Do ads work for membership sites?
We asked an ads expert with over 100 million in ad spend what he thought and here’s his answer…
Click here to watch the FULL interview
By the end of the video, you’ll have learned which ad platforms and strategies are best for your membership site.
- Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads – Fundamental Differences.
- The 50-in-7 Rule for Facebook Ads
- Top of funnel traffic strategies and where most people go wrong (asking for the sale too early).
- Should you be doing retargeting and if so which platform?
If you enjoy what you hear and want to learn more from Eric, visit his site: https://slingshotmediaconsulting.com/
Watch the Full Interview with Eric:
Are Paid Ads Actually Effective for Membership Sites?
Here are Eric’s insights from managing over $100 million in Facebook ad spend.
Which Ad Platform Should Membership Sites Use? (02:55)
Eric explains that you should be using ALL channels and platforms – omnichannel ads. However, depending on your business model you’ll direct budget toward certain platforms. If you were a plumbing company, you would lean in on Google Ads since people are searching for a solution. If you’re an eCommerce brand, Facebook would be better to interrupt people scrolling.
For membership sites, Eric shares you’ll be able to use Facebook to target the “top of funnel” traffic and get leads.
You have to think about where your customers are.
If you’re targeting consumers directly, Facebook may be better.
If business executives, LinkedIn may be better.
If your membership or course solves a specific problem people are searching for, Google may be better.
Use Facebook Forms to Get Better Ad Traction (15:00)
A quick tip Eric shared is to use Facebook Lead Forms if you’re selling something high ticket – over $100 as a general rule.
The reason is that the latest IOS updates prevent conversion data from being tracked properly on Apple devices. This lowers the feedback Facebook receives meaning it can’t optimize who it’s showing your ad to as well.
Using the Facebook Lead Forms is a workaround to this but Eric explains it’s only worth it for higher end products since less people will fill out the form vs click a regular ad.
The 50-in-7 Rule for Facebook Ads (26:00)
The 50-in-7 rule is the idea that you need to get 50 goals/conversions/actions in each 7 day rolling period.
For example, if you’re targeting lead form opt-ins, you want to get 50 of those in each 7 day period.
You want to go as deep in the funnel as you can though. Eric says many will just think about clicks. It’s easy to get clicks from people who won’t actually take any further action. Not qualified buyers.
A better target for membership sites would be 50 webinar registrations, 50 lead magnet opt-ins, etc.
For most membership sites, asking for a sale from the ad won’t get you to that 50 target. This is too deep in the funnel.
Eric explains it’s a balancing act between how many actions can you get to take place vs. how deep in the funnel can you have those actions be. Once you figure it out for your membership site, you’ll be off to the races.
