By Mackenzie Grannan

Do you shudder when you hear the words “Facebook” and “ads” in the same sentence? If so, you are not alone! That used to be my immediate reaction until I discovered a few ways to simplify the ad creation process. By the end of this rundown, you will be able to walk away with actionable steps for creating Facebook ads with ease.

Determine a Lifetime Budget 

When creating an ad campaign, defining how much you intend to invest and how long you want ads to run is a crucial first step. Allotting a budget and designating a timeframe is essential to creating an efficient and purposeful ad. Without this, you will pour money into your campaign without being able to measure your progress or attain your desired outcome. I always recommend running a month-long campaign with a minimum $100 spend limit. This gives you a specific duration to track metrics, as well as a cap on the cost of the campaign. This allows you to set a baseline with which to compare your future campaigns, and it helps give you a better idea of what you might expect if you decide to increase your timeframe or budget in the future.

Name and Save Your Audience

It is crucial to identify your target audience for a Facebook ad. Whether this means identifying people’s interests and behaviors or using simple demographic data, an ad is nothing without a defined audience. The process of selecting criteria for an ad audience can be a pain, so one of my favorite features is the ability to save each of the audiences you build over time. For example, if I want to make an awareness campaign this month and run it again in the new year, I can simply name and save my audience to reuse time and time again. This is the same for every ad you create. If one month I want to run ads to drive traffic to a new website, then I can name and save my audience based on that. This is one way I can save myself at least 10 minutes from having to restart the targeting process.

Duplicate the Process

Duplicating and reusing an ad campaign can save you a headache–and a lot of time. When you replicate an existing campaign, you are able to use the existing framework from a previous ad. Then all you have to do is change the accompanying text and the media you want to display. This trick has saved me so much time. With that said, you will need to make sure you rename each duplicated ad to avoid confusing it with your previous ads. 
While Facebook Ads can be a little overwhelming and time consuming at the start, these three tips should reduce your stress and make the process easier. When it comes to creating Facebook Ads, practice really does make perfect! It took me several times to find a system that worked great for me. Maybe you will discover some shortcuts of your own! To stay connected with all the latest in ad creation and social media marketing, head over to the Campfire Collective blog or tune into the Just Bluffin’ podcast!