When I tell people I do Facebook Advertising for a living (usually at the bar π», err…. β coffee shop), I usually get a flurry of questions of what my day is like and if I like what I do for a living.
That’s why I wanted to blog about “A Day in the Life of a Facebook Marketer π at buzzGIANT.” I know a lot of people are interested in what a professional Facebook Advertiser actually does – I know this because I get asked this often.
From marketing professionals who want to get a glimpse into some Facebook advertising strategies to people who want to pursue a career in Facebook advertising, this blog post will give you a look inside a day in the life of a Facebook advertising professional π₯
So let’s jump in π¦
6:30 a.m. – Markets and Headlines
Every morning I start off by checking the markets π and reading the headlines on a bunch of different website sites and news sources. This is important to stay up on current events π°, which is important to when your coming up with angles, hooks, creatives, copywriting, etc.
7:30 a.m. – Morning Routine (before launching Facebook Advertisements)
After doing my research on current events – which includes sports, politics, and financial markets π° – I begin my morning routine. While I’m in the πΏ shower, I listen to my favorite playlists on Spotify to get my mind right for the day.
8:00 a.m. – Before I Make Killer Facebook Ads, I Make ‘Em Laugh
I’m at my station. Since I work from home, I’m never late. First thing I do is reach out to my team on Slack and let them know I’m here. Laughing is important to me, so I like to keep it light, send a funny message or gif – /giphy … IYKYK π
8:15 a.m. – Set Up Facebook Conversion Tracking or Look At The Data in Facebook Ads Manager
I’m not a big breakfast eater π₯. So I start my day off with a Green Tea, which has 44mg of caffeine, which gets me focused in the morning.
What I do first thing in the morning is based on the needs of the particular account; and I will breakdown both scenarios.
First, if it’s a new client – the first thing I need to do is set up tracking and conversions. And while today we are working on Facebook’s platform, we have to set up the Google Tag Manager AND Google Analytics.
This allows is to collect data which is arguably the most important and significant part to Facebook advertising and digital marketing in general.
After setting up the Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, I set up the Facebook pixel and create the specific Facebook events I need to track. Obviously, eCommerce events will be different than lead generation events. For example, with eCommerce you care about how many people “added-to-cart” but did not purchase. That’s not the case with lead generation, which often times you’re leading to a landing page and offering a free download.
So if I’m working on a new client account I’m first setting up the tracking and conversions – what we call the infrastructure of our digital marketing campaigns.
IF THE CLIENT IS ALREADY ESTABLISHED…
The first thing I am doing in the morning is logging into the Facebook Ads Manager and looking at data on the accounts I manage.
Log into Ads Manager. Pull up the account I’m working on. Change the metrics to “Performance and Clicks” because I want to checkout my click-through rate (CTR).
My CTR is going to give me insight into how good my Facebook ads are. If my CTR is low, under 2.5%, then I know my Facebook ads aren’t effective. Either my hook or angle is not good or I did a bad job selecting my audiences.
If my CTRs are good, but my conversions are lagging, then I know I need to optimize my landing page. First, I want to make sure the ads are congruent with the landing page. Does the hook on the Facebook Ad “smell” like the offer on the landing page? If not, I need to make sure my landing page is congruent with my ads and my Facebook Ads congruent with my landing page.
I’m looking at other data as well – such as my cost per 1000 impressions (CPMs), my cost per click (CPC), and most importantly, my cost per conversion (CPA).
9:00 a.m.: grab a snack and prepare for Facebook Advertising research
9:10 a.m.: Research the Facebook Ads Library.
The Facebook Ads Library is a gold mine of Facebook Ads other advertisers are using, including our competitors. Simply visit www.facebook.com/ads/library
OK, here is what I am looking for in the Facebook Ads Library:
- The longer the Facebook Ads has been running, the better that ad must be performing, right? If not, the advertiser would have turned the advert off.
- What images/videos are my competitors using?
- What hooks and angles are my competitors messaging?
The Facebook Ads Library is one source I use. There are additional “spy” tools you can use to see what Facebook advertisers are doing. Just Google it. I’ll make recommendations when they start paying me, LOL. But just Google “Facebook Spy Tools” and pick the one that fits your style.
10:00 a.m. – Take a Break from Facebook Advertising
I should probably take it easy on the exclamation points because this little break is nothing special. Generally I’ll open the fridge. I won’t find anything I want to eat. And I’ll return to my station disappointed I didn’t have McDonald’s french fries to eat.
10:10 a.m. – Facebook advertising campaign brainstorming session
After researching the other ads in the marketplace, I go to the “drawing board”.
This is where I am brainstorming the different types of hooks or angles I can use to grab the users attention. This is where my current event research comes into play from earlier in the day. Often times, tying into current events can stop the scroll.
Ryan Holiday calls it newsjacking. And it works on social media as sure as night follows day.
I can only focus for about 90 minutes at a time before I need some sort of change; so I keep these brainstorm sessions to 90 minutes.
At this point in my day, the caffeine π§ has kicked in and I’m drumming up different types of angles and hooks I can use to grab the users’ attention. This is where my early morning π current events research comes into play. A lot of times I’m able to tie in current events to grab attention, which matters in social media.
So this is where I’m throwing all of my crazy ideas onto the wall; and by wall I mean a Google Sheets document that I can share with my team. (click here for template)
11:45 a.m.: It’s lunch time!
For lunch I eat chicken π± and rice because it’s the only dish that doesn’t give me a stomach ache. For me, food is fuel β½ and not entertainment.
Then I take a walk. Everyday. I live in San Diego, CA π΄σ ΅σ ³σ £σ ‘σ Ώ so I’m able to take advantage of the weather. This is when I catch up on the markets and the headlines. I’m fully aware many people suggest not listening to the news. But for me I feel it’s important to writing compelling copy.
12:35 p.m.: I am back at my Facebook advertising station (my computer)
12:45 p.m.: Build Catalog for Facebook Ads
My afternoon is dictated by the maturity of the Facebook account. For example, if it’s a new account, there is a lot more foundational work I will need to do, such as creating a catalog in the Commerce Manager.
A catalog is one of the most powerful assets you can create in Facebook because it allows you to advertise your real-time inventory within a single ad versus spending budget on individual ads. For eCommerce, auto sales, real estate sales, and others – this is a game changer.
Many Facebook Advertisers have not created a catalog yet, so I’m often time spending my afternoons creating Facebook catalogs for clients – and it’s well worth it.
2:00 p.m. – Β Writing Winning Headlines and Ad Text for Facebook Advertisements
This is where I apply my brainstorming session to Facebook Advertisements.
I like to write at least 20 Facebook headlines. Slight variations count.
Here are some best practices I use in my Facebook headlines:
- I capitalize the first letter of each word (it’s true)
- I’m not afraid to use emojis; certainly test them
- Use the full space and don’t go over
- If you’re headline doesn’t take up both lines, use an “Ad Description”
But make sure you create as many headlines as you can because it’s important for the next steps, as you’ll see below.
3:00 p.m.: Design the Best Creatives for Facebook Advertisements
In today’s Facebook Advertising world, creatives are more important than ever. So I spend a good amount of time on them.
Why?
Because Facebook algorithm is now attributing your creatives and copywriting because they can’t attribute the user since Apple’s iOS change.
RE: creatives – In general, motion or video creatives perform best. Make sure your motion creatives are :15 seconds to :30 seconds, but closer to :15 seconds.
Static images still work. Human faces consistently perform best. How you use the human face in your creative is up to you. One thing we have tested out and has proven to work, if we use Adobe Photoshop and change the shade of the person’s face to have a tint of red; and maybe change the expression on the face via the eyebrows and mouth…
At buzzGIANT, we are all trained to use Adobe and creative motion and engaging static images. We also have a creative department we can leverage to create more advanced creatives.
4:30 p.m.: It’s time to launch our Facebook ads.
My strategies depend on the maturity of the account. If the account is brand new, then the objectives and targeting are more top-of-funnel oriented.
If the account is warmed-up, then I will create retargeting AND look-alike audiences based on:
- People who have engaged with the Facebook page/Instagram page
- People who have engaged with a Facebook Advertisement/IG Ad
- People who have clicked on a CTA
- People who have visited the website
In addition to creating new audiences, I’m also implementing Facebook advertising strategies that include creating funnels, retargeting, setting bid caps, and a “million” other things.
5:15 p.m.: Review Facebook Advertising Accounts
As an agency, we manage over 500 clients. Within the agency we are on teams. And at the end of each day we discuss specific accounts that are under-performing.
The Google team discuss their accounts; the Social team – which covers all the major social media platforms – discuss their accounts.
I’m part of the social team, specifically the Facebook team. I meet with the other Facebook specialists and discuss the accounts that are under-performing. We do this to get all-eyes-on the account we think we needs help.
5:45 p.m.: Wrap up the day.
It’s not like I didn’t check email or Slack throughout the day. But I do turn off my notifications so I did see or hear a new message/email come in.
It’s at this time of the day I’ll respond to messages.
I find this to be the best SOP for me because it allows me to focus on my accounts throughout the day.
6:00 p.m.: I’m done with work at this point…
For dinner, I eat chicken and asparagus or Brussel Sprouts. I make that real quick, and…
6:20 p.m.: Working out, lifting weights ποΈββοΈ, thinking about Facebook advertising
I don’t know the proper way to decompress from a life of Facebook advertising. I like to play basketball and take walks. Many other like to play video games, like I used to do (Call of Duty, Madden, NBA2K).
10:00 p.m.: In bed and dreaming about Facebook Advertisements
Reading blogs and Yahoo Finance to get ahead of tomorrow’s headlines. I think this helps me with Facebook advertising. By 11:00 p.m. I am sleeping, lights out literally and figuratively.
AND…
That’s a Day in the Life of a Facebook Advertiser at buzzGIANT.
As you can now see, a Facebook Advertiser is a professional. It’s not something you can just roll-out-of-bed and do well at. Facebook advertisers are professionals who spend their entire day focused on Facebook advertising.
If you’d like help with your Facebook advertising and social media advertising, reach out to us for a FREE social media audit and discover ways you can increase your Facebook Advertising campaign ROAS and lower your Cost per Acquisition.