advertising with Facebook - Have you tried

Have you tried advertising with Facebook

If you’re using Facebook to market your small business, you might want to take a look at advertising on Facebook. There are a number of ways to use ads to drive traffic and build awareness on Facebook.
When you create an ad event on Facebook, you can easily create an ad to promote the event. When people view your ad, they can click on the RSVP link (or anywhere on the ad) and get taken directly to your event page. Even better, if someone RSVPs to your event, it will automatically be added to their profile page and possibly even in their friends’ home page Highlights—generating free distribution for you.
The same is true of your Fan page. You can promote your Fan page with an ad and people have the option of becoming a fan. Even better – Facebook ads allow for “social proof”. If I become a fan of your page, I’ll show up at the bottom of the ad whenever any of my friends view your ad, thus giving you increased credibility with my friends.
You can also use ads to link to your website, but you miss out on the social proof options if you do.
Other types of Facebook ads include videos, Facebook gift ads and their own house ads promoting Facebook features.

Keys to success with Facebook advertising:

Target Your Ads

The best part about Facebook advertising is you can decide the age, gender, location, marital status, interests, and other keywords of who will see your ad. This way you don’t waste money on people who aren’t your target market.

Images attract attention

Studies show the image you use in your ad plays a big part in how many people actually click on it. Therefore, spend some time to choose an eye-catching image to draw people in. Don’t use your logo. Choose something more interesting. Even a photo of yourself will be more effective than a logo. In fact, when I’ve run Facebook campaigns targeting a local demographic I’ve had good success with my photo. People who know me want to see what I’m up to.

Test. Test. Test.

Rather than running a single advertisement, create several ads and change the parameters (called split testing). Try using identical images and demographics but test different photos. Or use the identical ad and test who responds better: men or women. You may also notice you get different results on different days of the week.
You may be surprised at what works. The image below is a chart of a few ads I ran earlier in the year. The last two ads were identical except for the headline. If you’ d asked me before I ran the two ads, I would have guessed that the bottom ad would have performed better.

Monitor results

When it comes to Facebook advertising, don’t just “set it and forget it”. Particularly if you are testing two or more ads, you should log into your advertising account daily until you get a handle on what works. If you notice one ad is out performing the others by a long way, you may decide to discontinue other ads and have more emphasis on the better one.

Final thoughts

The nice thing about advertising on Facebook is you can experiment and get results for much less money than with Google Adwords.
I have heard some experts complain that the click through rates (the number of people who actually click on your ads) are terribly low on Facebook as compared to Google. However, I have a theory. If you have a national (or international) audience or are in a major city the click through rates will be much lower than if you are in a small market and a targeting a local audience. For example, I live in Owen Sound, with a population of about 22,000. Whenever I see an ad on Facebook that has a local town in the title, I’m much more likely to check it out.

Read More

Truth in Blogging

 

 

Writing a blog has been an interesting experience. While I often include my own personal thoughts and opinions, I also try to include useful information paired with hard data. As a result, when I come across an interesting statistic or a quote by an industry leader, I try to include it in my blog post (complete with a link). This habit comes from my journalism training. Plus I hope it makes the articles more interesting and useful.
The other day I came across a link to an interesting blog post that included a very startling “fact” about social media use by small businesses. It said that 65 percent of small businesses don’t use social media at all. Naturally I clicked the link to the article. It repeated the startling fact and included links to the sources for the statistic. Because I wanted to know more, I clicked the links.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of the links wasn’t valid and the other link went to a study that didn’t include the statistic mentioned. In fact, the data mentioned on the study could be interpreted to mean the exact opposite of what was quoted in the blog post. It mentioned that 64 percent of small businesses use social media for answering customer questions. No mention at all of businesses not using social media.
This misrepresentation of the data left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Rather than adding this blogger to my RSS reader and quoting him in this blog, I’ll never trust what he has to say again. By fiddling with the data to create a catchy headline, he lost a reader forever.
I’m all for using surprising or startling facts in your blog posts or headlines. They make for interesting reading. Just make sure that the “facts” are true. Otherwise, you’ll lose me as a reader, customer and referrer.

Read More

Krav Maga

Krav Maga (pronounced "Krahv Magah") is the official self-defense and fighting system of the Israeli Defense Forces. Krav Maga is Hebrew for "contact combat". It has been recognized as the most efficient self-defense system for real-life situations, emphasizing practical defenses against real attacks. Krav Maga provides an unequaled physical workout while imparting proven self-defense techniques.

ADULT CLASSES

ALL-AROUND WORKOUT is both a cardio and core conditioning class geared towards getting participants into great physical shape. Classes are dynamic and will combine cardio exercises like punching and kicking pads, heavybag work, CardioBells with core conditioning and self-defense techniques. No two classes are ever the same! This class is perfect for both beginner and more advanced students because every student sets his/ her own work-out pace. Dresscode: T-shirt, sweatpants, dedicated non-skid sneakers. NO STREET SHOES! All students welcome.

FIGHT/ ADVANCED TRAINING CLASS is the perfect venue for our students to learn Krav Maga's various stand-up and ground fighting techniques and put them to use in a SAFE environment. Sparring and grappling are excellent and fun ways to get in good shape quickly and our Fight Class is guaranteed to boost your fitness level significantly. Instructor's permission is required to take Fight Classes. Dresscode: Krav Maga shirt, sweatpants, dedicated nonskid sneakers and handwraps. NO STREET SHOES! Required safety gear: Mouthguard, shinguards, gloves and groin protection mandatory.
KRAV CARDIO CIRCUIT CLASS is for students looking for a workout that incorporates both cardio and strength training. In this class students will be using dumbbells, CardioBells, heavybags, jump rope as well as performing various calestenics to build up the core, throwing punches and kicks and getting into great shape! On-site babysitting is also provided for a fee of $5 per child. Dresscode: T-shirt, sweatpants and dedicated nonskid sneakers. NO STREET SHOES! All students welcome.
KRAV CARDIO FITNESS CLASS offers students of all fitness levels a great workout and promises to eliminate the boredom of your current fitness routine. This class incorporates punching, kicking, core work, heavybag work and CardioBells. On-site babysitting is also provided for the 9:15- 10:15 am class for a fee of $5 per child. Dresscode: T-shirt, sweatpants and dedicated nonskid sneakers. NO STREET SHOES! All students welcome.
KRAV CONDITIONING/ CARDOBELL CLASS center around a cast iron weight that looks like a basketball with a handle, combined with cardio and core conditioning. CardioBell exercises use a specially designed bell that was created for use by individuals and in an aerobic class. CardioBells are an excellent fat-burning and conditioning tool because they involves the entire body, strengthening and stretching several muscle groups at once in coordinated movements. Dresscode: T-shirt, sweatpants and dedicated nonskid sneakers. NO STREET SHOES! All students welcome.
KRAV MAGA gets you into fighting shape while teaching self-defense techniques that are effective and easy to learn. We combine a great cardio workout with sports conditioning techniques to burn fat and tone muscle. Have fun, get fit, and learn how to defend yourself in a DYNAMIC class environment. Monday night combines intermediate level techniques with the essential beginner level skills from Krav Maga. Tuesday and Thursday nights are geared more towards beginner level students and more advanced students who want to perfect these essential beginner level skills. Dresscode: Krav Maga shirt, sweatpants, dedicated nonskid sneakers and handwraps. NO STREET SHOES! Mouthguard and groin protection recommended but not mandatory.
SCULPTING & FITNESS CLASS will shape your body using light weights, isometric muscle work, strength training and core conditioning with medicine balls and exercise balls! Tone and Sculpt is the perfect compliment to Cardio Fitness. Dresscode: T-shirt, sweatpants and dedicated nonskid sneakers. NO STREET SHOES!
TAE KWON DO is a traditional martial art from Korea. Simply put, Tae Kwon Do is a version of unarmed combat designed for the purpose of self-defense. However,it's more than that: It is the scientific use of the body in the method of self-defense. It trains the body to gain the ultimate use of its facilities through intensive physical and mental training. Translated literally "Tae" is to kick with the foot, "Kwon" is to punch with the hand, and "Do" means an "art" or "way" built by past practitioners. Tae Kwon Do includes the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges with bare hands and feet to the rapid destruction of the moving opponent or opponents. Currently this class is by private appointment only. Contact us if you are interested in signing up.
WINTER BAG CLASS works every muscle group for an intense 45 minute power work out on a free-standing heavy bag. This workout will focus on correct and safe form while incorporating many types of kicks and punching combinations, agility, cardio and core conditioning and lots of fun.

---

YOUTH CLASSES

KIDS TAE KWON DO and MIXED MARTIAL ARTS encompasses Tae Kwon Do, fitness, boxing and self-defense presented in an age-appropriate fashion. All of our YMA classes are big on FUN and our foremost goal is to help kids grow into responsible young adults by building "strong minds and strong bodies." Our program is guaranteed to foster good values, responsibility, confidence, respect and will offer your child positive life lessons. Dresscode: Uniform and belt, FREE with membership.

If you and a family member sign up, or if you have more than one child in our YMA program, you may qualify for a FAMILY DISCOUNT! All classes and class times subject to change without prior notice. Contact us for information.

Read More