This document outlines 3 ways to run successful Facebook campaigns at different budget levels ($50, $500, $5000) and how to measure their effectiveness. It recommends starting with a $50 budget to promote posts to existing fans to increase engagement. A $500 budget allows using third-party apps and ads to gain more page likes. A $5000 budget supports multiple advertising channels including retargeting to drive online sales. Key strategies include using contests, promotions and exclusive content to incentivize sharing; targeting the right audiences at optimal times; integrating online and offline efforts; and tracking outcomes beyond just likes to measure true results.

1. $50, $500, $5000: 3 Ways to Run a Successful Facebook Campaign
(and how to measure it)
presented to the Book Publishers Association of Alberta
September 21, 2013
Monique Sherrett
monique@boxcarmarketing.com
604-732-6467
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2. Why Facebook?
Top 5 Reasons:
1. Core Book-Buying Audience Uses Social Media (fish where the fish are)
2. Real Consumer Data (actionable marketing data)
3. Find Look-alike Audiences (get in front of people who are similar to your
existing audience)
4. SEO (search engines use social proof as a ranking factor)
5. Scaleable (ability to effectively market at scale, saved audiences, similar ads)
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3. Not Everything You Post Is Seen by Fans
Whaaaaat?
• Poor timing: Companies tend to post 9 am to 6 pm. People tend to be on Facebook 4-9
am and 8 pm onwards
• Edgerank: People who have liked the page but have never commented, liked or shared
content
• NEW: Low quality content: Asking for the LIKE
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4. Account
You need:
• Advertising account: facebook.com/advertising
• Page, not a profile or group: http://bit.ly/migrateprofile
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5. Cost $0.
Write valuable, compelling content
• ask for the like, comment or share (just make sure that’s not all you’re doing)
• Post when fans are online
• Look at content that resonates
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6. Advertising. Is it worth it?
Don’t just measure likes. Measure outcomes.
• More Engagement (likes, comments, shares—word of mouth)
• More Page Likes (build your audience)
• More Sales (attribution)
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7. Idea #1 to Get More Engagement
Cost: $50
• Need an advertising account
• Need good, compelling, regular content
• Need $1/day + $20 for an extra push
• Promote posts to existing fans
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9. When do you STIR a
Facebook post?
S Shelf-Life - Will the post still be relevant 4 days from publication?
T Time - Has it been at least 6 hours since publication?
I Impact - Does the post include a link or other call-to-action that
creates desirable customer behaviors (beyond a simple “like”)?
R Results - Has the post exceeded a 1% engagement rate
(likes + comments + shares, divided by total fans)?
4 Yes Answers = Promote
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10. Idea #2 to Get More Page Likes
Cost: $500
• Need valuable, relevant content, even exclusive
• Need Third-Party App
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11. Think Independent
A national campaign organized by the Literary Press Group to promote
independent booksellers
• Teamed up with 49thShelf: Direct-to-consumer reach
• Indies: picked favourite new LPG titles and highlighted them in store
• 49thShelf: provided online component, chance to win summer reading library, value
$250. Contest asked fans to identify their favourite Canadian independent bookstore.
• Goal was to raise awareness of the Think Independent campaign and to get Canadians
thinking about and supporting local bookstores and Canadian publishing.
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14. Secret Sauce
• Use Contest or Promotions Tool. Like Gate the entry.
• Offer an incentive for Engagement
• Use promoted posts, ads and sponsored stories
• Schedule organic content when fans are online
• Get partners participating
• Multi-channel promotion. Offline/Online Integration (eg., url on in-store collateral)
• Track more than entries, look at conversion rate throughout the funnel
• Use entrant data as consumer research
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15. Idea #3 to Get More Sales
Show me the money!
• Need ecommerce, or ecommerce partner
• Need conversion tracking
• Need multiple channels, retargeting
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16. Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
Selected as Book of the Week Aug 5-12
• Awareness Campaign to Generate Downloads
• Measure If Free Downloads Lead to Sales
• Use This Opportunity to Build Fans
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17. Audience Selection
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18. What we did...
• CPM vs CPC ads
• Consumer vs Trade ads
• Facebook, Reddit, Google
• Organic Posts: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
(Facebook & Twitter)
• Partner Posts: Wednesday, Thursday
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19. Where to Start
Tester budget:
• Create Advertising Account, facebook.com/advertising
• Try the $1/day Method to increase engagement with your existing audience
• Try the $20 Boost (fb.com/ads/manage and click Create Ad, don’t click the blue button)
• Track outcomes
Bigger budget:
• Try the above with larger budgets
• Run Ads and Sponsored Stories
• “Like Gate” a piece of valuable content that’s exclusive to Facebook fans
• Run a contest with a Like Gate and sharing incentives
• Run ads directing people to the contest tab
• Use the entrant emails, or your mailing list, to create Look-a-like Audiences
Ecommerce:
• Also install the conversion pixel
• Run ads with conversion tracking (must create ad through power editor)
• Use the url builder + google analytics
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20. Facebook Resources for Publishers
http://www.boxcarmarketing.com/facebook-resources
Monique Sherrett
monique@boxcarmarketing.com
778-837-9012
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