Hacking Facebook Ads on the Cheap:
How to Supercharge Sales Leads on
Any Budget
LARRY KIM
WATCH WEBINAR RECORDING NOW
@Kissmetrics
#Kisswebinar
@thuelmadsen
Thue is the Kissmetrics Webinar Wizard and Marketing
Ops Manager. Before joining forces with Kissmetrics, he
was a Lyft driver in SF, which is also how he ended up as
a Kissmetrics marketer. Whenever Thue is not trying to
automate everything around him, you can find him hiking
in the Sierras.
THUE MADSEN
Marketing Operations Manager,
@ThueLMadsen
Larry is the Founder of WordStream, Inc. the world’s
largest PPC software company managing over a billion
dollars of Google & Facebook ad budgets for tens of
thousands of customers worldwide.
LARRY KIM
@larrykim
MISSION	TO	MARS:	
How	50	Dollars	in	Facebook	Ads	
Can	Drive	Enormous	Traffic	To	
Your	Best	Content	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar	@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
OUR	TARGET		
CUSTOMER	IS	
STRANDED	ON	MARS!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
BRING	HIM	HOME	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Mark	Has	Just	30	Minutes	of	Life	Support!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Distance	to	Mars:		
225	MILLION	KM	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Many	Prior	Efforts	Haven’t	Succeeded	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Internet	Marketing	in	2017	&	Beyond	
Kind	of	Feels	Like	…	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
3	Random	facts	about	
your	flight	director		
Over	100	
Successful	
flights	to	
Mars	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Originally	From	Winnipeg	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Actual	Photos	of	Boston	Last	Year	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Live	in	Harvard	Square	Cambridge,	MA	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
WordStream’s	Headquarters	
2008	 2017	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
2. STUDIED ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING FOR 5
YEARS
Studied	Electrical	Engineering	For	5	Years	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Have	a	two-year	old	Kid	(#ppckid)
How	does		
Selling	Stuff	via	
Social	Media	
REALLY	Work	
?	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Things	Are	Super	
Competitive	Now!	
Posts	Rarely	
Get	Seen	
Path	to	Purchase	is	
Indirect	&	takes	
time!	
How	Social	Media	Marketing	
Doesn’t	(Usually)	Work	(Any	More)	
STEP	1	 STEP	2	 STEP	3	
Post	Stuff	To	
Social	Media	
People	See	Your	
Posts	
People	Buy	
Your	Stuff	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
How	to	get	way	more	leads	and	sales	at	
MUCH	less	cost?	(Ideally	10x	Better	not	
just	10%	Better!)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
New	Unicorn	Rocket	Technology!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
SALE!
ONLY
$50
ACT
NOW
$50
LOW
LOW
LOW
$50
BEST
PRICE
$50
Big	Ad	Budgets	Not	Required!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Use	social	ads	as	a	
CATALYST	to	Get	the	
ball	Rolling	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Or	as	an	ACCELERANT	to	
Make	Bigger	Explosions	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
1	
2	
3	
(a)	Paid	Social	Ads	Provide	
MOST	SCALABLE	Content	Promotion	
CREATE	
Produce	content	
&	share	on	social	
	
AMPLIFY	
Selectively	promote	top	
content	on	social	media	
	
TAG	
Build	remarketing	
audience	by	tagging	site	
visitors	with	a	cookie	
START/GO	
(Earth)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
5	
4	
6	
(b)	Social	Ads	Turn	
Visitors	into	Leads	
&	Customers	
Remarketing	
Remarket	your	audience	
with	display	&	social	
ads	and	Remarketing	
Lists	for	Search	Ads	to	
promote	offers	
FILTER	
Apply	behavioral	
and	demographic	
filters	on	audience	
	
CONVERT	
Capture	
qualified	
leads	or	sale	 END/REPEAT	
(Mars)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	Top	7	Paid	
Social	Advertising	
Hacks	for	2017	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	#7	Top	Social	Advertising	Hack:	
Only	Promote	
Unicorns	on	
Facebook	&	
Twitter	Ads!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
HIGHER	POST	
ENGAGEMENT	
	
Higher	Relevance	Score	
HIGHER	RELEVANCE	SCORE	
	
More	Impression	Share	
and	Lower	Cost	Per	
Engagement		
“Relevancy	Score”	in	Facebook	
=
=
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
“Quality	Adjusted	Bid”	in	Twitter	
HIGHER	Relevance,	Resonance,	Recency	=	
HIGHER	Quality	Adjusted	Bid	=	
MORE	Ad	Impressions	at	Lower	Cost	
RESONANCE:	Are	consumers	
engaging	your	Tweet?	Do	
they	retweet,	favorite,	
or	reply?	
RELEVANCE:	Is	your	Tweet	
related	to	things	a	user	
is	interested	in?	
RECENCY:	Is	your	Tweet	
fresh?	Fresher	Tweets	get	
higher	priority.	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Higher	Engagement	Rate	=	
(Much)	Lower	Cost	Per	Engagement	
Engagement	Rate	
Cost	per	engagement	
$.005	 $.02	 $.03	 $.08	
68%	
7%	
21%	
37%	
$3.00	
1%	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
1%	Increase	in	
Post	Engagement	
5%	Reduction	in	
Cost	Per	
Engagement!	
“Quality	Adjusted	Bid”	in	Twitter	
=
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
High	QS	(Great!)	
•  High	Ad	Impression	Share	
•  Low	Cost	Per	Engagement	
Get	a	High	Quality	Score!	(Duh)		
High	Post	Engagement	=	High	Quality	Scores	
Low	QS	(Terrible!)	
•  Low	Ad	Impression	Share	
•  High	Cost	Per	Engagement	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Promote	Your	BEST	Stuff	Instead		
(Unicorns:	Your	Top	1-2%)	
RETWEETS	
1,488	
FAVORITES	
1,284	
6:15AM	–	7	Mar	2015	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Paid	Social	Ads	ROI	Analysis:	
1500	Retweets	&	100K	Visitors	for	$250	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Just	Say	NO	to	Sending	Donkeys	into	Space	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
How	to	ALWAYS	Get	High	Quality	
Score	Unicorns?	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	#6	Social	Ads	Hack:		
Deep	Space	Radar	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
7	Day	Forecast:	Sunny	in	Unicorn	Land	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Quality	Assessment	Should	Be	Based	on	Data	
Not	Just	Biased	Views	of	Your	Own	Work	
Need	Objective	Way	to	Discern	
Unicorns	vs.	Non-Unicorns!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	Organic	&	Paid	Social	Network	
Sharing/Posting	Pyramid	Scheme	
1.  Lots	of	stuff	(organically)		
to	Twitter	
2.  Post	Top	stuff	from	Twitter,	
to	LinkedIn	&	Facebook	
3.  Pay	to	Promote	the	Unicorns	
on	Facebook	&	Twitter	&	
LinkedIn!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
How	to	Find	High	Engagement	Posts?	(Unicorns!)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Post	Engagement	Rates	for	129	Facebook	Status	
Updates	for	a	Random	Customer	
Unicorn Social
Updates are +10x
More Engaging Than
Donkey Posts
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
A Small
Number of
Stories (10%)
Generate
Most of the
Traffic (+60%)
Typical	Blog	Traffic	Distribution	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
The	Top	10%	of	Offers	Convert	
+5x	Better	Than	Donkeys		
Search Conversion Rate Distribution
Median: 2.35%
Top 25%: 5.31% and Above
Top 10%: 11.45%
and Above
SHAREOFALLACCOUNTS
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Unicorn	Content	Power	Law:	Most	of	the		
Value	Comes	from	a	Fraction	of	the	Content	(duh)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Larry’s	Law:	The	
Future	of	Social	
Media	Marketing	
is	Increasingly	
Winner-Take-All.	
Time	to	Adjust	
Strategy!	
Traffic	to	the	Top	10	Posts	of	the	Month	at	Inc	Magazine	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Unicorn	Social	Post	Creation	Strategy		
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Make	More	Unicorns,	Duh!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
I’ve Written
My Share of
These Dumb
Viral Article
How-To’s…
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
They Focus
on Content
Attributes
Rather Than
Outcomes
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
They Make
Arguments in
Favor of
Content
Quality over
Quantity or
Long Form vs.
Short Form
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Content	Quality	vs.	Quality	Debate	
It’s	a	False	Choice:	You	
NEED	the	QUANTITY	to	*FIND*	
the	QUALITY	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Larry’s	Social	
Media	Marketing	
Truth	Bomb:	
Unicorn	Post	
Creation	is	
More	of	a	
Numbers	Game	
Than	Most	
Marketers	Want	
to	Admit.	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
WordStream Blog Article Performance
for Stories Published in 2016
I Worked Hard on All My
Content Last Year But I
Only Found 5 Unicorns
Last Year. The Rest Were
Donkeys!
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Larry’s Theory:
Success is More
About Extracting
Maximum
Leverage From The
Unicorns You Have
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	#5	Top	Content	
Promotion	Hack:	
Sound	The	Unicorn	Alert	and	
Make	Unicorn	Babies	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Social	Media	&	Content	
Treadmill	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Create	Unicorn	Babies	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Unicorn Baby Generates Nearly 100k Views
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Boost	Your	
Unicorns	
With	Social	
Media	Ads	&	
PPC	
Advertising	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Facebook Ads: High Relevance Score = Low Cost Per Click
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim
Unicorn
Infographicification™
& Videoification™
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
#CMCa2z @larrykim@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Test	More	Stuff	Organically,	Only	Send	
Unicorns	Into	Space	(Top	1-3%)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Paid	Social	
Media	Ads.	
Organic	Social	
Media	
Marketing	
What’s	The	Biggest	
Difference??	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Key	to	Paid	Social	Media	Ads:	Be	Picky!	
Cast	a	Narrow	Net,	
Maximize	Engagement	
Rates	Within.	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
We’re	Now	
in	Orbit	of	
Earth!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Very	Few	Marketing	
Efforts	Make	it	
This	Far	<2%	
@larrykim	#smmw17
Larry’s	#4	Social	Ads	
Hack:	Custom	Audiences	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
New	“Tailored	Audiences”	or	“Custom	Audiences”	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
People-Based	Marketing	is	Like	
Email	Marketing	But	Better	
Email Marketing
Limit number of blasts to
reduce unsubscribes
.5-2% unsubscribes each blast
People Need to opt into your list
Tons of unqualified emails on the list
People-Based Marketing
Fixed
Fixed
Fixed
Fixed
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Identity	Marketing	Using	Custom		
Audiences	in	Social	Ads	
Identity	based	marketing	opens	up	a	TON	of	
new	and	exciting	advertising	use	cases!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
A	True	Story	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Shared	the	Article	on	My	Social	Media	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Promoted	Post	to	My	List	of	Influencers	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Business	
Insider	Asks	To	
Publish	Story	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
SEO	Link	Building	Dance	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Shared	the	Article	on	My	Social	Media	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Go	All-In	With	
Unicorns!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Promoted	Post	to	My	List	of	Influencers	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Fox	News	
Producer	
Emails	One	
Hour	Later	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Facebook	Baby	Hoodie	($25	value!)	#ppckid	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Custom	Audience	Social	
Ads	ROI	Analysis:	
•  Live	Interviews	with	Fox,	BBC,	etc.	
•  250	High	Value	Press	Pickups	+	Links	
•  Massive	Brand	Exposure	
•  +100k	Site	Visitors	
•  I’m	a	Columnist	on	Business	Insider	
•  Business	Relationship	/w	Facebook	
•  Facebook	Baby	Hoodie	worth	$25		
Total	Cost:		$50	
Total	Time 	10	minutes	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Larry’s	#3	Social	Advertising	Hack:		
Lunar	Gravity	Assist	
Hacking	Reddit	(etc.)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Large	Gravitational	Forces	on	Internet:	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Over	a	Million	
Views	&	9,012	
Likes!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Arianna	Huffington	Shared	the	Story	
And	Asked	Me	to	Be	a	Columnist.	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Ranked	#8		
Author	on	
Medium!	HOW?!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Over	Half	a	Million	Views	per	Month!	HOW?	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
1564	Upvotes	+	
Front	Page	+	
500k	Views!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
We’re	now	
Orbiting	Mars!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Congratulations	So	Far…	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar	
Hacking	RankBrain	&	New	Machine	
Language	Enabled	Algorithms	for	
Awesome	SEO	
Larry’s	#2	Social	Media	Ads	Hack:	Mars	
Ascent	Vehicle	(MAV)
Current	&	Future	Google	SEO	Ranking	Signals		
Current	Google	
1. Links	
2. Keywords	
3. …?	
	
Future	Google	
1. User	Engagement	
Metrics	(Click	Through	
Rate	&	Bounce	Rates)		
2. Links	
3. Keywords	
	
@larrykim #Kisswebinar
What’s	A	Good	Click	Through	Rate	for	Organic	
Search?	(Spoiler	Alert:	It’s	in	Flux)	OrganicSearchClickThroughRate
High	CTR	
Listings	
Floating	To	Top	
Positions	
Low	CTR	
Listings	
Sinking	To	
Bottom	of	Page	
@larrykim #Kisswebinar
• More	Clicks	&	Conversions	
• Better	SEO	Rankings	
• Even	More	Clicks	&	
Conversions!	
So…	Get	Really	High	Organic	
CTRs	&	Conversion	Rates!		
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Social	Media	Ads	Builds	Brand	Recognition	&	
Doubles	Organic	Search	CTR	&	Conversion	Rates!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Use	Social	Ads	+	
PPC	Search	Ads	on	
Google	Using	
Remarketing	Lists	
for	Search	Ads!	
(RLSA!)	
Larry’s	#1	Social	Media	Ads	Hack:		
Mars	Gravitational	Slingshot	Home	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Target	search	ads	
only	to	people	who	
recently	visited	
your	site!	
	
REMARKETING	LISTS	FOR	SEARCH	ADS	(RLSA)	
Users	visit	your	site,	get	added	
to	your	remarketing	list	
Show	them	customized	ads	
when	they	search	on	Google!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
The	Power	of	SEARCH	Remarketing	
Click	Through	Rates	3X	
1/3	
2X	
Cost	Per	Click		
So	What’s	The	Catch??	
Conversion	Rates!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
The	Problem	with	RLSA	
Solution:	Use	
Social	Ads	to	
make	the	smaller	
circle	10-100x	
bigger	for	
cheap!	
People	
unfamiliar	
with	your	
brand	
People	
familiar	
with	your	
brand	
RLSA	only	targets	
these	users	RLSA	Doesn’t	Target	
These	Users	(By	
Definition)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
WHAT	DOES	IT	ALL	MEAN?	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
How	Advertising	REALLY	Works	
STEP	1:	
Promote	Inspirational	/	Memorable	Content	about	Your	Brand	
to	your	Target	Market	
STEP	2:	
People	See	The	Ad,	But	Don’t	Necessarily	Take	Action	Right	
Away.	(But	Become	Biased)	
STEP	3:	
Later	when	the	Need	Arises,	
People	either:	
Do	a	Branded	Search	
for	Your	Stuff		
Do	Un-Branded	Search	but	
Biased	Towards	Clicking	&	
Buying	From	You.	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Brand	Affinity	DRAMATICALLY	Impacts	CTR	(+2-3x!)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Brand	Affinity	DRAMATICALLY	Impacts	
CONVERSION	RATES	(+2-3x!)	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Summary:	Larry’s	Top	7	
Social	Ad	Hacks	
Unicorn	Rockets:	Only	
Launch	Unicorns	into	Space	
w/	Social	Ads.	
7	
Deep	Space	Radar:	
Advanced	Unicorn	
Detection	
6	
Unicorn	Alert:	Sound	
the	Alarm	and	Make	
Unicorn	Babies!!	
5	
Earth	Gravity	
Assist:	Custom	
Audiences.	
4	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Summary:	Larry’s	Top	7	Social	Ad	Hacks	
Lunar	Gravity	Assist:	
Hacking	Reddit.	
3	
Mars	Ascent	
Vehicle:	Hacking	
Rankbrain	
2	
Mars	Gravitational	
Slingshot	Home:	Combining	
Paid	Search	&	Social	Ads	
1	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Thank	you,	Thue	&	
KissMetrics	Team!	
@larrykim	#Kisswebinar
Questions?
THUE MADSEN
@ThueLMadsen
LARRY KIM
@larrykim
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