100 Resources for Facebook Advertising Beginners
When it comes to Facebook advertising, you don’t want to impulsively dive in and learn as you go. Although there is always something new to learn, it’s important to educate yourself to craft a strategy that doesn’t spend any unnecessary dollars. It’s also important to seek out the best Facebook advertising agency, rather than just going with any ol’ company.
To help you get started, here’s a list of 100 useful resources for beginners.
Blogs Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Follow
- Influencer Marketing Hub: This website contains resources for influencers, including case studies, tools, and platform reviews. It also has a section with articles that focus on social media. Here you can find tips on digital marketing, from SEO to brand building, funnels, to, yes, Facebook ads.
- Social Media Examiner: This is an online resource for social media marketers. In addition to podcasts and video tutorials, the site provides a blog rich with how-tos and advice on Facebook advertising. In fact, the site has a section solely dedicated to Facebook ads.
- Jon Loomer: Unlike the aforementioned resources, Jon Loomer’s blog is dedicated only to Facebook. If you need help with the technical side of Facebook ads — setting up the pixel, understanding the Learning Phase, creating Dynamic Ads — Loomer’s blog is the best place to visit.
- Entrepreneur: Granted, this online publication focuses on general business topics, from learning to work remotely to taking business risks, highlighting emerging CEOs to creating a startup. However, Entrepreneur also covers topics related to Facebook, on both the paid and organic side.
- Mari Smith: Although Mari Smith’s blog covers general digital marketing topics, it also contains helpful resources related to Facebook marketing. A few of her Facebook-related articles include tips on how to increase reviews, updates on emerging features, and insights into the algorithm.
- Search Engine Land: As the name suggests, this website focuses on SEO and any other search-related topics. However, it does have a section dedicated to Facebook news, updates, and marketing tips.
- Facebook for Business: Owned by Facebook for Facebook advertisers, this website contains resources on how to grow your business using Facebook ads. Here, you have access to insights, which contain informative studies that inform your marketing strategy.
- Ad Espresso: The Ad Espresso blog contains guides that will help you understand Facebook ads. In fact, it has an intensive guide for Facebook advertising beginners.
- Business 2 Community: This website contains general topics related to business, including technology, life and entertainment, marketing, and world news. For Facebook advertisers, visit the sections “digital and social” or “sales and marketing.”
- Niel Patel: Niel Patel’s blog also covers a broad range of topics related to digital marketing. The most relevant to Facebook advertisers are the social media, paid ads, and online marketing sections.
News Sites Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Bookmark
- TechCrunch: This publication covers technology-related topics, including social media. Here, you will find news related to Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and company activities.
- Facebook Newsroom: If you wonder where the top media companies get their source for Facebook updates, here’s your answer: Facebook Newsroom. Here, you will find announcements on Facebook’s latest products, features, and policy updates.
- The Verge: This publication focuses on feature stories that explore how technology affects society and culture. If you’re interested in reading think pieces about Facebook, this is your source.
- Business Insider: If you’re interested in keeping track of current events as it relates to the business industry, then this is the publication to follow. Here, you’ll find topics related to finance, tech, strategy, and retail.
- Mashable: This website focuses on social media. You’ll find stories related to today’s most popular social networking companies, including Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. If you want to stay on top of updates to Facebook’s app and desktop devices, go here.
- Ad Age: This publication covers marketing and advertising, in particular, brands and agencies. The feature stories covered here are mostly opinion and think pieces.
- Social Media Today: Another website that covers today’s most popular social networking companies, Social Media Today offers a selection of news and advice-type articles.
- Digiday: Covering a wide range of topics related to the digital world, Digiday provides articles about marketing, television, and media.
- Forbes: You will find anything business related here. From crypto to sports, breaking news to billionaires. There is also coverage on Facebook.
- Wired: This online publication covers technology, science, business, gear, and culture. However, you will also find coverage on Facebook, particularly on CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the moves the company is making.
Groups Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Join
- Facebook Advertising Discussion Group: Owned and operated by AdvertiseMint, this group is best for Facebook marketers searching for help or resources. Simply post a question and group members will be there to give you advice.
- Mod Agency Insider: This is definitely not a spam group — you won’t find promotional posts here. However, the group moderator, Mandy McEwen, does post Tuesday promo threads, in which members can promote their latest blog post, resource, etc. There are also hiring and feedback threads.
- Facebook Ads Mastermind Group: There are no threads here, but members are welcome to post their questions about Facebook ads. Members are active, so your questions are likely to get a response.
- Facebook for Government, Politics, & Advocacy: If you want to learn more about running political ads on Facebook, this is your group. Run and operated by Facebook, this hub posts updates, live discussions with experts, and training resources. Members are not allowed to post to this group.
- Facebook Ads Made Easy: Comprising seasoned professionals, students, and business owners, this group aims to make advertising simple and easy through conversation. Members are encouraged to post their questions.
- 7-Figure Ecommerce Secrets: This group focuses on ecommerce, as it relates to Facebook advertising. If you have questions about connecting your Shopify store to a Facebook ad or increasing ecommerce sales, this is the place to ask.
- Facebook Ads for Beginners: This is also a place for Facebook advertising beginners to ask questions and request help from members. However, there are some light promotional posts found here, which indicates the moderator’s lax group policies.
- Click Funnels and Facebook Ad MasterMind: Here, you can ask questions related to click funnels and Facebook ads. You can also use this group as a board for services; for example, if you’re looking for an ad expert to help run your ads.
- Social Media Masterminds Group: This is a great place to share news related to the industry, do some light promotions, and ask questions. If you do decide to share a promotional post (for example, a link to your blog), do so sparingly — members will call you out.
- The Social Media Geek Out: This is a news and discussion group focusing on all things social media, from Twitter to Instagram, Snapchat to Facebook. Run by Matt Navarra.
Books Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Read
- The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising: A Facebook ads manual authored by AdvertiseMint CEO, Brain Meert, this book contains step-by-step guides on how to create Facebook ads from the ground up and tips on how to run campaigns successfully.
- Ultimate Guide to Facebook Marketing: Good for both beginners and intermediate advertisers, this book guides you through launching your first Facebook ad campaign to maintaining momentum.
- Ogilvy on Advertising: This book helps readers become advertisers. Here, Ogilvy provides tips on how to get into the advertising industry, how to write successful copy, and how to succeed as a marketer.
- Give: The Ultimate Guide to Using Facebook Advertising to Generate More Leads, More Clients, and Massive ROI: Here, author Nicholas Kusmich emphasizes one important point: Advertising isn’t the same. Old methods no longer work, so it’s time to create a new one. In this book, he focuses on Facebook marketing.
- Social Media Marketing Workbook: Best for social media marketers and small business owners, this book guides readers through content marketing on today’s most popular social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand Out From The Crowd: Author Allan Dib provides guidance on how to create a successful marketing plan that helps you grow your business. His tips include finding new customers, closing sales, and beating competitors.
- Seven Figure Social Selling: This 400-paged book by Brandon Bornancin contains tips on getting more leads, appointments, and sales. It also provides actionable advice related to social selling and attracting ideal customers.
- Facebook Advertising: Crack the Facebook Ad Code: This book promises to help you reach at least 43 percent of your potential clients, offering insights into reducing campaign costs, increasing conversions, and resolving account issues.
- Marketing 4.0: Moving from Traditional to Digital: Written by several experts, this book teaches you how to grab the attention of your target audience and deliver your marketing messages. It also discusses changes to the industry brought by technological advancements.
- Digital Marketing for Dummies: This guide shows you how to use proven digital marketing strategies to reach your audience, gain exposure for your brand, and generate revenue. It also touches on SEO and SEM best practices.
Courses Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Take
- Facebook Blueprint: Created by Facebook, this free course helps you understand the social media platform, from both the organic and paid side. You will learn the basics, from objectives to ad formats to ad creation to marketing strategies.
- LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn’s course provides online video tutorials led by seasoned marketers. You can choose from a selection of lessons from the program’s extensive library, including social media marketing, content marketing, and marketing tools. A monthly subscription is required to access materials.
- General Assembly: General Assembly provides a selection of live classes, from Photoshop to coding to Facebook advertising. AdvertiseMint’s very own CEO, Brain Meert, has taught at General Assembly.
- 2020 Facebook/Instagram Advertising Course: This course teaches you how to launch ad campaigns, use advanced features, create Custom and Lookalike Audiences, and target specific users.
- HubSpot’s Facebook Ads Training: This free course, which lasts for 1 hour and 24 minutes, contains 4 lessons, 15 videos, and 2 quizzes. You will learn how to generate leads, design successful campaigns, and run ads with a daily budget of $1.
- Brain Station’s Social Media Marketing Course: A course that can be taken in person or online, it offers guidance on building a social media campaign, creating engaging posts, and evaluating campaign performance.
- The Complete Facebook Ads Course – Beginning to Advanced: Spanning almost six hours, this course provides 47 lessons, including the basics of creating Facebook ads, creating and segmenting audiences, and split testing.
- Facebook Ads and Facebook Marketing Mastery 2020: This 13-hour course contains 104 lectures on topics that include the basics of Facebook ads, pages, and pixels. It also offers guidance on reporting, insights, and optimization.
- The Complete Facebook Marketing Masterclass: This masterclass focuses on helping you reach new customers, optimizing ads and pages, and developing good marketing strategies.
- Creating Effective Paid Ads on Facebook: For 18 lessons spanning 3 hours in total, you will learn how to use Facebook’s advanced targeting tools to reach customers, generate brand awareness, and capture leads.
Video Guides Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Watch
- Facebook Ads for Beginners 2020: This hour-long video walks you through building your first Facebook ad campaign. The live tutorial allows you to follow along as you create your own campaign.
- Facebook Ads Tutorial 2020: This video not only shows you how to create Facebook ads, but it also breaks down the different levels of Ads Manager.
- How to Write Facebook Ads That Convert Like Crazy: Although not a tutorial like the first two, this 15-minute video gives you tips on how to create ads that convert and insights into the three Facebook ads that perform well on the platform.
- Facebook Ads in 2020: This video is also not a tutorial. Rather, it explains the different levels of Ads Manager, Custom Audiences, Lookalike Audiences, and the Facebook Pixel.
- From $0 to $10,000/Month with Facebook Ads in 30 Days: This video shows you the five ways to scale Facebook ads and generate sales, as told by someone who made $0 to $10,000 per month.
- Facebook Ads for Dropshipping 2020: Here, you’ll learn how to run Facebook ads as they relate to dropshipping. You will also learn how to split test and scale your campaigns.
- The 7 Types of Facebook Ads and How to Use Them: This video walks you through Facebook’s collection of ad objectives and the best ways to use them. The video also includes footage of Ads Manager, where the objectives are located.
- The Best Campaign Objectives You Should Be Using in 2020: Here, you’ll learn how to choose the right objective so you can lower your ad costs and increase sales.
- How to Target Buyers with Facebook Ads: This video is best for beginners who are not yet skilled in ad targeting. It shows you Facebook’s targeting tools and how to create the right criteria to target people most likely to buy.
- How to Get 11x Engagement on Your Facebook Ad: This short 8-minute video shares advice on how to increase the engagement on your Facebook ad.
Thought Leaders Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Follow
- Brian Meert is the Founder and CEO of AdvertiseMint. With more than 15 years of experience in marketing, Meert helps clients generate revenue through social media. He is also the author of The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising.
- Mari Smith is a Facebook marketing expert who offers mentorship through online training and events. She is the author of The New Relationship Marketing and co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day.
- Jon Loomer is a Facebook marketing strategist who helps business owners maximize the benefits of Facebook’s platform. His website, JonLoomer.com, was listed in Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Social Media Blogs of 2013.
- Neil Patel is a public speaker and entrepreneur whose work has been recognized by Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. He is the co-author of Hustle.
- Amy Porterfield is the CEO and podcast host of Online Marketing Made Easy. Through masterclasses and guides, Porterfield helps people scale their business online.
- Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Facebook. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Zuckerberg is best to follow for updates to the company and the social network’s platform.
- Gary Vaynerchuck is the CEO of VaynerMedia. Also a public speaker and a best-selling author, Vaynerchuck has expanded his agency to multiple locations, including London and New York.
- Nicholas Kusmich is a Facebook marketer who helps business owners increase revenue through Facebook. His clientele includes thought leaders and NYT best-selling authors.
- Heidi Cohen is the chief content officer of Actionable Marketing Guide. She provides insights on topics including social media, content marketing, and mobile.
- Kim Garst is a speaker, thought leader, and co-founder of Boom! Social. An online business owner for more than 28 years, Garst is the author of Will the Real You Please Stand Up: Show Up, Be Authentic, and Prosper in Social Media.
Podcasts Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Listen to
- The Duke of Digital Podcast is hosted by AdvertiseMint CEO Brian Meert. Bringing in industry experts and public figures, including Wave Car COO Zoli Honig, Meert discusses topics related to digital advertising, online businesses, and marketing.
- Modern Marketing Engine is hosted by CMO of Vengreso Bernie Borges. With guests who are experts in the industry, Borges discusses audience targeting, results-driven strategies, and more.
- The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, hosted by John Jantsch, discusses topics such as entrepreneurship, business, and branding.
- Marketing Made Easy is hosted by Amy Poerterfield, who talks about online marketing topics with industry experts.
- This Old Marketing pays tribute to the old tactics — telling stories, retaining customers — that are now used in online marketing. This show is hosted by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose.
- Smart Passive Income features some of the most popular marketers in the industry, including Gary Vaynerchuck, Amy Porterfield, and Tim Ferriss.
- Marketing School is a podcast hosted by duo Neil Patel and Eric Siu. They talk about all things digital, including Google, SEO, email marketing, and so much more.
- Growth Marketing Toolbox explores the best in growth marketing tools and technology. Join Nicholas Scalice as he talks about social media, commerce, advertising, and more.
- Modern Retail Podcast, produced by Digiday, features executives in the retail industry. Past guests include Burrow CEO Stephen Kuhl, Parachute founder Ariel Kaye, and Recess CEO Benjamin Witte.
- Don’t Get Me Started is a podcast about advertising, hosted by Dan Blaser, head of the advertising department at The Creative Circus. Rather than focusing on the industry, however, Dan focuses on the people.
Events Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Attend
- Facebook F8 is an annual conference created for developers and entrepreneurs who use the platform to build products and services. This event includes updates to Facebook and its family of apps, Oculus, and other Facebook-owned products.
- Social Media Strategies Summit is a two-day event made especially for social media marketers. The agenda includes conferences about social media, digital advertising, and marketing.
- Strategic Marketing USA is a Reuters event that promises more than 25 sessions, 40 speakers, and networking opportunities. Speakers come from well-known brands such as Reddit, LinkedIn, and PBS.
- At DigiMarCon World, guests can hear from experts in the digital marketing industry, gain insights, discover effective strategies, and network with leaders.
- Facebook for Business holds various virtual and in-person events for business owners and marketers advertising on the platform. Past events include lectures on maintaining a business during COVID-19, Blueprint training, and talks on strategies.
- Social Media Marketing World is perfect for marketers, agency owners, and consultants. Past speakers included Mari Smith, Jon Loomer, and Jasmine Star.
- At Social Media Week, attendees gather to speak to industry leaders, network, and participate in fun activities. The event includes more than 300 speakers and 150 sessions.
- Ad Exchanger Industry Preview focuses on the future of marketing technology: What to expect in the next 12 months. The event includes speakers, sessions, and networking opportunities.
- SXSW features speakers ready to discuss advertising, marketing, and branding. Attendees have the chance to participate, learn, and network.
- Digital Growth Unleashed focuses on attracting the right audience, understanding the customer journey, A/B testing, and more.
Quizzes Facebook Advertising Beginners Should Take
- Ad Espresso: This 24-question quiz will test your knowledge on Facebook’s policies, advertising tools and features, ad specs, campaigns, strategies, analysis, and optimization. The quiz takes 14 minutes to complete.
- John Loomer: With 30 questions in total, this quiz will test your Facebook advertising knowledge. You’ll be asked to identify advertising tools, answer technical questions, and solve scenario-based problems.
- AdvertiseMint: Best for beginners, this 20-question quiz comes in two parts. You’ll be tested on terminology, Facebook’s policies, advertising objectives, and more.
- Facebook for Business: This quiz gauges your expertise and suggests Blueprint courses based on your results.
- Social Bakers: In this quiz, you will answer questions related to ad objectives, targeting, placements, and more.
- Kavod Digital: Here, you’ll be tested on your media buying skills. To succeed, you must know the best strategies to run and manage ads on Facebook.
- SocialWize: With only 6 questions to answer, you can finish this quiz in five minutes. Questions err on the beginner’s side.
- 99 Signals: These 16 questions will test your Facebook marketing expertise. You will be asked about headlines, objectives, ad formats, and more.
- Facebook Blueprint Practice Test – Buying: This practice test will measure your media-buying knowledge and prepare you for the Blueprint exam to get your certification. This is highly recommended for people planning to get Facebook Blueprint Certified.
- Facebook Blueprint Practice Test – Planning: This 30-question practice test will measure your media-planning knowledge. It is highly recommended for marketers seeking to get the Blueprint Media Planning Professional certification.
With the help of these sources, you can discover the benefits of Facebook marketing and create a winning campaign strategy with confidence. As a platform, Facebook is constantly changing its tools and options for advertisers, so it’s never too late to learn the ins and outs or test your knowledge!
By Anne Felicitas