When done right, online advertising can significantly help your online ministry reach out to more. Did you ever wonder how businesses, brands, public figures and other entities use social media marketing to gain one million followers? Yes, the number of subscribers is the name of the game nowadays.
One Million Followers was written by Brendan Kane to help people turn their audience into followers. This episode of Sam’s Book Club will be about tips and strategies to make your Facebook ads campaign more engaging.
Pastor Sam Neves, Associate Director of Communications at the global headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, talks with Alyssa Truman, Marketing Manager at Adventist World Radio. Together with the Book Club they share their experiences in making ads on Facebook and how this book changed their perspectives.
Improving Advertising Strategies
In the book the author recommends the use of Facebook ads, bearing in mind that initially you don’t know your audience. One way of learning to recognize them is to include ads, by creating different content and options to try out as a test. Once you find out who your audience is and what impacts their lives, you will pivot.
The Diversity of Facebook Marketing Strategy
The author also presented Facebook as the main platform to take your audience into different platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, etc.
It’s best to create many ad variations and launch at midnight when Facebook starts counting the bidding system for your ad. This method gives the platform the greatest amount of time to decide or target who the audience is. And by 8 AM the resonating ads can already be identified; these should be replicated. And for the ads that don’t do well? These should be stopped.
Pastor Sam gives a tip on creating content: Remember that people generally ask, “What do people like me do in situations like this?”
In this regard, ethnicity, gender and age play a role. Example: A struggling Asian student will be more likely to respond and engage with an ad that includes a picture of an Asian.
Positive or Negative Ads?
A negative ad uses downbeat emotions like sadness, while a positive ad conveys a light mood and upbeat emotions. Do you think a sad ad would appeal to more? Create a hypothesis and imagine the results you want.
Pastor Sam and his team tried an experiment between the two. They found out that positive ads yield better results than negative ones. As a result, they now know which to invest in and which to disregard. The budget spent on ads that perform well is worth it.
Advertising Online Ministry
What ads can be used in spiritual endeavors? Alyssa suggests using Bible verses to help identify your target audience and their interests.
As these are paid ads, you have to play with the platform’s system and make the most out of it. You have to outsmart it a little bit. You don’t need to spend a lot. Soon you will get to know the interests of your target audience and discover it is worth the investment.
It also pays to know what you and your church can offer people to be of help.
Social Media Marketing and Reaching Globally
Facebook is international. If you consider the different parts of the world, you can gain more followers on your local page. Facebook measures how interactive you are, so launch interactive ads. Try watch-parties and other posts that encourage people to engage. Asking for prayer requests leads to interaction which may make a real change for the better in the lives of others. Connect with them and help as much as possible in real-time.