Recently I launched my first Facebook advertising program. I’ll be honest: I was skeptical. After all, no one clicks on those little ads—or do they? Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see people clicking and “liking” the little ads I had placed for a client who wanted to drive traffic to a new website. The number of friends of the Facebook page skyrocketed, quadrupling in just over a week. It wasn’t just the Facebook page that saw an increase; people were clicking ads and going to our client’s website. But, were they really reading the ads? Were they clicking because of what was being promoted? Yes, I was still skeptical. But, then it happened: someone downloaded a sales pdf that counted as a website conversion goal. What happened next blew me away! Someone posted a question on the Facebook wall directly referencing one of the ads. That’s right, Facebook advertising was working.

Truth be told – this campaign was not for a true B2B product. That is one of the reasons why Facebook was included as an advertising channel. However, this product is similar to many B2B products, in that the consideration process is complex and requires a consultative sell. This is why I believe—depending on the goal of the campaign and the target audience—that Facebook could be a viable advertising channel for B2B.

Let me be clear, I am by no means advocating that every B2B advertiser should be launching Facebook campaigns. Before deciding on Facebook, an advertiser would need to consider the goal of the campaign and the target audience.

Determining if Facebook should be included in the media mix as part of a B2B advertising campaign is challenging. Aside from the goal of increasing the number of friends a company’s Facebook page has, it may be difficult to implement Facebook as a medium that can inform and motivate a B2B audience. However, with creative ads that link to relevant content, B2B advertising success with Facebook can be a reality.     

Considering there are currently 800 million Facebook users, it is reasonable to assume that a particular B2B target audience is using Facebook. The challenge is being able to utilize targeting options to reach a desired audience in an efficient and effective manner. Since most people are on Facebook for social purposes, this may seem unlikely. However, it can be entirely achievable. Facebook targeting is based on self-identified preferences, which users personally choose. The ability to target by self-identified preferences is what could make Facebook a powerful tool for a B2B advertiser. Targeting could be based on trade associations, college degree, job title or even employer, just to name a few examples. Think about how impactful it could be to target advertising about your tradeshow booth to a trade association’s members in the weeks before the show.

Although this post’s focus is all about Facebook B2B advertising, it is not the only social media channel that allows advertising. When it comes to reaching B2B audiences, LinkedIn’s targeting is unmatched. The choice of which social network to advertise with should be based on reaching your target audience and your goals. If you tried Facebook or LinkedIn advertising, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did it work? Did you have any surprises? Would you do it again?