of organic reach and wish for the glory days of 2012. Meanwhile, you can spend a few bucks, target ads to your demo, and be where your competitors’ customers live in 2014.

 

4. He with the best creative wins. Facebook may be like the Super Bowl in that all of the best content will be paid advertising.

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5. You’re proving your product’s value.

Brands behave now on Facebook like record labels or recording artists have always been with radio – looking for free airtime or spins of their content on media that someone else owns and controls.

There’s a lot of competition and limited amount of space and time for your fans. If you want to guarantee exposure, you will need to pay. If you’re not willing to do an inexpensive add buy, then how confident are you about your business?