When things go wrong...

by max5ty
17 replies
So I had a friend that was starting a local business idea and asked me if I would help her.

Great idea...so I said why not.

We did the facebook automated ads that let AI decide on the placing and demographics...we created 6 ads...$2 a day budget (kept it low to test)...

4 days later she had about 1000 views and 312 clicks. Pretty good if I say so myself.

Then guess what happened?

The page was blocked from running ads.

Why?

I don't know. Suspicious activity. Too many ads rejected (still a mystery)...

it happens a lot. It can be frustrating...and it happens to some of the biggest spenders.

But, this was a small ad spend with nothing I could see that was in violation of anything.

She did an appeal and is waiting for the outcome.

But, she did something right with her site...she set up a referral program...it is still going great and people are sharing like crazy.

So, my point is, facebook is good for running ads...but always have a fallback plan and put things in place that allow your excited customers to share the love with all their friends.

The sharing will get way more clicks than the ads.

By the way, did you know not capitalizing facebook in an ad will be in violation?

My point is, make sure you don't rely on one main source to advertise your business
#things #wrong
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  • Profile picture of the author Idol
    Right point, to add in lead generation form is another must have thing for this type of websites.
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Well thats way i dont put all my egs in one single basket .This its a primordial principle in make money online
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Originally Posted by max5ty View Post


    So, my point is, facebook is good for running ads...but always have a fallback plan and put things in place that allow your excited customers to share the love with all their friends.

    The sharing will get way more clicks than the ads.

    By the way, did you know not capitalizing facebook in an ad will be in violation?

    My point is, make sure you don't rely on one main source to advertise your business
    Thanks max5ty,

    Funny thing, the guys with the deep pockets, huuuge marketing budgets, all have multi channel advertising.

    So, it makes sense for use little guys to at least try to follow the clues.

    There isn't enough discussion about REWARDS/REFERRAL programs, sure we all have some sort of a rewards or points card in our wallets, but how many small businesses really go to the well that gives them their water?
    Not enough.

    A good referral program, with rewards attached, can help the small business grow faster than almost any other way.

    Thanks for sharing another Facebook story, and like was said, not ALL eggs onto one platform, eh?

    GordonJ
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post


      There isn't enough discussion about REWARDS/REFERRAL programs, sure we all have some sort of a rewards or points card in our wallets, but how many small businesses really go to the well that gives them their water?
      Not enough.

      A good referral program, with rewards attached, can help the small business grow faster than almost any other way.
      Referral programs have several advantages.

      They aren't a platform. Your referral program cannot be cancelled.

      Referrals are better than a cold lead, even one that is interested. If you are getting referrals from buyers, the referral knows someone who bought. And the referrer is giving a sort of testimonial by referring you.

      In my life, the most profitable marketing was to previous buyers. But a close second was to people those buyers referred. Everything else was a distant third.

      Referral programs also stimulate sales. If someone knows about your referral program, and it's good enough, it can be a huge attraction to them, Sort of forcing the sale.

      My programs were always only offered to buyers. The rewards may not have been based on sales, but I only offered the program to buyers.

      If you offer a referral program to non-buyers, they tend to refer other non-buyers. And non-buyers are the core of the "Get something for nothing" crowd. Buyers tend to refer people that buy...mostly because they know that people buy from you. A major hurtle.

      But all this was from direct selling or retail.
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    @ Gordon J - I agree with you. This was a test campaign. It ran to those that were within a 25-mile radius of her city and was designed to "test the waters"

    She hadn't run ads before so we decided this would be a good way to get her feet wet and try things out.

    She was going to ramp things up (maybe) after tweaking these.

    Facebook has had so many privacy issues (been all over the news), that they're really getting itchy about it now.

    She may not get her situation resolved...she will just start another page and advertise from there...but it's still frustrating. Trying to talk to anyone at facebook one on one is almost impossible. And when they do send you notices, they're so broad it could apply to any one thing they're mentioning.

    If you're dealing with facebook, at one time or another you're going to run into situations that drive a person crazy.

    @Claude Whitacre - I agree that referral programs are the answer. I have no idea why more people don't use them.

    There's a ton of software out there to use. Some of it can be pricy, but some of it is really cheap (some is free). A person just needs to look around.

    If you contact someone and say their friend so and so sent you, you get a lot further. It's like free money to use referrals.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I do believe in not relying on one traffic source, but i do believe in tapping out one traffic source until you move on to the next one. She was almost on her way there. I hope the clicks she got allowed her to test out her business idea - so that she can duplicate the campaign on another advertising source.
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  • Profile picture of the author malzeri83
    I believe it is stupid to discuss without request of official FB support. We can talk about private accs and different stories but when we are talking about money programs (doesn't matter 2 USD or 2000 USD because probably you just testing) you should call support
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    • Profile picture of the author max5ty
      Originally Posted by malzeri83 View Post

      I believe it is stupid to discuss without request of official FB support. We can talk about private accs and different stories but when we are talking about money programs (doesn't matter 2 USD or 2000 USD because probably you just testing) you should call support
      You are telling me you have CALLED facebook support and got someone?
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  • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
    Good lesson here. I always try to diversify with anything I do online. One day you can be running ads making some good money and just like that it's all gone in one swoop.

    It's not only online, but in life you always want to have a plan you can fall back on when things go wrong.

    Facebook is a nice traffic source when you can get everything right and keep the Zucks from getting mad.
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  • Diversity is strength.


    Bcs out there in the Sahara,
    them penguins lose their pength.
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    • Profile picture of the author max5ty
      Originally Posted by Princess Balestra View Post

      Diversity is strength.


      Bcs out there in the Sahara,
      them penguins lose their pength.
      I can't speak to penguins in the Sahara...

      but guess what I saw a couple weeks ago?

      I saw a video someone not far from where I live took of their little dog.

      I guess the dog was out in the yard...and then...

      an eagle swooped down and picked it up and flew off.

      Seriously, I'm not making this up.

      So, to fit this into my original post...I'm guessing if the little dog had other dogs around him he wouldn't have gotten taken. In other words, there's strength in numbers?
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    There's also strength in people who pay attention to what is happening around them instead of just staring at their cell phone.
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    • Profile picture of the author max5ty
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      There's also strength in people who pay attention to what is happening around them instead of just staring at their cell phone.
      I completely agree.

      I'm just not sure how we're going to change that.

      We've had a couple of generations grow up with cell phones and so now it's normal to always have your phone with you...not that it's always bad...it's just some take it to the extreme
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  • Profile picture of the author Profit Traveler
    Banned
    When things go wrong...and they will, that is the time I give even more than I did before.

    Some things I may have been selling I begin to share them complimentary.

    Offer services even freely if possible. Eventually you will you become better than before.

    Sometimes you will hit the grand slam home run when you really were just trying to get on base.

    But I will never forget the people that are there when things went wrong once things are going very right.
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  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

    So I had a friend that was starting a local business idea and asked me if I would help her.

    Great idea...so I said why not.

    We did the facebook automated ads that let AI decide on the placing and demographics...we created 6 ads...$2 a day budget (kept it low to test)...

    4 days later she had about 1000 views and 312 clicks. Pretty good if I say so myself.

    Then guess what happened?

    The page was blocked from running ads.

    Why?

    I don't know. Suspicious activity. Too many ads rejected (still a mystery)...

    it happens a lot. It can be frustrating...and it happens to some of the biggest spenders.

    But, this was a small ad spend with nothing I could see that was in violation of anything.

    She did an appeal and is waiting for the outcome.

    But, she did something right with her site...she set up a referral program...it is still going great and people are sharing like crazy.

    So, my point is, facebook is good for running ads...but always have a fallback plan and put things in place that allow your excited customers to share the love with all their friends.

    The sharing will get way more clicks than the ads.

    By the way, did you know not capitalizing facebook in an ad will be in violation?

    My point is, make sure you don't rely on one main source to advertise your business
    I tried to work with a programmer some time ago Maxibon with a FB app, and the programmer turned out to be an opportunist so it fell through, but l learned a lot about Facebook, and what a nightmare it is.

    I would try Yahoo advertising first, (even though it never converted for me) or Google Adwords, (even though they are very expensive and have a million rules).

    Good luck..
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    By default... "Internet" anything is a platform... any and every aspect is rented or leased... you OWN nothing... Even if you get slick and have a "Mail Server" in house... its useless without an ISP.

    There will be hick-ups along the way... kinda no way around it. I would say its getting progressively more turbulent in the last few years. Its no longer a singular element of your online persona... its a collective. You have to watch your P's and Q's at work, for work, and at home as it were - and there is no side stepping this.

    The idea of using a single channel is - well putting it mildly blunt, Absurd. Kinda like saying Coke only advertises during the Superbowl or something - we obviously know this to not be true... THEY are everywhere. So even at the Micro level in comparison, why exactly would we be functioning any differently. The question is then; How many is to many? and the short answer is more than exist.

    But again we are in this environment where "control" is an obvious issue. I believe there are 3 key elements to success. Acquiring ( bring on new clients ) Retaining ( keeping the clients you aquire ) and then Referral ( getting those that you are retaining to refer you or your service, or your product or your business )

    Acquiring is hard enough... as the lead in to this thread suggests. Acquistion by referral is very much the next step ( kinda not really ). I believe that Retention ( Strength in numbers ) is ultimately the position of greatest growth - and the most under utilized at the micro scale.

    Its all around us... be it a shoppers card for a grocery or dept store. Buy 7 get one free. Cash Back - all methods used to KEEPING a customer coming back time and again.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    Anything 1 in business is BAD for you.

    1 traffic source
    1 residual income program


    Anything you do is a LESSON whether it is good or bad.
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