{"id":224153,"date":"2020-03-28T09:42:29","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T04:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/54.251.169.215\/?p=224153"},"modified":"2020-04-18T17:10:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T11:40:26","slug":"best-time-to-run-facebook-ads-look-at-your-own-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/best-time-to-run-facebook-ads-look-at-your-own-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Time to Run Facebook Ads? Look at Your Own Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Over 86%<\/a> of marketers in the U.S. advertise on Facebook, and it\u2019s easy to see why. 74%<\/a> of Facebook users visit the site at least once a day, and more than half of them visit it multiple times a day.<\/p>\n

So the question isn\u2019t if <\/em>you should run ads on Facebook, but when<\/em> is the best time to run ads on Facebook. If you run a great campaign at the wrong time, it\u2019s like putting up a beautiful billboard on a freeway that doesn\u2019t get any traffic.<\/p>\n

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But finding out when to run Facebook ads isn\u2019t as simple as we\u2019d like it to be.<\/p>\n

In the post, we will look at how to choose the best times to run Facebook ads for your business. Plus, we will cover the types of Facebook ads available, the best way to budget your ad campaigns, and how to track their progress.<\/p>\n

What is the best time to run Facebook ads?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s get this out of the way: There is no one ideal time to run Facebook ads<\/strong>. If there were, the answer would be apparent, and this post would be over before it has even begun.<\/p>\n

Most marketers have heard recycled, anecdotal wisdom. Things like, \u201cIt\u2019s best to run your ads on the weekend when most people are at home,\u201d or \u201cRun your ads during the early evening after people get home from work but before they eat dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

But remember, the plural of anecdote isn\u2019t data<\/strong>. Just because a specific time slot worked for one business doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll work for yours.<\/p>\n

So should you run Facebook ads on the weekend?<\/h3>\n

There is a ton of data online from companies sharing when they\u2019ve<\/em> had the most successful ad campaigns.<\/p>\n

It might look a little something like this<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nEngagement<\/strong><\/td>\nConversion<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Consumer Goods<\/strong><\/td>\nWednesday noon and Friday at 1 p.m.<\/td>\nFriday at 3 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Media<\/strong><\/td>\nWeekdays between noon and 6 p.m.<\/td>\nThursday and Friday at 2 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tech<\/strong><\/td>\nWeekends between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.<\/td>\nMonday at 7 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B2B<\/strong><\/td>\nWeekdays between 10 a.m. and noon<\/td>\nWeekdays at 5 p.m.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Now, this might look clean and accurate, but it\u2019s likely oversimplified and potentially misleading.<\/p>\n

But if you took this table to heart and you were selling socks, you might be tempted to run an ad at 3 p.m. on a Friday. But what if Friday at 3 p.m. is wrong for your ad and your business?<\/p>\n

The issue with this approach to running Facebook ads is that you aren\u2019t getting granular enough with your company\u2019s valuable data.<\/p>\n

You want to run your Facebook ads at the right time for your target audience<\/strong>. This strategy isn\u2019t new to online advertising\u2014you wouldn\u2019t run TV commercials aimed at high-income full-time employees during the workday. And you wouldn\u2019t run the commercial on the cartoon channel\u2014which brings us to our main point:<\/p>\n

Run your Facebook ad with your ad\u2019s intent and your audience insights in mind<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Use analytics to find the best time to run your Facebooks ads<\/h2>\n

Okay, so we want you to use your data to create, schedule, run your next Facebook ad campaign. But where do you start?<\/p>\n

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(source<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Well, the first three things you\u2019ll want to use are:<\/p>\n

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  1. Facebook Analytics<\/strong>: Check to see which of your posts have been getting the most engagement. While engagement doesn\u2019t necessarily correlate to conversions, it does give you a benchmark of when users are interacting with your posts. You can also use Facebook Analytics for a wide variety of other metrics that can help you create the most effective ad campaigns possible.<\/li>\n
  2. Facebook Pixel<\/strong>: A pixel is a snippet of code that allows you to track conversions on Facebook<\/a> (as you define the term) and shows the value of your ads. Using the Facebook Pixel helps you see your actual conversion rate.<\/li>\n
  3. Google Analytics: <\/strong>Google Analytics is a great tool, especially if you\u2019re newer to Facebook ads. If you haven\u2019t collected a significant amount of data on Facebook (or other social media platforms), use Google Analytics to mine your website\u2019s data. While website data isn\u2019t the same as social media data, it can still provide you with insight. For example, check the pageview rate of your \u201cthank you page\u201d (or whatever page you have set up to appear after a customer has made an actionable decision) to see when most of your customers are converting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Using these three tools will give you a solid foundation for determining the best time to run Facebook ads for your business.<\/p>\n

    But you might be asking yourself how to run a successful Facebook ad and how to schedule those successful ads once you\u2019ve nailed down the best time for your company.<\/p>\n

    How do I run a good Facebook ad?<\/h2>\n

    That\u2019s a fair question.<\/p>\n

    When you start creating an ad, ask yourself these two questions:<\/p>\n

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    1. What is the primary goal of the ad? <\/strong>Is the ad trying to get someone to your product page or e-mail sign up page? Are you a B2B company looking to get professionals scheduled for a demo?<\/li>\n
    2. Who is the target audience? <\/strong>Knowing your target audience helps guide the entire ad process, from ideation to scheduling.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Below is an example of two ads run by the same company at the same time. While the ads are run by the same company and at the same time, they have different goals and a different audience<\/p>\n

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      Image Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

      You can see that while the ads are similar; they are trying to elicit a different emotional response from the user.<\/p>\n

      The ad on the left (Ad A) uses the \u201cLearn More” button. The copy is going after the pain of saving time, but is doing so more generically.<\/p>\n

      The ad on the right (Ad B) uses the \u201cSign Up\u201d button. It is more blatantly asking viewers to sign up for its service. That\u2019s why its copy is more pointed. It tells, in short sentences, the features and the benefits.<\/p>\n

      With Ad A and Ad B, you can see Quickbooks is testing if catering towards more specific pain-points translates to a higher CTR when combined with the \u201cSign Up\u201d button.<\/p>\n

      Creating a Facebook ad checklist<\/h3>\n
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      1. Did you segment your target audience?<\/strong> You can create custom audiences or further segment by location, gender, behaviors, connections, and interests.<\/li>\n
      2. Does your copy go with your image?<\/strong> You\u2019d think this be a given, but don\u2019t forget users are scrolling through content when they see your ad. You want them to get a unified post that, with the copy and the image, conveys the key message.<\/li>\n
      3. Do you have a clear CTA? <\/strong>Is your ad promoting a product at 20% off or is it trying to get a customer to sign up for a weekly newsletter? Spoiler: It can\u2019t be both.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        For more information on creating successful Facebook ads, check out our post on 10 Easy Facebook Marketing Ideas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        What kind of Facebook ads should I be running?<\/h2>\n

        There isn\u2019t just one type of Facebook ad, and not all ad types have the same goal.<\/p>\n

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        You can choose from lots of different ad types<\/a>, but here\u2019s what I recommend most often:<\/p>\n