What? You didn’t even know you had options? Facebook offers two great tools to create ads: Facebook Ads Manager and Power Editor. Both can serve your marketing needs, but they both offer unique benefits and challenges, as most options you find out there will. Below are some of the key differences between the two tools. Facebook Ads Manager is the default tool, while Power Editor is a free download that is optimized for Chrome, using this tool in other browsers should be avoided.
Here’s what you should know:
Difference 1. Who are you talking to?
Your target audience is a big factor when you are working on making your ads. You want to make sure you are speaking to people who will make it worthwhile for paying for you your ad.
Facebook Ads Manager is the default tool, which means it’s more basic so it can be more user friendly. Anyone from the most experienced marketer to the average Joe freelancing on the side can use the tool to easily create, manage, and analyze ads. Power Editor is the more advanced tool, specifically created for larger businesses intending on creating and tracking many ads at once. Which tool you choose will be impacted by your advertising experience level and size of your marketing budget.
The layout of the pages reflects the target audience, with Facebook Ads Manager more simple (but with less options) than the Power Editor.
Difference 2. Isn’t always about the toys?
Many new advertising features are tested first on Power Editor, with the effective ones often eventually integrating into Facebook Ads Manager. For users who stick with the more basic advertising functions, this ability may be unnecessary. For users who work to keep up with the latest trends and wish to test out the latest techniques, this ability could be a desired advantage.
Difference 3. Location, Location, Location.
Both tools provide customization options for where you want your ad to appear. Ads manager offers more basic options among desktop news feed and mobile news feed. Power Editor allows specification about which types of mobile devices, more combinations of options on the news feed placement, and even an option to select only mobile devices already on Wi-Fi (which can be helpful if you’re concerned someone wouldn’t click your ad if they are not on Wi-Fi). According to a recent study on Facebook advertisements conducted by SocialCode, mobile ads earn up to 2.5 more than desktop only ads. (http://mashable.com/2012/06/19/facebook-mobile-ads-study/#JPUgK.SIlgqh)
Difference 4. What is your time worth?
The layout of Facebook Ads Manager is designed so users can create, edit, and analyze easily. There is less to clutter up the homepage, which means less time navigating to find the right tool or tab. For more basic advertising users, this can be a better option. Power Editor, on the other hand, allows users to upload bulk ads (including the option to upload from an Excel document) and edit multiple ads at once. For the more advanced advertising users, this benefit outweighs the busier homepage. Additionally, the Power Editor allows you to duplicate and edit past ads with ease, allowing time saved if you’re running similar campaigns time and time again.
Difference 5: MORE POWER!
Facebook ads manager limits your content, recommending only 25 characters for your headline and 90 characters in the body text to ensure the text isn’t truncated. This is specific to ads manager, because the greater amount of text, the greater the chances if it getting cut off once the ad runs. In Power Editor, though, you have the ability to design ads that have up to 110 characters for the mobile News Feed and up to 500 characters for the desktop News Feed. While your ads will likely never get that large, it removes the fear of getting your message curtailed.
Difference 6: Bullseye! Having the ability to target your audience directly is everything. Let’s put it this way; if you’re wanting to advertise your Yoga Studio, do you really want those paid advertisements to be lumped in with, say, mortgage lenders? The tools specific to targeted ads in Facebook Ads Manager are very limited, while Power Editor gives you the sky and the moon. Creating very specifically targeted ads in Power Editor is extremely advanced and not user friendly for the novice. Namaste, we’ll help you get this.
If you know you want to take advantage of the many benefits of Facebook advertising (or any other form of advertising) but don’t want to spend the time navigating either advertising tool, remember that Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! We can create and analyze Facebook ads for you to meet your organization’s advertising needs. And if there is any other aspect of social media management or business building that you want assistance with, we’d love to help. Just shoot us an email or call us up.