Posted on July 20, 2018
There is No Such Thing as a Secret Ad.
Dark Posts are Not a Problem.
As Facebook gets transparent with advertising, some practitioners are starting to get worried. Our advice – don’t stress. It’s not a big deal. To prove it, we’re going to break it down for you.
Why the change?
Long story short, it has more to do with foreign interface in U.S. politics than having transparency in your orthodontic practice’s advertising. Truthfully, this change has been a long time coming, and is no real surprise to us.
So, what’s the deal?
Facebook Pages now have an “Info and Ads” button, which displays any active ads currently shown on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
There’s good news!
Your ad promotions are shown for free under the “Info and Ads” header. If you keep close tabs on the competition, this feature makes it a tad easier to do this. In case you’re late to the party, Facebook newsfeed and competitor websites have traditionally provided a wealth of knowledge in terms of special promotions and/or discounts. However, competitive insights should only be a small part of your planning strategy. It’s more important to run ads that are on-brand for your practice and not easily replicated than it is to be competitive.
There’s not really any bad news.
There’s no real reason to lose your cool or abandon Facebook ads as a part of your lead generation efforts. After all, I’m unaware of any advertising efforts where the intent was to not be seen by your target. And let’s face it, your competitors can see your Facebook ads just as easily as they can hear your radio spots and watch your TV commercials. In advertising, as in life, do the right thing and there’s no real harm.
Make messaging your thing.
Practices who offer consumers the ability to message them through their social accounts offer a lot more than you think. Not only does it provide consumers with a convenient way to reach out, it also provides another level of connection that instills confidence in your brand.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using messenger apps:
Express yourself.
Maintaining your brand voice is going to be key when communicating with consumers through messaging apps. For consistency and convenience, script out responses to frequently asked questions. Also, don’t be afraid to get creative and use emojis where appropriate.
Be quick.
One of the things people – especially consumers – expect with messaging is promptness. In fact, consumers expect a faster response when using messenger than if they had called your practice directly. If you are unable to respond promptly, set an autoreply to let them know that you’ll be responding to them shortly.
Click here to see how OrthoSynetics can make your advertising more transparent.
