By Cathy Rubino Hines, owner, Marketing Collaborative

With the largest audience of the social media channels, it’s hard not to think of Facebook for business. So the presentation from Roberts Communications was tops on my list and Tina Clark, manager of digital & social media, did not disappoint.

Clark talked primarily about the use of Facebook inline advertising for B2B applications. Roberts has tested several social media platforms and recognized where Facebook makes sense and gets results for their B2B clients. What I love about Facebook is how easy it is to implement. Simply access the Ads Manager tool at www.business.facebook.com which will walk you through the set-up of your ad campaign. And of course you can search on YouTube for videos that will give you tips on creating effective campaigns.

Like any other marketing campaign, Clark advised that you start by defining your goals – KPIs – whether that’s website clicks, video views, lead generation, etc. In fact, you have to set up your campaign on Ads Manager with these goals in mind. She talked about how each social media platform has its benefits and encouraged us to test their effectiveness. For instance, when promoting a webinar for a B2B client, the cost per click was lowest on Facebook, while on Twitter they got more engagement (registrants) for the event. On Twitter, you’re also able to target followers of competitors, which is another advantage. Monitor your test so you can shift your budget to the appropriate platform – usually within the first week you will see which social media platform is doing better.

Facebook Ads Manager allows advertisers on a limited budget to target their audiences by income level, geography, gender, age, interests, and so much more. FB knows a lot about their users based on not only the data they have collected, but also on the data they buy and marry with their own – making this quite a database of knowledge. In addition, advertisers can also target a “look alike audience.” Lookalike audiences are a way to reach new people who are likely to be interested in your business because they’re similar to customers you care about. Another powerful tool.

What about the creative for your Facebook ad? As for imagery, Roberts has found that images of “smiling women” work the best. I think that Facebook is going to have a lot of smiling advertisers with Ads Manager and the ability to use it for business.