Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads are one of the fastest ways to bring leads into your business these days. They are easy to create, low in cost, and can be a quick method for doubling your business income.
Here’s the truth…
Facebook ads are great and are a tremendously simple tool for increasing your revenue and getting more leads into your business, but only if used correctly.
For Facebook Ads to be effective, you need to know the type of ads to run, who to target the ads to for maximum exposure, and most importantly the best copy to grab your target’s attention.
While Facebook ads have a lot of benefits, they are only as effective as the strategy you have in place. Otherwise, they can cost you a lot of money while bringing you ZERO leads.
When you’re in a service-based industry such as event planning, you also need to be more aware of the differences you’ll need to focus on, that a product-based business would not.
To help you crush your Facebook ad challenges I’ve compiled a list of the five (5) most common Facebook Ad mistakes event planners make when running Facebook Ads and how you can avoid them. But before I dive in, here are two things you need to do first if you’re not currently running Facebook ads.
1. Set Up a Facebook Ads Manager Account
When you sign up for Facebook, you’re given an ad account id by default. However, in order to advertise with Ads Manager you’ll need to have a Facebook Page or have an admin, editor or advertiser role on someone else’s page. You’ll also need to set up a valid payment method.
Go to Ads Manager. to view your account details and add any additional information needed.
- Create a Page for your business: Any page you create will have an associated ad account and ad account id created by default.
- Request an admin, editor, or advertiser Page role: If there is a page you want to advertise for you’ll need to ask the Page admin to assign you an admin, editor, or advertiser role.
2. Install Facebook Pixel
Once you have your Ads account active, then you need to create and install a Facebook Pixel. This essentially allows Facebook to track traffic to your website or links to gauge how effective your ads are to viewers.
Before you begin
- You need a website for your business.
- You must be able to update your website’s code.
Create a Facebook pixel
- Go to Events Manager.
- Click
Connect Data Sources and select Web. - Select Facebook Pixel and click Connect.
- Add your Pixel Name.
- Enter your website URL to check for easy setup options.
- Click Continue.
Add the Facebook pixel to your website
Once you’ve created your pixel, you’re ready to put the Facebook pixel code on your website. For instructions on how to do this click here: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/952192354843755?id=1205376682832142.
Mistake #1 – Speaking about yourself and/or your business
If your ads are not getting the engagement that you expected, it’s time to look at your ad copy (aka your wording). Event Planners will often create Facebook ads that speak about their company and services. You’ve probably seen them or run them:
“We’re XYZ event planning and design and we’ve been in business for over 15 years. We specialize in….”
These ads are great for telling potential clients the name of your company, how many years you’ve been in operation, the suite of services you provide, and where to find more information about them. But, they fail to address the biggest question you should be answering for your customer and that’s:
“Why should I care?”.
Essentially these ads fail to show the customers why they should click on your ad and how you can HELP them.
SOLUTION: Speak TO your customers
The key to fixing these ad types is to change your ad copy to one that speaks to your customer. Your ad should address your customers’ needs, challenges, and questions.
For example, instead of saying “XYZ event planning and design and we’ve been in business for over 15 years”, you could instead say “Struggling to find a venue for your wedding? Stop asking your mom and aunt for recommendations and speak to an expert”.
The idea behind this is to change the narrative from one that is focused on your business to one that speaks to the customer’s problems and how your service can solve them.
Need help with your Facebook Ads? Download our Facebook Ads Audit Checklist to get started.
Mistake #2 – Marketing to Everyone
This is a mistake more common with new event planners. The fear of missing out on potential clients will have planners creating ads to market to everyone. While in theory, this may seem like a good idea, in reality, what happens is that you end up creating an ad so general that it connects with no one.
Look at it this way, if you were explaining your event planning services to your parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and your 8-year-old niece or nephew (let’s pretend with me for a moment), would you use the same words? Or better yet, would they have the same questions or concerns?
Chances are they won’t.
Your grandparents might have questions about if this is an actual career and if people really pay you to plan parties. The siblings might think this is the coolest job on the planet. While your niece/nephew might be more concerned about how much cake and candy you can help them sneak before bedtime.
The same theory should be applied to your event planning clients. A newly engaged couple would have different needs from a corporate client looking to launch a product, or someone looking to organize a retirement party for a parent. Therefore your ads need to speak directly to each of these groups individually.
SOLUTION: Understand your customer and focus your marketing
The best way to fix this mistake is to know your client’s avatar. Once you have a clear sense of who your ideal clients are and their unique challenges, you can better customize your ads to speak directly to them. This will help you to use your ads to paint a very clear before and after picture for your clients. That is, what their life is like before your services and what it will look like after. Fix this issue and your ad engagement will improve.
Mistake #3 – Boosting Posts
Boosting posts are great! They increase your reach and awareness like wildfire. If you’re looking for more fans and likes, a boosted post is the best Facebook ad type. However, if your aim is to book clients or get clients on your mailing list, a boosted post is not an option for you.
The aim of a boosted post is to increase the number of eyeballs on your ads. This is an amazing tool if you have an already scheduled event and would like to increase the number of attendees through awareness. Think of a city festival selling tickets.
But if you’re trying to book clients, boosted posts are a waste of your marketing dollars. It is always best to create a targeted ad from scratch.
SOLUTION: Create ads from scratch with an objective
Creating an ad from scratch with an objective is by far the best method for increasing your event planning bookings. Go through your Facebook Ad Manager platform to get started (see the video tutorial below). You’ll be able to achieve a few things:
- Choose an objective for your ad (That is awareness, traffic, conversion, messages etc.)
- Create your customized ad copy (see my tip in mistake #1)
- Setup your preferred audience (age, gender, income, location etc.)
- Choose a photo that is most suitable (Research shows that the highest converting image on Facebook is that of a happy female!)
Mistake #4 – Selling in the Ad
“Hire me now…”
I’ve seen so many Facebook ads by event planners and wedding planners asking potential clients to hire them in the ad.
Now you might be thinking, why is this a Facebook Ad mistake, aren’t we trying to get hired?
Yes, you are trying to get hired. But the chance of a client hiring you from an ad for one of the biggest events in their life, such as a wedding, without ever communicating with you is very low.
Event planners, unlike product-based businesses, are providing a more personal service. If a future bride decides to work with you, she is making a decision to hand over the details of her big day to you. She is essentially trusting you with a pretty intimate part of her life.
Here’s my question for you, Why should she make that decision from a 1-2 paragraph Facebook ad? And most importantly, will she?
Asking a client to hire you based on a brief Facebook ad view, is like being the guy at a party who walks up to a girl, says hello and asks her to marry him. He hasn’t taken the time to ask her anything about herself, gotten to know a bit more about why she’s at the party, or even if she would like to get married! Quite presumptuous isn’t it? Well, let’s not make you that guy at the party.
SOLUTION: Take customers on a journey of getting to know you before asking for the sale. (See example below).
Before asking customers to hire you, try taking them on a journey of showing them why you’re the best option for their event planning needs.
Try offering them a juicy piece of free content that will make their lives easier. Maybe a wedding planning budget template that your brides have found helpful. Use this to get them on your mailing list, so that you can keep in touch with them.
Once they are on your list you now have the opportunity to follow up with them to offer more valuable information, see how their event planning process is coming along, and offer your services or consultation if they have any questions. These are all paths that will eventually lead to a booking.
Need help with your Facebook Ads? Download our Facebook Ads Audit Checklist to get started.
Mistake #5 – Not Reviewing your Ad
The fifth most common mistake event planners make with their Facebook Ads is not reviewing an unsuccessful ad.
If you’ve ran a Facebook Ad and it didn’t bring you the clients you expected, don’t just throw in the towel and call it a dud. Look at your ad and try to find different ways you can improve it.
Maybe your audience was too wide, maybe your ad copy was too general. The only way to know this, is to review the ad and try again.
Our Facebook Ad Audit Checklist is the perfect solution to help you identify how you can improve your ad.
Now that you’ve seen the most common mistakes that Event Planners make in their Facebook ads, be sure to apply these tips when setting up your campaigns. If you are new to Facebook ads check out the tutorials below. You will learn how to set up a Facebook Ads account and create your first Facebook Ads campaign from scratch.
New to Facebook Ads? See below for some steps on how to get started.
If you’re looking for a more detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to create a Facebook Ad from scratch this is it.
Quick Tips for Existing Ads
If you’re already running Facebook Ads, here are some quick tips on how to maximize your engagement.
- When you see that your best-performing ad sets are no longer performing as well, clone them and restart. This way usually you’ll get great ROI again
- Start with a slightly larger budget than you want to spend. At first, Facebook won’t spend all your daily budget, but you won’t have to adjust it if the ad set will work. Adjusting the budget is a very sensitive topic. Quite often the algorithm messes up the performance of your ad set if you adjust your budget too much or too frequently
- Before turning your ad set off, try changing the image of the ad you’re using. Many times it’s just image blindness of your audience that causes low ROI. Change the image, wait for a few days and then make a decision about it.
Conclusion: Facebook Ads for Event Planners
Congratulations on completing this comprehensive guide on Facebook Ads for Event Planners! Armed with the knowledge and insights shared in this guide, you are now well-equipped to leverage the power of Facebook advertising to promote your event planning services and attract more clients.
With this guide, you have learned how to research your target audience, create effective campaigns, and analyze performance metrics to make data-driven decisions. You are now ready to design your first Facebook ad campaign and start booking more clients.
Whether you specialize in wedding planning or event planning, Facebook Ads provide an easy and effective way to market your business online. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create a successful ad campaign and take advantage of one of the most powerful online marketing strategies available.
So what are you waiting for? Start implementing the strategies outlined in this guide and watch your business grow! By consistently applying what you have learned, you can achieve long-term success and establish yourself as a leading event planner in your niche. Good luck!
Comments are closed.