Facebook and Instagram Advertising for Home Improvement Professionals

If you operate a residential architectural, interior design, design-build construction or landscaping business, online advertising can play an important role in your firm's success. It’s a great way to grow brand awareness, acquire new customers, and, generate revenue.

Facebook and Instagram are two excellent social platforms for advertising your business. They offer you the ability to specifically target your advertising and have over 3 billion users combined. Online advertising can generate new leads and new email subscribers, boost product sales, earn donation and more.

If you're using MailChimp for your email marketing (and if you're not you should be!), there's good news... MailChimp's not just for mail anymore. Using your MailChimp account it's now possible to set-up, purchase and send your ad directly to Facebook and Instagram without leaving your MailChimp account!

In this post, we'll look at how to advertise on Facebook and Instagram using your MailChimp account.

Why Use MailChimp To Advertise on Facebook/Instagram

Buying an ad through MailChimp allows you to easily manage your email marketing and social media marketing in one place. No more hopping between services or websites. Everyday millions of unique users log onto these platforms, including potential customers, clients and prospects.

Advertising through MailChimp lets you reach a huge audience of social media users, including MailChimp subscribers, your target market or new audiences based on the criteria you choose. When you publish your ad through MailChimp, you can track ROI, engagement and cost-per-click in MailChimp Reports. It's an easy way to see the value of every ad dollar.

Choose Your Ad Type

MailChimp offers two different types of ads. A standard ad featuring a static image, or a carousel ad, which cycles through several images to tell a story. Ads can be posted on Facebook, Instagram, or both.

Facebook and Instagram ads can be built in four easy steps:

• Connect to your business Facebook page (or Instagram)

• Choose your audience – subscribers, e-commerce customers, or a new audience

• Set Your Budget – decide how much you'd like to spend

• Design your content – one image or carousel

Once your ad is complete, simply submit your ad to Facebook, they will confirm your ad fits their Advertising Policy. This process may take time.

When Facebook approves your ad, you will be notified by email. Ads can appear in Facebook Feeds, Instant Articles and Audience Network for mobile users. Ad results are updated daily in your MailChimp Reports. It will also chronicle likes and comments.

Advertising on Instagram

Much like Facebook like ads outlined above MailChimp allows you to create and post ads for Instagram directly form your account. If you have an store, MailChimp can automatically pull product images from your store into your account to create your Instagram ads.

Instagram ads are available to users with no additional markup or fees. So you can start your online campaign for as little as $5 per day!

Considerations When Creating An Instagram Online Campaign

Facebook ads are displayed across the platform and while they can be targeted, Instagram offers you some interesting choices for targeting and creating your campaign. Start be defining your goals. Maybe you're looking to grow your audience, or increase brand awareness. Maybe you want to promote a specific product, drive traffic to your online store, or encourage mobile app downloads. Defining your ad will help you to decide on your message, audience and call to action.

Because Instagram is primarily a mobile channel, make sure to create ads that are mobile friendly. Consider user experience when creating ads. For example, if your site isn't mobile ready, create a brand awareness campaign.

Targeting your ads on Instagram is important. You need to choose the right audience and the right message. If for example, you're a landscape architect, it's probably not a good idea to target apartment dwellers. Selecting a broad audience can lower engagement rates. Keep your message targeted and directed to your primary audience.

You can use your MailChimp mailing lists to build an audience on Instagram. Leverage your contact list, subscriber activity and e-commerce data to create powerful targets to show the right ads to the right people.

Ideas for Targeting Your Message

With Instagram and MailChimp you can reconnect with customers who are already engaging with your business. Segmentation tools allow you to leverage what you know about your contacts to create relevant ads that can focus on retentions, upsell’s and retention.

Targeting Ideas:

• Potential Customers – prospects in your lead nurturing chain

• Recent Customers – segment customers who recently bought and target them with ads for similar products

• Repeat Customers – segment customers who have made multiple purchases. Give them a special offer like early access to a new product

• Former Customers and Non-Subscribers – use your ads to build awareness, delivers you message of offers special deals.

You can even broaden your potential market by targeting potential customers who share similar interests with your existing customer base. Target by age, location, or product preferences. Targeting can extend your potential into new markets. For example similar stores where your customers shop, age, or gender.

In part two, we'll further explore these targeting ideas and delve deeper into how to use MailChimp and Instagram to create powerful ads that can meet your goals, drive traffic, increase sales and develop your brand.

Tips From A Squarespace Website Designer

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• Search Engine Optimization: Building A Squarespace Website For SEO

• Squarespace Blog Design: Formatting Blog Articles For Improved SEO

• How To Build A Search Engine Optimized Portfolio on Squarespace

About Michael Conway and Means-of-Production

My firm, Means-of-Production creates marketing plans, Squarespace websites and online advertising campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses. our firm specializes in architecture, interior design, design-build, and landscape firms. I am a Squarespace Specialists and educator who helps clients get the most out of there online presence.