From the Mailbox: Advertising on Facebook Questions
By: Ginger | Posted on August 20, 2021
Our weekly author blogs cover topics to do with writing, marketing, and advertising books, but sometimes authors send us specific questions that we like to address. As we’ve done for Amazon related ad questions in the past, this week we’ve rounded up some of the most commonly asked questions about using Facebook for advertising, and Ginger has put together some answers which might will be useful to many of you. Question #1 I was running a Facebook ad at $5 a day and getting a cost-per-click (CPC) of $0.19. I decided to double my spend, but my CPC immediately rose to $0.39. That means I’m paying twice as much for the same number of clicks! What did I do wrong? One of the most frequent problems I hear about authors is that they just can’t scale their advertising. Every time they increase their ad budget on Facebook, the CPC… Read More >
Facebook book advertising on a shoestring budget
By: Ginger | Posted on April 9, 2021
Book advertising has become an essential step to success, and when done right and with a desirable product, a bigger budget will lead to higher rewards and a faster path to success. But not everyone can afford to spend large amounts on ads, especially when just getting started. That doesn’t mean they should be ignored completely, though. There is still value in running small budget campaigns, and Ginger is offering up a few suggestions on the best ways to spend those dollars to get the most value in return. I recently blogged about how you need to have courage when you start advertising your book – and I specifically called out the temptation to start a $5 a day advertising campaign as ineffective, and ultimately unprofitable. However, what happens when you’re a brand new author and you don’t have $30 a day to spend promoting your book? How can… Read More >
How To Set Up Defensive Advertising
By: Ginger | Posted on December 20, 2024
When it comes to advertising your book, few things are more frustrating than seeing your hard-earned customer traffic redirected to someone else’s work. Defensive Advertising is a strategy that makes sure your product pages showcase only your books, protecting your readers from clicking off to another author’s titles. Even better, it supercharges your marketing efforts by leveraging Amazon’s algorithms to your advantage. So, how do you set it up? Today, Ginger is breaking it all down, step by step, complete with handy screenshots. From gathering your book details to navigating campaign setup, this guide has you covered. Plus, he’s sharing personal tips to boost results while keeping costs low. If you’re running ads for your books, it is essential that you are familiar with the concepts below to ensure you’re keeping readers engaged and maximizing sales. Whenever I mention “Defensive Advertising” in one of my blog posts, I receive emails… Read More >
Does Running More Facebook Ads Produce Better Results?
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 22, 2024
Last week, we explored a question that many self-published authors grapple with: does increasing your ad budget directly lead to better sales metrics? While this strategy can yield results, it’s not without its risks. It also raises a less-discussed—yet equally important—question: regardless of your budget, could you increase sales simply by running multiple Facebook ads for the same book? As Ginger explores in this week’s blog, this isn’t about blindly multiplying your efforts and hoping something sticks. Instead, it’s about understanding the psychology of effective advertising and why diversifying your ad approach can have a significant impact. From the timeless “seven touches” rule to features built right into Facebook’s Ads Manager, Ginger breaks down why running more ads can deliver better results—and how you can easily implement this strategy without needing to redesign your creative from scratch. Last week, I wrote about how increasing your advertising budget could have a… Read More >
Does a higher Facebook Ads Budget lead to better metrics?
By: Ginger | Posted on November 15, 2024
Many authors wonder if upping their Facebook ads budget is the secret to unlocking better book sales. It’s a great question, but one without a straightforward answer. The truth is, while more money can amplify your ad performance, it’s not as simple as throwing cash at the problem. There are a variety of factors at play that could make – or break – your advertising success. That’s why today, Ginger is here to once again guide us through the world of Facebook Ads, with a special focus on the effects of scaling up your budget. He’ll break down why a bigger budget can improve metrics, how it influences ad reach, and the risks to be mindful of along the way. But before you reach for that credit card, remember: while a larger budget might get you closer to bestseller status, it could just as easily drain your wallet quickly if… Read More >
Two Reasons Why I hate AI Art and Advertising
By: Ginger | Posted on October 11, 2024
As the summer slump fades, self-published authors are ramping up their marketing efforts once again, and if you’ve been on Facebook lately, you’ve probably noticed the surge in eBook ads. Among them, one trend is sparking a heated debate—the use of AI-generated art. Is it a smart way to cut costs and boost engagement, or does it risk coming off as cheap and impersonal? In today’s blog, Ginger leaps right into this controversial topic, sharing two key reasons why he isn’t a fan of this approach. While Ginger’s views aren’t unique among authors, the bigger question remains: how effective are these AI-generated ads? If they were proven to boost book sales and profits, would more authors be willing to embrace them despite their reservations? The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and not every decision has a clear-cut answer. Understanding the pros and cons can help you form your own opinion… Read More >
Grow Your Author Platform Organically on Facebook in 2024
By: Ginger | Posted on August 30, 2024
While newer social platforms like TikTok often steal the spotlight, Facebook remains the king of the hill when it comes to author engagement and audience connection. With its unique ability to foster deep, meaningful interactions and its unparalleled reach, Facebook is still a critical tool in an author’s marketing arsenal. But how can you make this platform work for you, especially when organic growth feels like an uphill battle? In today’s blog, Ginger offers actionable strategies to transform your Facebook presence from a stagnant page into a thriving community of engaged readers. Plus, he shares a treasure trove of relevant hashtags to use in your posts, helping you draw in future fans, not just the ones who have already discovered you. So read on for a quick guide on how to use your Author Page to supercharge your social game. Recently, I was asked why most of the articles I… Read More >
Using Facebook Ad Rules
By: Ginger | Posted on April 19, 2024
If you’ve ever wondered why some of your carefully crafted Facebook ads seem to rarely get shown, while others are capturing all the spotlight, you’re not alone. The ad giant’s algorithms are perplexing, and often leave authors both puzzled and frustrated as they struggle to promote their books. That’s why today, Ginger is diving into some of the reasons why not all of our ads are treated equally and what might be happening behind the scenes to cause this apparent imbalance. Fortunately, he’s also giving us some ideas on how to level the playing field. One of the most powerful tools to make strategic adjustments to your ads is Facebook ad Rules, but very few authors are even aware that these Rules exist, much less what they’re used for. Yet by tweaking them, you can transform the way you manage your campaigns, giving you greater control over which ads are… Read More >
Understanding the “Learning” Phases of Facebook Ads
By: Ginger | Posted on April 12, 2024
Maintaining a robust marketing and advertising strategy has become as crucial as writing a great book, and for many authors, Facebook remains the go-to platform for advertising. However, the complexity of Facebook’s ad interface can baffle even those who understand the basics of setting up an ad, especially when they find their ad in the “Learning” or “Learning Limited” state. Knowing how to optimize ads and take action when campaigns underperform is essential for campaign success. The “Learning” and “Learning Limited” phases indicate your ad’s performance and optimization stages, sometimes requiring action. Today, Ginger will explain what those terms mean, what actions to take when you encounter them, and how to optimize your ad campaigns to enhance visibility and achieve better results. Over the course of the last few years, the path to successful self-publishing has changed. Many authors used to find success simply by writing great books with a… Read More >
Successful Advertising Means Playing the Long Game
By: Ginger | Posted on November 24, 2023
If you’ve ever felt like your book ads aren’t converting as quickly as they should, it could simply mean that you need to adjust your expectations rather than your images or taglines. Successful advertising is usually more about building familiarity and trust over time, rather than via instant gratification. In today’s blog, Ginger discusses how advertising your book in the digital age requires patience, and why the customer journey often requires frequent exposure to your ads before any action is taken. That understanding, combined with some fine tuning and iteration, can lead you to long term success and a loyal fan base. Google ruined advertising. In the late 1990s, during what’s now known as the “Dot-Com Bubble”, the world was introduced to ecommerce. Before then, selling and advertising was a very different racket. Back before ecommerce, most businesses understood the importance of advertising, but often weren’t able to connect exactly… Read More >
