Facebook Ads for Indie Authors

I’ve been wanting to learn how to use Facebook Ads to promote my book, The Asset. Facebook Ads are paid messages. You’ve probably seen those little ads popping up when you’re on Facebook. The concept seemed very similar to Google AdWords, and I remember how easily you could lose a lot of money if you don’t know what you’re doing. Facebook does have a lot of information on their website, but I decided to order two books about Facebook Ads.

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising

I ordered, The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising. Perry Marshall is one of the co-authors. I’ve been reading Perry’s blog for close to ten years. I also bought his Google Adwords guide, which was great,  years ago. He’s known as one of the leading experts when it comes to Google Adwords and Pay Per Click advertising, so I wanted to see what he was doing with Facebook Ads.

I wasn’t disappointed. The book was very thorough with very actionable information. I had my first Facebook Ad up and running by the third chapter (details on that later).

Killer Facebook Ads

The second book was Killer Facebook Ads by Marty Weintraub. I didn’t know much about Marty. I’ve seen his face around the social media world, and knew he was known for Facebook marketing. I read up to see what he had done, and well, it was pretty impressive. He runs an online marketing agency that has managed Facebook ad campaigns generating over 10 billion impressions internationally. His clients include MarthaStewart.com, Siemens, Second Life, Budget Direct, and other global brands. So I fiugred I could learn a thing or two from him as well.

Interesting side note, I ordered one book from Barnes and Noble and one from Amazon. I had a Barnes & Nobles gift card, which is why I ordered from them. My Amazon ordered book, Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising arrived in less than 48 hours, I had to wait a week for Barnes & Nobles order to arrive. No wonder Amazon is kicking their butt. 🙂

As I already mentioned above, within a couple of hours of reading Perry’s book, I was ready to run my test ad. It was simple to setup. Both books have their fair share of fluff on what a powerhouse Facebook has become, their reach, and why I should be advertising there… well, no duh, that’s why I ordered the books, so skip the foreplay and get me to the good stuff, how to advertise on Facebook.

Aside from the fluff, once the books focus on the task at hand, “how to advertise with Facebook”, the information is pretty awesome. Both books offer a lot insight, tips, and suggestions. They walk you through how to setup your Facebook ads, but they also get into the nitty gritty on what type of ads and strategies you should be using with Facebook Ads.

I recommend both books. Each book is around $15, so for $30, it’s worth it.

I ordered the physical book versions versus the Kindle eBook. I find for books that meant to be guides that I’ll be referencing to, I prefer an actual book, that I can grab when I need it, highlight, etc. In the end, I felt more confident following the advice of experts, like the old adage goes, why reinvent the wheel? Order these books.

My first test ad is now over, so in the next two blog posts, I’ll walk you through the process. I’ll show you how to setup a Facebook Ad, and then I’ll share with you my results, and finally how I will be using Facebook Ads for my book marketing. Hint, its more than trying to sell a copy of my book.

Check this space for the blog post numer two of three on how Indie/Self Published fiction authors can add Facebook Ads to their book marketing efforts.