A few months ago, Facebook launched it’s new “Facebook Ads” program that allows advertisers (or PPC middlemen) to connect with consumers via ads on Facebook. The ads are simple, consisting of a title, small picture, and a description text. The program runs a lot like your typical bid as if you just targetted male/female students from 20-25 in the USA, you’d be running at $0.75 - $0.85 / click. For most, this isn’t going to convert at all. However, if you do a little “targetted” marketing, you can lower that CPC and get clicks for a lot cheaper - and a lot more targetted.

The absolute key here is - simplicity and direct targeting. A key feature in Facebook ads is the ability to direct market to people with particular interests. Facebook Ads allows you to provide a list of keywords that people have in their list of hobbies/activities. Let’s say you want to advertise a dating service for Christians. A lot of Christians will put “Jesus” or “God” or famous Christian bands/singers in their profile. Add these as your keywords. This will not only decrease the CPC, but it will directly target the niche of the product you are offering.

Once you find a profitable campaign (and let’s be honest, the Christian example is already overpopulated on Facebook, so don’t even waste your time doing that one), scale it. By “scaling,” use similar products and similar campaign styles based on the one that is profitable. Just spend a few days testing and trying a bunch of different campaigns. Good luck!

For this week’s Thursday Tip, I will be introducing a quick and easy way to make a few extra dollars per day. This strategy has been rarely used is great way to make some extra money.

The idea: Create a website based upon one product

We will consider the iPhone first. I have a friend who has setup a standard iPhone website with pictures, information, a blog, and a product page that has links to purchase the iPhone (on eBay, etc). His iPhone website is located here. This site is simple, and straight to the point. The key is simplicity. If someone is looking to buy an iPhone, the blog information, iPhone specifications, pictures, and product information page are all key to making the sale.

To create a website based on a product, you have to first select a product. A good idea is to find a product that has been recently introduced, and is good for sales. Find a product that can be found on eBay, as well.

The next step is to install Wordpress. With Wordpress, you can create pages, write blog posts, and be able to create the content that you need. This does require some HTML experience (as you will see in later steps to incorporate ads), so be ready. Once you have Wordpress installed, find a good-looking template that suits the product best. You can find a bunch of free Wordpress templates at WPSkins.

Now you have your simple blog ready. Now, you need to select a name for the website. For the iPhone website, my friend named it “Purchasing an iPhone.” You want to convey through your title that you are intending to provide information for your product and give users a way to find this product and buy it (or get it for free, as I will explain in following steps). Several ideas are: iPhone HQ, buyiPhone, Planet iPhone, etc. The name just needs to be convincing and that your site is not just “another” site selling iPhones. Sell it!

“Content is king”
Once your website is setup, you will need to add content. To add new pages, go into the Wordpress admin area and select “Write” then “Write Page.” You can use HTML to add in content as well as use the GUI (graphical user interface) HTML editor. Research your product and find unique information, unique pictures, and useful information to someone who is buying the product. This will help you make a sale because it lets the potential purchaser that you know what you are talking about. Some good tips are to include a nice picture gallery of the device, a video of the device in action, links to cnet.com reviews about the product, user comments about the item, and an option for users to submit information regarding the product (and home photos). Setup a media page for pictures and video content for the product you are trying to sell. Also setup a specification page that shows appropriate specifications for the product. Make it fit!

Appeal to your targeted audience
Once you have good content for your product (and sufficient pages), add a contact page (to show that you are serious and willing to respond to people who email in for advise, questions, etc). Also furnish the home page with a recent blog entry about things like: new shipments of the product, new press releases from product manufacturer, recent information about the product, other places to check out that has information about the product. This will show that your page is actively updated and the potential purchaser will find this attractive.

Next, the Advertisements:
The ads. I recommend using AuctionAds for some eBay advertisements. These advertisements do well and you will be paid on commission for the sales you make from AuctionAds (read more about AuctionAds from a previous blog article, here). To signup for AuctionAds, click here. Use the AuctionAds ad creator to create a nice ad (that will fit a blog post) to link users to buy your selected product through eBay. Now, write a new highlighted blog (that will always stay at the top) to show people where to get your product cheap. Write a nice article (not too long, just a paragraph or so) and then include the AuctionAds HTML in that blog. Include the AuctionAds HTML all around your site and make sure that it is very noticeable and still fits your websites design.

Second Advertisement Recommendation: Freebies
Everyone wants a free iPhone, right? Signup with an affiliate network (I recommend Neverblueads) and locate a “freebie” campaign that allows banner/text/search traffic for the product you are selling. This will pay anywhere from $1.35 per lead to $1.75 per lead. Now, write an article saying “For a limited time, get XXX product for free! Click here!” Navigate these users to the affiliate site and you will earn from this as well! This provided the majority of the income from my friends website.

Market It!
Now that you have created your new site, market it! Use the tips in this blog (specifically, the top 25 Marketing Tips for your Blog). Utilize sites like Digg.com, StumbleUpon.com and other social bookmarking sites. Make trades in the Freebies section of the Digitalpoint Forums and try and build up a solid link base.

Remember to use my friend’s site as an example and please comment below with your new site once you have created it and I will review it and let you know what you should ad or change.