3 real world case studies on Facebook ads

Do you ever wonder if Facebook ads really work?  Well here’s a helpful primer. Fishbowl Marketing’s SM3 team has worked with trusted clients on Facebook ad opportunities and learned what works best. Here are some short case studies on how and when Facebook ads make the biggest impact.

When opening a new location

This casual dine chain has been so successful with its original two restaurants; it decided to open a third location. But how to get the word out? Their Facebook page had plenty of fans already, providing a good base, but not all of those Fans would leave their favorite location in favor of the new one. Here’s what the SM3 team did on behalf of our client. In addition to posting updates on the construction of the restaurant on the Facebook page, running photo contests and gift card giveaways, the team also ran Facebook ads, targeting specifically those living in the vicinity of the  new location, and encouraging them to become a fan of the new Facebook page.

Within two weeks, after a $200 ad spend, the client had more than 400 new Facebook fans living around the new restaurant’s location. That’s 50 cents a guest!

When Targeting a Specific Audience

This high-end catering hall focuses on providing a memorable atmosphere for its guests’ most cherished memories. The client prided itself on its wedding banquets in particular. They wanted to reach out to local brides about their place. SM3 responded by running a wedding-focused ad for three weeks, targeting Facebook users in the community with a relationship status of “Engaged.” The client spent a total of $50.

The ad received nearly 3,000 impressions, resulting in 63 new Facebook fans and 95 clicks to the client’s website. Even if only 1 bride-to-be decided to rent the banquet hall, this client would easily recoup that ad spend, and then some!

When Pushing Online Reservations or Publicizing Big News

This restaurant had two goals when it approached Fishbowl– it wanted to publicize a recent 4 star review in their local paper and it wanted to leverage the good buzz to drive online reservations. The SM3 team turned a Facebook post which included the review into an ad, and included a link to the reservations page. The total ad buy was $50.

Over two weeks, the ad reached 6,700 local restaurant enthusiasts. 27 guests clicked to make reservations, and the post itself generated above average engagement (i.e. likes, comments and shares).

With the right marketing plan in place, Facebook ads can turn a good campaign into a great one. Relatively little ad spend can provide substantial ROI – but you have to know what works and how to have the biggest impact.