My Facebook ad finished its run yesterday, and frankly, I'd have to say it was a partial success. The ad directed people who already expressed interest in paranormal romance to a post on Special Offers' FB page, describing the book and detailing where to buy it. I was charged - I think - every time someone clicked on the ad.
The Good: I got over a hundred "likes" on my FB page. And along with the likes, I got some good feedback from some people on a variety of topics related to Special Offers.
The Bad: I didn't get that many sales. About 10% of those who liked the page actually bought the book. Which is a little confusing to me; I would have thought when someone liked the book's page, they would be somewhat inclined to shell out the 0.99 to read it. At first, I wondered if many of those who liked but didn't buy were people that didn't own an eReader, or didn't realize that they could download the Kindle app for free for their computer. I posted asking if the lack of an actual print version was preventing some from purchasing, but only three people said they'd buy it if it existed as a paperback.
The Ugly: I still don't completely understand the FB ad stuff. You get a whole crap-load of "statistics" about how many people your ad has reached, how often people click, etc, but I never got to see what the ad actually looked like. And I have no idea if my goal of getting more sales would have been better accomplished by directing the ad to the book's Amazon page rather than its FB page. Because whether I like it or not, the vast majority of sales are through Amazon. Sure, a few have bought the Nook or iPad versions. But 99% of my "sales" through Smashwords have occurred during various free promotions.
In an attempt to make some sense from the bewildering world of the FB ad, I started a new, smaller ad campaign. This ad directs people who are interested in romance books (presumably a wider audience than before) to a new post on the book's FB page. This time, I should only be charged - I think - when someone actually goes to the book's Amazon page. Or maybe not. Which brings me back to the ugly part. It is unbelievably difficult to figure out what has to happen to be charged. So what I think I'm paying for might not be anywhere close to what I'm actually getting. And the forums are no help at all. I think it is because everyone is as confused as am, but too embarrassed to admit they are clueless. Seriously, I have a Ph.D., albeit not in advertising or marketing, and I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants here. So much for higher education.
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