Top 7 Facebook Ad Questions Answered

“Ahhhh, no one is seeing my posts!”
“What? Facebook wants me to pay for people to see my content?”
“Everyone keeps telling me to use Facebook Ads, but where do I start?”

These are probably the three most popular sentences uttered by small business owners when it comes to Facebook, and with good reason.

With over 60 million business pages and a changing algorithm designed to encourage paid content, it can seem overwhelming. But not for long!

Today’s blog is going to tackle the 7 most common questions asked by dentists about Facebook Ads.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

1. What are Facebook Ads?

Facebook Ads is the name given to the various advertising options available within the Facebook platform.

This includes a number of ad campaigns based on specific goals for businesses with a Facebook page. For example, if your goal was to increase your Facebook page likes, a “Page Likes” campaign would be the option for you.

Each campaign is made up of Ad Sets, which are groups of ads designed to achieve your overall goal. Each ad (in an Ad Set) is made up of four elements: a headline, copy (or text), an image, and finally a call to action button. These can all be edited and measured using Facebook’s Ads Manager tool or Power Editor.

Social media for dentists should include strategic Facebook ads

Another major ad type is “Promoted or Boosted Posts.” This option enables you to boost the number of people who see a post you have created – a great tool to beat Facebook’s reducing organic reach.

2. Where do Facebook Ads appear?

You have most likely seen a Facebook Ad and not even realized it. That is because they appear within the news feed (on desktop/mobile) as native posts that blend in with organic content. The differences are that Ads appear in more news feeds, can be targeted to a specific audience, and may have the heading “Suggested Post” or “Sponsored.”

Facebook ads are one aspect of social media for dentists

A business can also use right-hand column ads that appear on the right side of Facebook or, for larger budgets, on the sign-in and log out screens.

3. How can Facebook Ads help my dental practice?

Facebook Ads have proven to be an effective part of social media for dentists. In fact, many practices have received thousands of likes and leads through Facebook Ads. Here is a dental Facebook Ads case study:

Oklahoma Dentist | Utica Dental Case Study: 4 Month Facebook Campaign

  • 933 link clicks to landing page and website
  • 1947 total clicks on the ads
  • $1.27 cost per click
  • 48 new page likes
  • 17 post comments
  • 162 post reactions
  • 36 new leads

This dentist reports gaining new Invisalign® patients directly from Facebook Ads.

Facebook Ads can specifically help your dental practice in the following ways:

  • Increase page likes
  • Increase post reach and engagement
  • Target your ideal audience
  • Drive traffic to a website
  • Promote offers, events, or services
  • Attract new leads
  • Save you money – Facebook Ads are cheaper per click (or action) than most online or traditional ads

Many people are using social media to help make their healthcare decisions, including selecting a dentist. Facebook is proving to be a very popular tool to find and learn about health professionals.

4. What do they cost?

Ads vary greatly in cost depending on industry and company size. Some Facebook Ads can cost as little as 20 cents per action. It all depends on the ad campaign goal, length, industry, and size.

The minimum budget for ads can be as little as a dollar a day!

5. What sort of things should I promote on Facebook?

As previously mentioned, Facebook provides a number of goals to help you decide what to promote. Many dental practices use Facebook to promote the following:

  • A Facebook page (to increase likes/exposure)
  • Website
  • Blog posts
  • Services
  • Events
  • New team members
  • Special offers
  • Ebooks or downloads

There is no real limit to what you can promote using Facebook Ads (as long as you follow the guidelines and policies).

6. How do I measure success?

Facebook has provided a great measurement tool named Ads Manager. Here you can track the activity of all ads, including metrics such as cost per click, impressions, frequency (how often each person has seen an ad), and more. This same tool provides a number of editing options, including the ability to pause live ads.

Use Facebook Ad Manager to manage your dental social media campaign

A top tip when measuring the success of ads is to look at the cost per action (or clicks) and conversions. This identifies if the ad is achieving the goal of the overall campaign. Conversions may require a pixel to be placed on your website or landing page, which can be done in a matter of minutes.

Remember to check ads on a daily or weekly basis and adjust if needed.

7. What is the Power Editor?

Power Editor is an advanced tool provided by Facebook to help businesses manage multiple campaigns across a number of ad accounts.

The tool provides a number of advanced options to help manage, edit, upload, and track in bulk across campaigns. This is the go-to management tool for those who want to supercharge their Facebook ad campaigns.

For more information, click here to visit the official Power Editor help page.

When it comes to social media for dentists, Facebook Ads can certainly play a role in gaining new patients from this popular network!

So how did we do? Did we answer your Facebook Ad questions? If you have any additional questions, comment below and we’ll answer!

This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated for relevance, accuracy, and the benefit of our readers!

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