Yesterdays blog, How Not To Promote Your Business On Facebook took the conversation in a bit of an unexpected direction over on MLBO Facebook Page. The spotlight turned to Facebook Ads and the spate of random telemarketing calls claiming to be calling on behalf of Facebook.

I am sick of getting calls from people claiming to be calling on behalf of Facebook, telling me there is ‘a slot available’ to advertise a photographer in my area.

I’ve not experienced a call like this, so you will be spared my rant about dishonest marketing and naming names! However, a bit of digging online did show an increasing amount of dishonest telemarketing claiming to be calling on behalf of Facebook and offering Facebook services including Ad management.

Facebook Ads and Third-Party Managers

Facebook do allow you to create and manage ads on their platform. However, they do not manage them for you. You can hire a third-party company to manage ads on your behalf.

What the issue is here with the phoning on behalf of Facebook line, is that it is untrue. These companies are phoning on behalf of themselves offering their own services.

Facebook will not phone you offering you ad slots.

I am not saying these companies cannot manage your ads or that they won’t bring in results. I would be very wary of using any company that is not upfront about what they are offering – indeed, I wouldn’t use any company that openly lies – they are not working for Facebook (or Google if you get those calls too)

What can you do about misleading telemarketing calls?

There are rules that telemarketers should be following. One is not to call people who have requested not to be contacted.

You can register with the TPS and request that your phone number is not used for telemarketing purposes.  This helps to stop cold calling. It does not cover companies you already do business with or if you have given permission to contact you.

The problem here is you probably have given them permission to call you – data is bought and sold all the time.

When you give any company your phone number, check the small print – do they say they will provide this info to other companies, affiliates and partners?

Yes?

There’s permission to pass on your data and for others to call you.

If you continue to receive calls despite asking for them to stop, the ICO has a form you can fill in so the companies can be investigated. You don’t need to know who is calling, but give as much info as possible. 

These steps only cover the use of your data. It doesn’t cover the fact that telemarketers are lying about who they are or implying that they are working for Facebook.

I’m not a legal eagle but would imagine this comes under the Distance Selling Regulations, regulated by the Office of Fair Trading. The first place I would start with a complaint would be the local trading standards office run by your local authority – search for yours by postcode. 

Facebook Ads – Thinking about starting your own campaign

Facebook ads are really easy to set up. They do need monitoring and managing to get the best results. To start, download the Facebook ads Getting Started guide (PDF)

Have a clear objective. What do you want your Ads to do?

Facebook Ads are great for being super targeted, don’t try to target everyone! You’ll get best results by staying focused.

Create two or three Ads for the same audience and desired results. Each will be slightly different:

• a different image,
• a different call to action,
• different copy.

This way you can see which ad works and brings the best results. Then turn the other two off. Continue to tweak and modify until you are happy with results. Even a small change can affect click through rates and results.

Since you can control the daily budget spend on your Facebook ads, it is a good way to trial and test what is working. Yes, you can do this on a small budget – I have run ads on £5 per day, with a total budget of £50 and seen results. It’s all down to keeping the targeting focused.

I have found Facebook Ads are really good for local results. Personally, I would not recommend ads to gain more likes – a like has little value compared to someone calling your business or signing up to your email list.

Direct your ads to a specific landing page on your website or Facebook page that asks for an action.

You can hire a third-party company to manage your campaigns. They must have access to your Facebook Page. Fortunately, Facebook have recently added several admin options. Now you can give people access to create and manage ads on your behalf without giving full control of your page.

Facebook Admin roles – choose Advertiser if you give a third-party permission to manage ads on your behalf

I also recommend you like the official Facebook Marketing UK Facebook page. They also run regular promotions and training opportunities. If you have registered your email address with them, you may receive emails with promotions and ad vouchers too. 

Over to you, what is your experience with telemarketers and do you run your own Facebook ads?