Though they can seem intimidating at first, Facebook and Instagram ads aren’t as complicated as they seem. And with a little knowledge and a couple bucks, a photographer can turn those ads into bookings. Want proof? Take a look at how senior photographer Teri Fode and headshot photographer Kristina Houser made back their money and then some with $100 and a Facebook video ad, created with Animoto.
With senior photography season coming up, Teri decided to experiment with using video in a Facebook ad. She spent $50 to reach seniors and $50 to reach their parents in her area, creating an ad for both that featured her best images, but was still was quick, with easy-to-read mobile-friendly text.
Marketing Video Style: Bold
Song: “Shake This Party Up” by Curious
The video brought in 3 new bookings, and those bookings amounted to $9,500, meaning by narrowly targeting her audience, she was able to find the right clients for her and make a huge return on her $100 investment.
For her ad, Kristina created a video featuring her headshots. While she shoots a variety of types of photos, she hoped the lower entry cost of headshots would bring in clients who might later book her for family or wedding photos.
Marketing Video Style: Blank Slate
Song: “Anger is a Bush” by Oshmusik
Once the video hit her Facebook business page and was promoted through Facebook Ads Manager, Kristina’s business began to see results. The month the Facebook video ad ran, Kristina booked 16 headshots — more than one and a half times her usual business, and 7 of those bookings came from the Facebook video.
And that’s just the initial wave — on the day her ad ran, Kristina’s website saw 27 times its average number of daily visitors, increasing the number of people who know about her business and may remember her brand for the future.
Encouraged by the attention the ad brought her business, Kristina is working on more Facebook ads for the future. She shared, “I can’t wait to make marketing videos for all genres that we shoot.”
You can find out more about Kristina’s story, and the experiences of other businesses succeeding with video on our Success Stories page. Or if you have a success story of your own, post it in the comments below, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter to share how you’ve been improving your business with video.
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