Increasing ROI and Engagement with Facebook Ads

While ad:tech San Francisco wrapped up yesterday, the conference left lasting impressions on the latest trends in the digital marketing space. One of those trends involves Facebook advertising which is quickly becoming a marketer’s paradise.

During the conference, I had the utmost pleasure of speaking with Lucy Jacobs, Chief Operating Officer at Spruce Media, who is dedicated to helping brands improve their Facebook ad performance and increase engagement.

Spruce Media is one of the largest Facebook Ad Optimization companies, serving over 1 billion CPA, CPI and CPC ads per day on Facebook. Working with some of the largest Facebook ad buyers, Spruce Media combines advanced, custom built API software with an experienced media buying and creative team. The company is committed to helping Facebook advertisers improve ROI and scalability by using proprietary ad management, analytics and bidding optimization software.

According to Jacobs, Spruce Media helps advertisers embrace Facebook when their in-house strategy isn’t achieving results. Given the relatively new nature of Facebook Ads, companies weren’t spending their money or time efficiently. Spruce Media helps these brands embrace social media and Facebook to achieve a higher ROI than traditional advertising.

As evidenced at this year’s conference, Facebook is no longer an optional advertising platform for brands, she says. Once upon a time Facebook Ads were a “test” or “experiment,” whereas now Jacobs notes Facebook ads occupy 5 to 10 percent of ad spend and account for one-third of display ad impressions. Data seems to pioneer Facebook Ad growth.

For brands, Facebook is a data goldmine. Users feel safe and protected when they are using the Facebook platform, sharing a tremendous amount of self-reported user data. The difference is noticeable when compared to Google, which offers implied demographics. Companies have the ability to reach and engage customers like never before.

Interestingly, Jacobs says Facebook Ads are slowly overtaking Google in terms of overall ad spend, engagement and performance. She claims Facebook is on a trajectory to surpass Google, which is supported by recent numbers from eMarketer showing Facebook’s display revenue was $1.73 billion in 2011, compared to Google’s $1.71 billion.

Spruce Media is more than a technology company as they couple their media buying expertise with a powerful technology stack that helps companies make better marketing decisions. Their clients are active in the gaming, education, daily deals and shopping verticals, in addition to brands such as State Farm or Procter & Gamble.

According to Jacobs, Facebook is about consistently engaging with customers through multiple touch points. These short bursts of communication improve conversions and allow brands to consistently reiterate their core messages. Spruce Media helps customize the creative and messaging to optimize click through.

Jacobs notes the key to advertising success on Facebook is to make your brand social by design. Embrace the social experience and engage your customers in a substantial, meaningful way. Leverage Spruce Media’s robust, powerful Facebook Ads platform to take your brand to the next level.

This article is part of Allvoices’ series on ad:tech, the largest digital marketing and technology conferences and expositions. Check out allvoices.com/adtech for more of Allvoices’ ad:tech San Francisco event coverage. This series is supported by ad:tech.