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Facebook ads marketing idea

by george orwell
13 replies
I'm a writer and have recently written a website for a successful interior decorator who is attempting to move her business completely online as she wants to go live on a tropical island.

While writing the website she did not mention that she wanted me to include any keywords, but has now asked me to do this.

Rather than now going back and jamming in a bunch of keywords and ruining my text, I was thinking of suggesting that I run a Facebook ads campaign for her. I know little about Facebook ads other than what I have read through Neil Patel. As this is far from my area of expertise, I would do this at a rate much lower than what I ask for my writing.

My idea is to run 3 ads targeted at people who are in groups related to interior design, with a photo of my client but different text for each of the 3, something like:

"Want to make a change but don't know how?
Book a free consultation with me and I will show you how to change your living environment".

We had already planned for her to do free consultations. To weed out the people who are not really interested and just want something for free, I'm thinking to include a couple more fields in the forms that potential clients fill in to get their free trial.

The 3 ads are run for a few weeks, then I pick the one with the greatest number of conversions to run for the next few months.

What do you guys think?
#ads #facebook #idea #marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    Originally Posted by george orwell View Post


    What do you guys think?
    I think it would be up to your client.

    Facebook ads are not that expensive so why not just run some tests, because our thoughts and opinions are meaningless

    al
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    A bar of iron cost $5. Made into horseshoes, it's worth $12. Made into needles, it's worth $3500. Made into balance springs for watches, it's worth $300,000. Your value is determined by what you are able to make of yourself

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    • Profile picture of the author george orwell
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      I think it would be up to your client.

      Facebook ads are not that expensive so why not just run some tests, because our thoughts and opinions are meaningless

      al

      My client knows nothing about facebooks ads which is why I'm asking here.



      I guess when I was saying "what do you think?", what I really meant was "do you think this will work? why? and can you offer any suggestions to optimize my approach"?
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      • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
        Originally Posted by george orwell View Post

        My client knows nothing about facebooks ads.
        Neither do you, as you've admitted.

        Your client hired you as a writer - it's not an unreasonable request to include keywords in content intended for a website. If you can't or won't provide that, you should tell the client and give them the opportunity to decide whether to find another writer or go with your suggestion about Facebook ads.

        If I were the client, I know what I'd do.
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        • Profile picture of the author george orwell
          Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

          Neither do you, as you've admitted.

          Your client hired you as a writer - it's not an unreasonable request to include keywords in content intended for a website. If you can't or won't provide that, you should tell the client and give them the opportunity to decide whether to find another writer or go with your suggestion about Facebook ads.

          If I were the client, I know what I'd do.

          Yeah so I feel like my post was perhaps written in a bit of a rush in hindsight and I didn't include some of the points I had intended to include. My bad. Thanks for helping me to be aware of this.


          I am of course happy to provide keywords for the client, but on this occasion feel like I might suggest a facebook ads campaign as they have time constraints to the success of the business and are able to offer a free consultation, things which I am told is well suited to facebook ads. I have also developed a good rapport with them, and believe like this could be a good opportunity for me to learn about facebook ads while being paid a small amount. I will of course be completely transparent with the client on my lack of facebooks ads experience
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          • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
            Originally Posted by george orwell View Post

            I am of course happy to provide keywords for the client, but on this occasion feel like I might suggest a facebook ads campaign as they have time constraints to the success of the business and are able to offer a free consultation, things which I am told is well suited to facebook ads. I have also developed a good rapport with them, and believe like this could be a good opportunity for me to learn about facebook ads while being paid a small amount. I will of course be completely transparent with the client on my lack of facebooks ads experience
            First things first. I would complete the writing assignment as the client requested. As a hired writer, you don't have the luxury of being precious about the content. Once that's done to the client's satisfaction, you could suggest a Facebook campaign as an experiment in which both parties are willing to take a small risk. Or you could agree a payment based solely on results, such as the number of consultations booked.

            However, if there are time constraints involved, it would seem a better option to concentrate on your existing skills as a writer and help produce a converting website, rather than rely on hitting the ground running with paid ads.
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  • Profile picture of the author Monetize
    I don't see how anyone can run an interior design business
    remotely. Perhaps if she has people working for her.

    But whatever.

    Don't you ask your clients whether they want keywords in
    their web content when you start the assignment? If she
    said no and has changed her mind, you should bill her for
    the re-writes. If this was your oversight, then you should be
    able to finesse some keywords into what you have already
    written without messing it all up.

    I agree that free consultations are a waste of time. Lots of
    people want free consultations and have no intention of ever
    buying anything. The unsophisticated masses think that
    interior design is hanging some mirrors on the wall and that
    they can learn this by looking at a magazine. They have no
    idea that interior design is a branch of architecture. Most
    interior designers charge a fee for an in-person initial
    consultation, so why should it be any different for an
    online one.

    Do NOT offer any discounts to your client because you do
    not know how to write FB ads. It's not rocket science. Go
    to Amazon and purchase a book on this or search for how
    to's online, or watch a YouTube. If you need help running
    a FB ad campaign, hire someone at Fiverr or somewhere.
    You probably don't have time for that anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author george orwell
      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      First things first. I would complete the writing assignment as the client requested. As a hired writer, you don't have the luxury of being precious about the content. Once that's done to the client's satisfaction, you could suggest a Facebook campaign as an experiment in which both parties are willing to take a small risk. Or you could agree a payment based solely on results, such as the number of consultations booked.

      However, if there are time constraints involved, it would seem a better option to concentrate on your existing skills as a writer and help produce a converting website, rather than rely on hitting the ground running with paid ads.

      Thanks for continuing to advocate on behalf of my client, I'll let you know you have her back. The writing has already been written to my client's requests.





      Originally Posted by Monetize View Post

      I don't see how anyone can run an interior design business remotely. Perhaps if she has people working for her.

      But whatever.

      Don't you ask your clients whether they want keywords in
      their web content when you start the assignment? If she
      said no and has changed her mind, you should bill her for
      the re-writes. If this was your oversight, then you should be
      able to finesse some keywords into what you have already
      written without messing it all up.

      I agree that free consultations are a waste of time. Lots of
      people want free consultations and have no intention of ever
      buying anything. The unsophisticated masses think that
      interior design is hanging some mirrors on the wall and that
      they can learn this by looking at a magazine. They have no
      idea that interior design is a branch of architecture. Most
      interior designers charge a fee for an in-person initial
      consultation, so why should it be any different for an
      online one.

      Do NOT offer any discounts to your client because you do
      not know how to write FB ads. It's not rocket science. Go
      to Amazon and purchase a book on this or search for how
      to's online, or watch a YouTube. If you need help running
      a FB ad campaign, hire someone at Fiverr or somewhere.
      You probably don't have time for that anyway.

      I was a little skeptical about her making this an online business too but it sounds like she has connections all over the place who can help with logistics and fitting etc.


      She said she didn't want keywords but has now changed her mind.



      I've been doing a bunch of research regarding FB ads online. Do you feel like all the info that I need can be found through neil patel et al.?
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      • Profile picture of the author Monetize
        Originally Posted by george orwell View Post

        I was a little skeptical about her making this an online business too but it sounds like she has connections all over the place who can help with logistics and fitting etc.

        She said she didn't want keywords but has now changed her mind.

        I've been doing a bunch of research regarding FB ads online. Do you feel like all the info that I need can be found through neil patel et al.?

        That's fantastic if she has people working for her.

        If she changed her mind about having keywords, then you
        need to bill her for that and she should be happy to pay.
        It would be just the same if she did a design job according
        to a customer's specifications and then they changed their
        mind.

        I had some professional FB ads done for me a few months
        ago and they aren't that complex. I just wanted to see how
        they were done and I think that most anyone could write a
        FB ad. So you should be able to write the ads yourself.

        If you are following Neil Patel, that is great. I follow him
        as well, he really knows his stuff. If he has some sample
        FB ads, then just work with those.

        As I stated before, you can hire someone to run the FB
        campaigns for you if you don't want to be bothered with
        all of that. You don't need to advise the client that you've
        farmed out the work, it doesn't concern her. Or you can
        do it yourself.
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      • Profile picture of the author agmccall
        Originally Posted by george orwell View Post



        She said she didn't want keywords but has now changed her mind.
        So, when you were hired she specifically said she did not want keywords in the content? Or, because she did not specify any keywords you took that as meaning she did not want any. Many people who are non-marketers do not even know what keywords are and how they are important. It is the responsibility of the content provider to explain this to the client.

        al
        Signature

        A bar of iron cost $5. Made into horseshoes, it's worth $12. Made into needles, it's worth $3500. Made into balance springs for watches, it's worth $300,000. Your value is determined by what you are able to make of yourself

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    • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
      Originally Posted by Monetize View Post

      I don't see how anyone can run an interior design business
      remotely. Perhaps if she has people working for her.

      But whatever.

      I thought the exact, same thing when I read it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by george orwell View Post

    "Want to make a change but don't know how?
    Book a free consultation with me and I will show you how to change your living environment".

    We had already planned for her to do free consultations. To weed out the people who are not really interested and just want something for free, I'm thinking to include a couple more fields in the forms that potential clients fill in to get their free trial.

    The 3 ads are run for a few weeks, then I pick the one with the greatest number of conversions to run for the next few months.

    What do you guys think?
    I think the headline could be more benefit oriented. I think you should run a quick test and how all 3 of the ads perform. Don't add too many more fields to the signup form because you don't want to disqualify someone who could be a good lead - but doesn't necessarily meet all the criteria.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Floyd
    Facebook ads don't work the same as keywords, so considering them an alternative is not going to produce the results you want. Keywords drive traffic through search engines and don't cost anything, however Facebook ads stop working when your budget is expended, and not all of them draw people to a website depending on the style of engagement you choose.

    But, at the end of the day, it's not your copy. She paid for it to go on her site, and if she wants it to have keywords you should deliver, or she should hire someone else. In this job there is no room for artistes, only mercenaries.

    And if your background is in creative writing, look up the works of Don Miller, an author-turned-marketer. He's got a three-book series all about how storytelling intersects with marketing and uses the language of the hero's journey to describe how a business can engage with a client on an emotional level.

    Lastly, your proposed copy for the Facebook ad is too long and indirect. It should strike at the customer's amygdala with something like, "A living space shouldn't feel embarrassing. Invite people in with simple, affordable interior design."
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew North
    I honestly feel OP (George Orwell) is joking with us a little here but whatever - moving business online to live on a tropical island as an interior designer? And how are FB ads a comparable substitute to placing keywords within content? Those are two very different strategies.

    Seems like a strange solution when all you have to do is tweak the content, which does not mean to stuff large amount of keywords in there..
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