Shifting From Old School: How Newbie Aussie Event Planners Can Harness Facebook Advertising for Fundraisers
- Mathisha Wahikala Gederage
- Jul 21, 2024
- 3 min read
Boosting fundraisers on social media is a must. It's how you start making waves right away.
But for a newbie event planner, social media advertising can seem like a maze. At first, you're bound to face some serious head-scratchers.
Should I splash out on all platforms?
How do I know if it’s working?
In the sea of socials, what vibes best with this fundraising event?
Enter - Facebook.
Twenty years on, Facebook’s still ruling Australia, with a massive 16.65 million user ad reach, capturing the attention of over 66% of internet users.
Facebook Advertising nails it because of the hyper-targeting and real-time tracking features, a goldmine for event planners that old-school ad tools can't match.
In early 2024, Facebook is still Australia's top platform, used by 78.2% of users aged 16-64.
Messenger captures 69.9% of this group.
Reaches 16.65 million Australians (62.7% of the population).
Facebook ads' reach grew by 11.7%, adding 1.8 million targets.
Before we start, remember that Aussie event planners still use old-school ad tools and they deliver, but digital times call for fresh approaches.
That said, Facebook Advertising needs a savvy game plan. Let’s dive in and make some noise for the fundraiser you planned tirelessly.
Goal
It may sound basic, but we start by setting your fundraiser goal. Whether it's event sign-ups, donations, or awareness - be specific! Select a goal when creating the Facebook ad. Track ads to see which audiences click leading to smart ad budgeting. For best results, try testing with multiple campaigns to see what works best for boosting donations, driving site traffic, and new supporters.
Quick tip: Since 2019, Facebook’s Special Ad Categories streamline ads on social issues, politics, credit, housing, and employment. If the fundraiser fits here, pick the ad category without skipping.
Right Audience
Dive into donor data to target the right supporters. Go long with demographics, interests, and behaviours. Leverage Custom and Lookalike Audiences, save Audiences for future use, and mix it up with Layered Targeting. Dodge ad fatigue with Audience Exclusions to optimise ad spend.
Facebook Ad Concepts
Fundraiser promotions usually use these,
Page Post Engagement Ads - Promote posts (already popular) from fundraiser host's or organisation's Facebook page to reach supporters directly.
Call to Action Ads - Drive traffic, event attendance, and follower growth. Add buttons for donations or learning about the event's purpose.
Content Is King
You need great ad content to trigger peak effect in the audience - try these tips,
Powerful CTAs: Use strong, clear calls-to-action in headlines.
Action Buttons: Add buttons to direct users to buy event tickets, donate or learn more.
Emotional Appeal: Share short, impactful stories to connect emotionally with your audience.
Visuals: Use high-quality images and videos to showcase the fundraiser's efforts.
Check out Facebook Creative Hub for help with ad creatives.
Scheduling
Use Ad Scheduling to post during peak times for the Aussie Facebook audience (1-3 PM Thursdays and Fridays), and engage with comments and reactions as a rule of thumb.
Finally,
Measure Success
Focus on Facebook Analytics like CTR, CPC, Conversion Rate, ROAS, and CPL. Monitor engagement and tweak the strategy if needed.
Take a look at these Facebook fundraiser ads.
Ad#1
Ad#2 - Facebook Reel
Ad#3 - Facebook Video
Ad#4 - Facebook Live
Facebook advertising gives you a killer edge in promoting fundraisers. Try mixing it with old-school ad tools for epic results.
How do you feel about using Facebook ads to promote fundraisers? Drop a comment and join the conversation!
Mathisha, this is a strong post with a very targeted and actionable directions. It's clear that you're a subjet matter on in this area and have experience promoting fundraisers on Facebook as your post goes into a lot of tactical detial. If I'm wrong about this, you've definitly fooled me! Given that this post almost falls into the 'how-to' genre of blog posts, I feel it could also benefit from some more screenshots of the process, or even just embedding the content of Ads #2, #3 and #4 into the post itself. Overall, a very informative post. Nice work!
Hi Mathisha,
I really enjoyed your blog post. The content was incredibly informative and provided clear, actionable steps for leveraging Facebook ads to boost fundraisers.
Your breakdown of Facebook's hyper-targeting and real-time tracking features was enlightening, and I now have a much clearer idea of how to set specific goals and track ad performance. The section on targeting the right audience using Custom and Lookalike Audiences was particularly useful, emphasising the importance of reaching the right supporters and avoiding ad fatigue. The tips on creating compelling content with strong calls-to-action, emotional appeals, and high-quality visuals were great reminders of what makes content engaging and effective.
However, I did notice a few areas that could enhance the readability and effectiveness of…