We all know Facebook is a key marketing tool for most businesses. Often, being on Facebook is not enough, as, you may have a hard time getting people to follow you. Facebook advertising could be a very cost effective way to develop a following, but, in order to do so, you must ensure your ad is optimized. In this article, we outline 5 key tips to optimize your Facebook advertising.

Before you create your advertisement, you must decide who you are targeting. Facebook is very effective in that it allows you to target your marketing to individuals on Facebook based on their likes, status, gender, location, etc. This targeted advertising is effective to ensure your ad reaches your target demographic. With that being said, you can implement the following tips to your Facebook ad to improve the chances of getting noticed:

1. Use a colored border around your picture to get it to stand out

Anytime you log on to Facebook, you see those advertisements in the right hand column, but, your eye is trained to focus on your timeline and not really wander to the right of the page. Using a technique such as putting a strong red or colored border around your picture will tend to draw the eye to your advertisement and increase the chances of getting noticed and having a new follower click through to your profile.

2. Use a video as your advertisement

Studies have proved that one of the most effective ways to promote a product is through video. A lot of people tend to click through to use videos, so, if you have a video that talks about yours business, use the link to the video as your Facebook advertisement.

3. Have your advertisement run on fan pages of your competitors or complementary businesses

If you have competitors that are running a similar business to yours, what better audience to capture than those followers that you know have a vested interest in your business. Having your advertisement appear on the fan pages of your competitors, or a complementary business, is a great way to drive the right followers to your site.

4. Consider advertising during the evenings

Evenings can be cheaper and more advantageous to advertise due to a few reasons. First, you have less competition as the budgets of many companies gets used up during the day. Second, while a lot of people are checking their Facebook during the daytime from work, they tend to be less focused. During the evening, when at home, relaxed, more people are likely to take their time looking through Facebook and have an increased attention span.

5. Use a QR code instead of a picture as your advertisement

While QR codes have not taken off in the way they were expected to do, using QR codes as your advertisement picture could get you free advertising. If an individual uses their smart phone to scan your code, you do not pay for the click through. This could definitely be a key to stretching your budget.