Best Facebook Marketing Strategies: The Latest Tips

What is Facebook marketing?

Facebook marketing includes several effective social media marketing tools and methods that help businesses use the platform to reach potential customers. 

Justin Abrams, founder and CEO of Aryo Consulting Group, emphasized how powerful Facebook’s marketing strategies can be for small and midsize businesses. “We know Facebook is a popular platform, but many don’t realize just how effective it can be for reaching a target audience,” Abrams noted. “Think of it like a bustling marketplace where you can showcase your products and services to the right crowd. With some insights, you can navigate this landscape confidently.”

A Facebook business page is the foundation of Facebook marketing, followed by paid advertising and its accompanying tools.

Facebook business page

If your company isn’t on Facebook yet, start by setting up a Facebook business page with your company’s name, logo and details. (Facebook “pages” are business accounts, while personal accounts are called “profiles.”) The more information you add to your page, the more professional and engaging it will appear to visitors. Include keywords in your product descriptions and About section to make your listing more likely to appear in search results.

Here are some tips for your Facebook business page: 

• Post regularly. Post consistently and frequently, with a combination of promotional and informative content, such as how-tos. If you have a local business, include community posts.
• Maintain brand consistency. Your social media posts, including the content and the images, should be consistent with your brand.
• Create engaging content. Create interesting content that your target market will find valuable. Your content should prompt prospects to take an action, such as buying your product or service, making an appointment, going to your website, writing a review or sharing your posts.

Facebook advertising 

It’s free to create and post on your Facebook business page. However, Facebook’s organic reach is limited. By spending money on targeted ads, you can boost your results significantly. 

Facebook collects detailed user data and can categorize users by ZIP code, gender, income, education, age, interests, brand preferences, device type and engagement frequency. Businesses can use this information to target promising prospects and tailor ads to appeal to them. 

Getting started with Facebook advertising is straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. Set a goal. Here are some examples of objectives:
   • Boost brand awareness
   • Expand your reach
   • Drive web traffic
   • Generate sales leads
   • Improve general audience engagement
   • Increase your video marketing views
   • Convert leads to sales
   • Generate store traffic
   • Build an audience
2. Decide on a budget and schedule. Next, set a budget and specify your campaign’s schedule, including the start and stop dates.
3. Define your target audience. You can include or exclude people based on their history with your company. For example, you might send a new customer promotion to those who haven’t yet liked your page, target friends of people who have liked your page, or show ads to people who are already familiar with your brand. You can further refine ad placement by targeting users based on their device type, platform and operating system.

Facebook offers numerous ad formats, including the following:

• Boosted post: With a boosted post, Facebook shows an existing post to more people.
• Image ad: An image ad is a single photo or graphic with a headline and call to action (CTA).
• Video ad: This is a short video advertisement on Facebook that adheres to preset specifications.
• Carousel ad: This ad type is a series of images that users click through, each with a CTA.
• Slideshow: A slideshow is a series of images that are played automatically.
• Collection: A collection is a hybrid mobile format that combines video, slideshows and images. When clicked, it becomes an Instant Experience (see below).
• Instant Experience: An Instant Experience is a great way to highlight your brand. A full-screen Experience opens after a user taps your ad on a mobile device.
• Stories ad: In your Facebook Story, ads are full-screen images or videos that disappear after 24 hours unless saved.
• Messenger ad: A Messenger ad includes text and images that appear in users’ inboxes while on Facebook or Messenger.
• Lead ad: A lead ad pre-fills a contact form with the user’s information when clicked.
• Dynamic ad: A dynamic ad retargets people who have already visited your website by showing them products they previously browsed.
• Link ad: A link ad is a static image ad; every part is clickable because the goal is to drive web traffic.

Top Facebook marketing strategies

When used correctly, Facebook can be part of a robust digital marketing strategy. To maximize your Facebook presence, consider the following strategies. 

Create a baseline audience on Facebook. 

If you’re new to Facebook marketing, you have a blank slate. Although you could start advertising immediately, it’s more cost-effective to build a baseline audience by getting people who already like your company to like your Facebook business page.

As soon as your page is set up and populated with some posts, use the free invite tool on your page to ask your personal Facebook friends to like your Page. In addition, ask your current customers to like your Facebook page. (Provide a direct link to make it easy.)

Building a baseline audience is free and provides the following advantages: 

• You’re exposed to friends of friends. When someone likes your Facebook business page, you gain exposure to people in that person’s friend group, some of whom may visit your page and like it.
• You set up a look-alike audience. Facebook uses your baseline audience to build “look-alike audiences” for future advertising. Facebook evaluates your baseline audience’s characteristics and looks for similar people to help identify your target audience.

Target your Facebook ads’ audience as narrowly as possible.

Facebook lets you refine your audience via granular details. The more specific you get, the less money you’ll waste and the more engagement your ads will generate.

Consider the following effective targeting tactics: 

• Understand your current customers. To determine whom to target, analyze your current customer base and pinpoint commonalities.
• Leverage local targeting. If you have a local business with a customer base within a limited area, restrict your ads to that area to improve cost efficiency.
• Target by income or interests. Some products or services are more commonly purchased by a specific group. For example, target luxury products to users with higher income levels or interests in high-end brands. You can also target people who engage with competing or complementary brands.
• Customize messaging for different audiences. Because you can use Facebook advertising at any stage of the customer journey ― from brand awareness, engagement and lead generation to conversion and repurchase ― it’s smart to tailor ad messaging to different audience segments.
• Create custom audiences. Use Meta Ads Manager’s Custom Audiences feature to segment people at different stages of the sales funnel. For example:
  • People who liked your Facebook page
  • People who clicked on a previous ad
  • People on your email list 
  • Current customers from your CRM platform
• Use retargeting to boost conversions. The Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel) ― a tracking code you place on your website ― helps you retarget past visitors with dynamic ads on Facebook. Consider these examples:
  • If someone viewed a product on your website, show them an ad featuring the same product, along with a limited-time discount, to drive conversions.
  • Use carousel ads to showcase complementary products and encourage upselling and cross-selling.

Luke Heinecke, CEO of Linear, emphasized the importance of Facebook’s remarketing capabilities. “I’ve seen campaigns thrive by engaging with users who have previously interacted with our ads, reinforcing brand messaging at different touchpoints,” Heinecke explained. “By nurturing these leads and steadily guiding them through their journey, businesses can maximize ROI.”

Try video advertising and posts on Facebook.

Video advertising and posts can boost engagement significantly. Facebook videos should be short (ideally 15 to 60 seconds, but no longer than 90 seconds) and grab the viewer’s attention within the first three seconds (unless it’s a Facebook Live video; more on that below). Always create videos in high resolution and include text captions, as users often play video ads on mute. 

Additionally, consider using Facebook Reels. (Reels are also helpful if you’re using Instagram for business.) Reels are short-form videos that can be synced with music or audio clips, similar to TikToks. They appear on your profile, in users’ feeds and in the Reels tab, making them an excellent tool for showcasing your brand’s personality with product tutorials, educational content and more.

Test, analyze and adjust your Facebook advertising.

Your first ads won’t necessarily be your most effective. It takes time and experience to identify the best audiences, ad formats and messages. 

Consider using A/B testing (also called split testing) to discover what works best. With A/B testing, you create and run two or more ads simultaneously that differ on a single variable, such as the following:

• Headline: Test statements versus questions, punctuation, emoji usage and more.
• Image: Test concrete versus conceptual images, different angles or different products.
• CTA: Test various CTAs, such as Buy Now, Learn More or Save Now.
• Ad format: Test static images, video ads, carousel ads and slideshows to see which engages your audience most. 
• Audience: Test segments based on age, gender, location, behaviors and interests.

Meta Ads Manager provides valuable analytics and insights on each ad’s performance. Additionally, if you install the Meta Pixel, you can also track purchases and other actions attributed to your ads.

Test and monitor your results continually to optimize your ad spend and improve your digital marketing ROI. 

Use Facebook Live.

Although Facebook users buy items and engage with brands, Facebook isn’t primarily a platform where people go to shop. Facebook users often want to be informed or entertained, and by using Facebook Live, you can accomplish these goals. Facebook Live is a free feature of your business page that allows you to create a real-time interactive video broadcast, such as a webinar, product demonstration or Q&A session.

Here are some tips for boosting Facebook Live engagement: 

• Create an event, like a Facebook Live Q&A, and publicize it to your target audience. 
• Interact with viewers in real time, acknowledging them by name. 
• At the end of your presentation, give viewers a CTA. 
• Record the presentation to use later as a video post on your Facebook business page or website, all at no cost.

Tell stories and connect on Facebook.

Patrick Carver, CEO and founder of Constellation Marketing, cautioned that Facebook isn’t the place to use hard selling techniques. “The biggest mistake I see? Treating Facebook like a billboard instead of a conversation,” Carver explained. “People don’t log in to be sold to; they log in to be entertained, informed or engaged. Meet them where they are, and you’ll win.”

Use Facebook to humanize your brand with these kinds of questions: 

• Who are the company founders?
• What is important to them? 
• How are the products created?
• Who makes them? 
• What is the company’s history?
• What values does the company hold?

Best practices for storytelling and engagement on Facebook include the following: 

• Create posts and ads featuring company employees and owners. 
• If appropriate, showcase handmade products and family-owned firms to establish an emotional connection.
• Reply to comments on posts or Messenger messages promptly and thoughtfully. 
• Within a day or so of a new person liking your page, send a warm welcome or thank-you message to show your appreciation.

Facebook marketing costs

You’ll set a budget (daily or lifetime) at the start of a campaign, and it will never exceed that amount unless you change it. You can also set an overall budget that covers the total cost of all of your campaigns. 

However, Facebook ad pricing is more complex than a simple budget. You must be familiar with these terms:

• CPM: CPM, or cost per thousand impressions, is the cost of showing your ad to 1,000 people.
• CPC: CPC, or cost per click, refers to the amount of money you pay per click on your ad, calculated as total spend divided by the number of clicks.
• CPL: Your CPL, or cost per lead, is the amount you pay per lead generated through your ad campaign.
• CTR: Your CTR, or click-through rate, is the percentage of people who see your ad and click on it to go to your website or landing page. Your ad’s relevance and effectiveness to your selected audience determine your CTR. (Your CTR can also refer to people who click to like or comment on a post, click to like your business page, or click to view a video.)

How Facebook ad pricing works

Facebook ad costs are based on an auction system, where prices fluctuate depending on demand, audience targeting and competition. Here are some key numbers, according to Birch data:

• The average CPC across industries is approximately 60 cents, although this varies depending on competitiveness.
• The average CPM across all objectives is approximately $10, but this varies based on the campaign type and competition.

Facebook ad cost estimates by objectives

Here’s a look at average CPCs and CPMs by objective as of 2025 (note that these numbers change frequently): 

Factors that affect Facebook ad costs

Several factors influence Facebook ad costs, including the following: 

• Campaign objectives: When you set up a campaign, Facebook asks you to choose an objective (e.g., brand awareness, traffic, conversions or lead generation). The farther your objective is from a sale, the cheaper it will be. For example, traffic campaigns cost less than lead generation or conversion campaigns.
• Ad quality and relevance: Facebook charges a premium for high-demand ad placements and prioritizes high-quality, relevant ads to ensure the best possible user experience. If your CTR is too low, it’s time to reevaluate your ads. Test different creative elements, messaging and audience segments. Note that a CTR of 2 percent or higher is considered good.
• Seasonality and market demand: Costs tend to increase in the third and fourth quarters as many businesses increase their budgets for the holiday season. You may also see fluctuations if you sell seasonal goods, such as bathing suits, school supplies and Christmas ornaments.

Follow these tips to optimize your Facebook ad spend:

• Use Meta Ads Manager to preview estimated CPC and CPM costs based on your target audience and campaign settings.
• Adjust your targeting and placements to optimize costs. Meta’s Advantage+ Placements feature can help distribute your budget efficiently.