CREATE YOUR FIRST FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM AD
FINAL PRACTICAL SECTION
CREATE YOUR FIRST FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM AD
Now it's time to put everything you've learned into practice.
In this section, we are going to create an advert using a Facebook Page post and promote it to your target audience.
Follow the steps one at a time.
STEP 1 — LOG INTO FACEBOOK
Open Facebook and log into your account.
Make sure you are using the account that has access to your business Facebook Page.
Once you're logged in, go to your Facebook Page.
STEP 2 — CREATE YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE
If you don't already have a business Page:
Go to Facebook.
Select the option to create a Page.
Enter your business name.
Choose the category that best describes your business.
Add a short description.
Add your logo or profile picture.
Add your business information.
Save the Page.
Your Facebook Page is where your business will appear publicly.
STEP 3 — CONNECT WHATSAPP TO YOUR PAGE
If you want customers to contact you through WhatsApp, connect your WhatsApp account to your Facebook Page.
Go to your Page settings.
Look for the area where your Page information or profile details are managed.
Depending on the version of Facebook you are using, the layout may look different.
Look for the WhatsApp option.
If you see a pencil/edit icon beside the relevant profile/contact section, select it.
Enter your WhatsApp number and follow Facebook's instructions to connect it.
You may be asked to verify the number.
Important
Make sure you connect the correct WhatsApp number.
This is the number customers will use to contact your business.
STEP 4 — CREATE YOUR ADVERTISING POST
Before boosting anything, you need to create a post.
Go back to your Facebook Page and create a new post.
Your post can contain:
An image
A video
Text
An offer
A call-to-action
Example
If you're advertising website design:
Does your business need a professional website?
Get a modern, mobile-friendly website designed for your business.
Starting from ₦100,000.
Send us a WhatsApp message to get started.
Add a good image or video showing the service.
Then publish the post.
STEP 5 — GO BACK TO YOUR PAGE
After publishing your post, go back to your Facebook Page.
Find the post you just created.
Look for the:
BOOST POST
button.
Depending on the current Facebook interface, you may see a similar option such as Boost or Promote.
Select it.
STEP 6 — CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT FROM THE AD
Facebook will ask what you want people to do after seeing your advert.
Choose the option that matches your goal.
For example:
Want people to contact you?
Choose the option for Messages.
Want people to provide their information?
Choose Leads.
Want people to visit your website?
Choose the option that sends people to your website.
Always choose the option that matches your actual goal.
STEP 7 — CHOOSE WHERE MESSAGES OR LEADS SHOULD GO
If your goal is to receive messages or leads, Facebook may allow you to choose where those people can contact you.
Depending on the options available to your account, you may be able to select:
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
Instagram
Multiple messaging destinations
Example
If you want customers to contact you through WhatsApp:
Select WhatsApp.
If you want customers to contact you through several platforms:
Select the available messaging destinations that make sense for your business.
Don't select an option simply because it gives you more destinations.
Choose the places where you can actually respond to customers.
STEP 8 — CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION
Now choose where you want your advert to appear.
For example:
Port Harcourt
or
Lagos
or
Abuja
or
Nigeria
Choose the location based on where your business can actually serve customers.
Example
If your restaurant only delivers within Port Harcourt, don't spend your advertising budget showing the advert to people who live hundreds of kilometres away.
STEP 9 — CHOOSE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Now choose the type of people you want to reach.
Depending on the options Meta currently provides, you may be able to select things such as:
Age
Example:
21–45
Gender
Men / Women / Everyone
Interests
Choose interests that are relevant to your product or service.
Example
If you're advertising fashion products, relevant interests might include:
Fashion
Clothing
Shopping
Don't select random interests.
Think about:
Who is most likely to buy this product or service?
STEP 10 — CHECK YOUR AUDIENCE
Before continuing, look at the audience you've created.
Ask yourself:
Is my location correct?
Is my age range reasonable?
Is my gender selection appropriate?
Are my interests relevant?
Can my business actually serve these people?
If everything makes sense, continue.
STEP 11 — SET YOUR BUDGET
Now decide how much money you want to spend.
Start with a budget you can comfortably afford to test.
For example:
₦3,000 per day
or
₦5,000 per day
Your budget depends on your business and advertising goal.
Important
Don't spend money you cannot afford to lose.
The purpose of your first campaign is to test, learn and improve.
STEP 12 — CHOOSE YOUR SCHEDULE
Now choose when you want your advert to run.
Depending on the current Meta interface, you may be able to choose:
Start date
and
End date
or the length of your promotion.
Review the schedule carefully so you understand how long Meta will run the promotion and what you are committing to spend.
STEP 13 — REVIEW YOUR AD
Before scheduling the advert, check everything one more time.
POST
Is the correct post selected?
GOAL
Is the correct advertising goal selected?
DESTINATION
Will customers go to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, your website or another selected destination?
LOCATION
Is the correct location selected?
AUDIENCE
Are you targeting the right people?
BUDGET
Is the budget correct?
SCHEDULE
Are the dates correct?
PAYMENT
Is your payment method correct?
STEP 14 — SCHEDULE YOUR AD
Once everything looks correct, select:
SCHEDULE AD
or the equivalent confirmation button shown in your Meta interface.
Your advert will then go through Meta's review process.
Once approved, it can begin running according to the schedule and settings you've selected.
STEP 15 — WATCH YOUR RESULTS
Once your advert starts running, don't just leave it and forget about it.
Go back and check your results.
Look at:
Amount spent
People reached
Messages
Leads
Clicks
Cost per result
Most importantly:
Are people actually becoming customers?
Remember what you learned in Module 8.
A lot of clicks don't automatically mean a successful advert.
YOUR FIRST AD CHECKLIST
Before scheduling your advert, make sure you've completed everything:
Log into Facebook
Create or access your Facebook Page
Connect your WhatsApp
Create your advertising post
Publish the post
Click Boost Post/Promote
Choose your advertising goal
Choose where messages/leads should go
Select your location
Select your target audience
Select relevant interests where appropriate
Set your budget
Set your schedule
Review everything
Schedule the advert
Wait for Meta's review
Monitor your results
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have now created your first Facebook and Instagram advertising campaign.
You've gone from:
BUSINESS
↓
FACEBOOK PAGE
↓
POST
↓
BOOST POST
↓
AUDIENCE
↓
BUDGET
↓
SCHEDULE
↓
AD
↓
CUSTOMERS
This is the basic process you can repeat whenever you need to promote a product, service or business.
REMEMBER
Don't just spend money on ads.
Learn from your ads.
Every campaign gives you information about your audience, your offer and your advertising.
Use that information to make your next campaign better.