Seven Steps to follow before a Writer Invests in a Facebook Advertisement

I admit it. I gave in the other day and bought a 7-day Facebook advertisement for my novel. It was an impulsive move. Much like buying that bag of peanut M&Ms at the checkout line. But unlike the chocolate – there was no sugar high.

It wasn’t hard to place the Facebook ad – even though I had no idea what I was doing. And like all things done in ignorance, it seems that I am now far more knowledgeable than I was at the moment that I hit “boost”.

In the spirit of sharing – and being willing to appear foolish – I’m going to go through my post-buy recommendations – the seven things I learned by not paying attention to any of the details.

1. Before placing the ad, read the particulars about the Facebook program. The information is there for the concerned reader. All you need do is “click”.
2. Make sure you’ve carefully designed the ad. It’s easy (trust me on this) to impulsively promote a haphazard post without giving careful thought to the call-to-action so necessary to making your sale.
3. Patience is a virtue – something I sorely lack. At very minimum – give clear thought to your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? The greater the detail – the better the reach.
4. Take notes on the campaign you’re devising. So that after you hit “boost” – you won’t have to search for those details – which by the way – are challenging to find.
5. Understand the “budget” set. Frankly – and I’m embarrassed to admit this – I’m still trying to figure out what the heck I did and why. My excuse. I went to the gym right after I made the buy. An hour and a half away from my desk when I should have been taking notes. Not smart.
6. Don’t be too hard on yourself. There has got to be some “trial and error” before you figure anything out. Give yourself props for at least being part of the social media experience.
7. It’s only money. And not a lot at that. And as they say – you can’t take it with you.

Happy Facebooking!