I’ve talked to quite a few jewelers lately who say they’re done with Facebook ads.
Here are some of the reasons they’ve given:
“People have lost confidence in Facebook after the data breach scandal.”
“Our customers are on Instagram.”
“People aren’t looking for jewelry on Facebook.”
“We tried it and just didn’t work for us.”
via GIPHYThat brings us to the last point… why didn’t it work for you?
After doing some digging, I keep finding the same 3 issues. Maybe these will help you get some clarity.
#1 – You Forgot Your Buying Cycle
People might go years without buying a piece of jewelry.
That’s why “buy my stuff” ads generally don’t work on Facebook.
Yes, your Facebook ads should engage the relatively small number of people who are in the market for jewelry right now.
But,
You also have to build a relationship with the much larger group – those who are not in the market right now. Those people may know someone who is in the market, or they may become buyers again sometime down the road.
It takes a good ad writer to find the balance between selling & relationship building when it comes to Facebook ads & jewelry.
#2 – Lousy Retargeting
Have you ever looked at an item on an ecommerce site then, magically, that item appears in your Facebook feed for the next few weeks? If so, you’ve experienced retargeting.
Shockingly, few jewelers are using this powerful tactic correctly.
If someone visits a page on your site for engagement rings, show them a follow up ad about financing for engagement rings. Or maybe show them a follow up ad featuring a testimonial from someone who bought an engagement ring from you.
The point is, follow them with ads which continue the shopping experience & develop the relationship. You’ll be glad you did.
#3 – Not Enough Budget
My friend & mentor, best-selling author Roy H. Williams recently wrote:
“In a long purchase cycle, you must win the hearts of tomorrow’s customers with a memorable message – relentlessly repeated – and then wait for them to need what you sell.”
The key phrase here is “relentlessly repeated”.
In other words – marketed with enough budget.
Throwing a small budget at Facebook ads may give you a sense of what your audience likes. That’s valuable information.
However, if you want to catch people when they’re ready to buy jewelry over a long period of time, you’ve got to have an appropriate budget.
Takeaways
Success or failure with Facebook ads has nothing to do with the data breach or consumers going soft on Facebook. It has nothing to do with the growth of Instagram.
Instead, it’s about understanding a long buying cycle, getting the message right and budgeting appropriately.
It’s not easy. But then, nothing worth doing ever is!
