While speaking at the Facebook Marketing Meetup in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney and I have been asked one question more than others, “Will Facebook Ads Work For My Business?”
I always answer with the question, “What business are you in?”
My experience tells me that almost all businesses can benefit from Facebook Ads, but there are some that won’t get the immediate results they often need.
In this video, I explain what types of businesses do well immediately and which don’t.
I think there are two kinds of businesses concerning this question:
1. Delayed Need Businesses
These are companies where a client can be identified and educated over time. The need is not alway immediate. Facebook can be used to identify a prospect and then over the period of days, weeks or months nurture them until they are ready to become a client.
Facebook is great for speeding up this process as well. By building out a Facebook Ads Funnel, you can speed up the time it takes to nurture a cold prospect found on Facebook into a client.
A good example of a company with a delayed need is a real estate agent. A prospect does not buy a house the moment they think of purchasing one. It usually takes them 3-6 months before they complete the purchase and this gives the real estate agent time to identify the prospect interested in buying a house, nurturing them and then converting them into a new client.
Other examples of businesses with a delayed need are:
- E-commerce sites
- Consultants
- Gyms
- Dentists
- Pest controllers
- Accountants
- Financial Planners
- Pool Builders
- Tourism
- Business Coaches
2. Immediate Need Businesses
These firms have prospects where they have a pain that needs to be remedied instantly.
A good example of this is a plumber with a 24-hour service. If someone has a blocked drain, a plumber has no way of knowing when this will occur. Neither does the clients, but when it happens, it need to be fixed immediately.
When it the need arises the prospect will go to Google type the keywords, “blocked drain Sydney” and then call the first number they see in the search results.
For clients with an immediate need, a better solution may be Google Adwords.
There are many businesses in this category, like clothing alteration businesses. If you buy a new pair of pants and need them altered, you are probably going to look for a company closest to your location. Most will go to the business in the same shopping mall for convenience. In this case, convenience is more important than loyalty.
Conclusion
Think about your business. If your prospect has an immediate need that has to be fulfilled, Facebook Ads may not be the best option if you can’t identify them at the time of need.
If you have businesses where you have time to identify a prospect, nurture them and then convert them into a client, Facebook Ads is perfect for your business.