Facebook Ads Manager
If you’re a beginner, then the first and most obvious option is to handle your advertising campaign directly through Facebook. Through a guided experience, Facebook Ads Manager helps you figure out the details of your campaign and execute it quickly. Though the tools offered here are a little simplistic compared to the other listed options, Facebook Ads Manager does have the benefit of convenience and is ideal if you are concerned about using third-party sites. Additionally, Facebook Ads Manager offers a companion app that allows you to update and keep track of your campaign on the go.
AdEspresso
If you’re a little more experienced, then AdEspresso offers more extensive control over your campaign. With AdEspresso, you can set up a wide variety of rules to govern exactly how your campaign operates. Instead of needing to fret over your campaign and constantly check to see if you need to make adjustments, you can automate the process and ensure that you aren’t wasting money on an endeavor that isn’t yielding results. It may sound complicated, but AdEspresso offers a variety of visual feedback and guidance as you design your rules, showing you how each change will affect the big picture.
Qwaya
If you’re more experienced and just want to pump out a ton of ads in a short window, then Qwaya is your best bet. It doesn’t offer the same level of assistance as the prior choices, but it does offer a streamlined interface that allows veteran users to churn out productive advertising campaigns much faster. In part, this is due to the powerful A/B testing that Qwaya provides. In a few minutes, you can figure out exactly how all of your changes would affect the campaign and which would be best for your needs.
Hootsuite
If you want to expand your advertising beyond Facebook or incorporate other types of social media, then Hootsuite is a good choice. Several payment plans allow you to scale up and decide how many different social media presences you wish to handle at once. Hootsuite then gathers data from these sources and helps you determine when, how, and where you should advertise for maximum coverage. Furthermore, Hootsuite allows you to schedule future social media posts to coincide with your advertising campaigns, reducing the amount of micromanagement you will need to deal with down the road.
Google Analytics
If you want to get the most out of advertising, then Google Analytics is a useful tool in general and Facebook ads are no exception. Through Google Analytics, you can track your advertisements and how they perform with various groups. With this information in hand, you can make more educated decisions with your advertisements and hone your efforts on key demographics.
Adobe Spark
If you need some help with actually creating your advertisements, Adobe Spark offers a wide variety of accessible features. A huge number of customizable presets allows you to set up simple graphics and videos in minutes. Whether you want to work from a computer or phone, Adobe Spark has an app that you can use, meaning that you don’t need to be at home to set up a new advertisement. Most importantly, Adobe Spark is incredibly cheap relative to other options, meaning that you can divert your budget to other areas like analytics.
AdRoll
If you want to add retargeting to your advertising campaign, then AdRoll offers everything you need. In short, AdRoll allows you to set up specialized retargeting ads which will only be shown to viewers that saw your normal ads and did not click through. They will then be exposed to retargeting ads that are designed to bring them to your site with a slightly different hook. AdRoll helps you navigate this complex issue, both in identifying which groups you want to retarget and how exactly they should be persuaded to give your product or service another shot.
Yext
If you want to focus on local results, then Yext allows you to target customers in a specific location. As with the previous tools, Yext allows you to pursue certain demographics, but you may need to use a more analytical service if you want to track how effective the advertising is. It only works on individuals that have Facebook tracking enabled, but it can still reach a significant number of potential customers if you’re dealing in a densely populated area. For products and services that rely on or greatly benefit from local patronage, indiscriminate online advertising is often insufficient.
What It Means
Using any of these options can elevate your advertisements, but you’ll need to find the perfect combination if you want to reach your audience at a reasonable price. You’ll need to know your audience and how to find them, make ads that appeal to your potential customers, and be able to keep it all organized and running smoothly. Make sure to pick options that are designed for the size of your campaign and the nature of your product or service
About the Author:
John D. Smiddy
Owner/Marketing Consultant
John has helped market and scale over 200 companies in various industries over the past 10 years. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of LeadPlan Marketing, the host of “The Marketing Fundamentals Podcast” and the creator of the “5 Pillars of Sales Conversions” formula used at LeadPlan.
