Targeted promotion on Facebook and Instagram involves displaying advertisements to users who have a high probability of performing the target action (viewing a page, filling out a form, calling, etc.).
In this case, we will tell you how SMM promotion on Facebook helped attract an interested audience for employment in Israel. How to work with one advertising goal - Calls, also within the established schedule for displaying ads? Let's look further.
The Client is an employment company in Israel.
Our Client is an HR agency specializing in employment issues in Israel. The experience accumulated since 2013 contributes to the successful solution of problems in personnel selection and personnel consulting.
The main advantage of the Client is a professional approach. The company cooperates with many facilities and institutions in need of personnel (hotels, hospitals, geriatric boarding houses, etc.). The agency provides official employment and also provides comprehensive support for the candidate throughout the entire path to the employer.
Our cooperation began in January 2020. The co-founder of an HR agency was in search of new channels for business development on the Internet and, on the recommendation of friends, turned to ITForce. At that time, we already had a successful case of setting up targeted advertising on Facebook and Instagram for a company working in the field of employment abroad. ITForce specialists had relevant experience and ability to work in the niche, and this also contributed to the Client’s decision regarding future cooperation with our marketing agency.
The Client contacted ITForce in order to attract potential employees to fill current vacancies for an HR agency in the Israeli market.
Setting up targeted advertising for an HR employment agency in Israel
We begin work on promotion on social networks Facebook and Instagram with the formation of a promotion strategy on social networks.
The work that we have planned to perform as part of the service for setting up and launching targeted advertising:
- creating, registering and setting up accounts on Facebook and Instagram;
- creating a content plan for social networks;
- creating graphic material for content;
- setting up regular posting;
- setting up an advertising account and launching advertising campaigns;
- attracting subscribers and potential clients using targeted advertising;
- hashtag optimization.
At the beginning of our work, we analyzed competitors, identified their working practices and proposals for attracting potential clients, and adapted them to the needs of the employment project in Israel. We determined the types of content for publications and identified the target audience (age, interests, geo-affiliation) to which we will direct advertising.
We defined promotion goals:
- formation of a positive image of the agency;
- increasing awareness;
- attracting subscribers (potential clients);
- creating trust in the brand;
- receiving calls from social networks.
The owner of the HR agency did not use Facebook and Instagram advertising tools to cooperate with us. Consequently, our Client did not have business pages on Meta platforms, which are prerequisites for running advertising.
First work in advertising settings:
- creating Facebook and Instagram pages, filling them with content (at least 3 publications to be able to run advertising);
- connecting a payment card to your account.
- creating an advertising account, Facebook Ads Manager and linking accounts to each other.
The market in which we operate is highly competitive. A coordinated SMM promotion strategy includes the publication of advertisements with open vacancies. The purpose of being present on social networks is to inspire trust and be useful to the audience. On social networks we provide information about the HR agency, regularly announce current vacancies, providing potential candidates with clear and specific information about the work and working conditions. This approach helps to attract attention and increase audience interest.
The Client's company belongs to a special category of advertising, and such campaigns have their own targeting parameters. This must be taken into account when setting up your target.
Through some technical issues at the beginning of the project, we worked with promotional documents. We present the data that we obtained by promoting messages on social networks.
Fig. 1 – Efficiency of launching promotional publications on Instagram
61 promotional publications were launched on Instagram and Facebook to audiences with relevant interests, geolocation and demographic parameters during the first reporting period of 2020.
Data received from targeted advertising:
- 126,459 impressions in Instagram and Facebook placements;
- 46,144 users reached;
- 115 saved publications;
- 46 reposts of publications;
- 22 targeted requests received in Direct;
- 2 ₪ approximate average cost per action.
The number of reposts and saved publications indicates the interest of users in vacancies. Direct messages confirm this and indicate that we are reaching a truly warm audience - ready to act, that is, ready to work in Israel.
The result obtained was quite acceptable for our Client, and then we continued to work on optimizing advertising campaigns in order to increase the number of queries for posted advertisements.
During the course of cooperation, at certain points the project paused several times, and in February 2023 we resumed work on promoting the project with a target on Facebook. That is Facebook is the only promotion channel since February 2023.
The main goal of launching targeted advertising for the client is leads, that is, receiving calls from ads. The target audience is people who are looking for work in Israel and have official documents to stay in the country.
Coordinated work plan for launching advertisements on Meta social networks:
- receiving information about vacancies from the Client;
- creation of a vehicle for developing banners;
- coordinating and making changes to ad texts and banners;
- launch of creatives according to the approved display schedule.
Our cooperation is structured in such a way as to quickly respond to client edits and make timely adjustments to advertising banners.
Text ads are concise and informative, they provide the audience with maximum useful information. A relevant description combined with an image in the style of a Facebook page helps to attract attention and receive reviews for vacancies. Thus, client managers handle a large number of targeted calls, and agency vacancies are filled quickly.
Examples of advertisements:
Fig. 2 – Examples of customized ads for an HR agency
In advertisements, it is important for us to show basic information that will interest a potential candidate and encourage him to contact the agency. For example, the Message goal could bring in more audiences than Calls. After all, ads with the Message purpose can be shown at any time and without a schedule: for example, if a person is browsing social networks in the evening, then candidates could write a message to the account and receive a response from the manager in the morning.
Our Client chose the goal Convenience calls - this way advertising is shown only during the work period of HR agency managers, that is, each call is processed and has a timely response.
Upd. In February 2024, we decided to test the Message goal, so read the case further - in the Targeted Advertising Results section there is data on the success of the experiment.
Results of the first month of advertising:
Fig. 3 – Results of the first month of targeted advertising on Facebook
The screenshot shows two main campaigns that were running in the spring of 2023.
Advertising campaigns brought:
- 22,772 ad impressions;
- 8,860 users were reached by advertising;
- 763 unique ad clicks received from the client's ad;
- 70 clicks to initiate a phone call;
- 10.75 ₪ is the average price.
We can say that 70 clicks on the Call button account for about 9% of the total number of clicks on the ad. That is, on average, every 9th click resulted in a call to the agency.
We have translated all Facebook account content into English as of June 2023. We also analyzed current vacancies and geographic institutions that needed personnel. Based on the analysis we:
- introduced changes to the account structure;
- segmented the audience by city and district with a corresponding coverage radius (after all, every city in Israel needs workers of various specialties);
- Changed the ad display schedule.
Thus, we were able to distribute advertising funds in such a way as to receive the maximum number of calls at a lower cost within the budget agreed with the Client.
Facebook Targeted Advertising Results
While collaborating with the client, we had several pauses in work, so we will share data for the last reporting periods - when advertising was shown exclusively in English on the social network Facebook. We will compare the periods October-December and July-September 2023.
Fig. 4 – Comparative results of the target for an HR agency
Comparative results of the target:
- +55.76% to the number of calls;
- +146.43% to user coverage;
- +216.13% to ad impressions.
Separately, we provide screenshots of the price for the result (Call purpose):
Fig. 5 – Price per result (goal Call)
A screenshot from Facebook Ads shows the price increase, moreover, it has a different value for each geo. Why this is true: The Client’s ad reached a larger audience in the fall than in the summer. We also draw attention to the situation in the country - in October, a war began in Israel, which directly affects the number of applications and demand among candidates. It is also important that due to the martial law, the majority of Israeli citizens began to change their location, which also affected the target indicators.
Fig. 6 – Increase in spending on targeted advertising
There is also an 83% increase in advertising costs. The main goal for the end of 2023 is to increase the number of calls based on advertisements to fill vacancies, and this is possible, among other things, subject to an increase in advertising costs.
For example, the price per call in August and December 2023:
Fig. 7 – Price per call in August and December 2023
We see differentiation in the price per call - the smaller the city in terms of population, the higher the cost of calling. As a result, the average cost of a call increases in those Israeli cities where advertising is deployed.
The approximate cost of a call for a Client is up to 10 ₪. We received a similar price for treatment, and even lower provided there was peace in the country. However, given the changes in Israel's circumstances and the results obtained, we are adapting to the current conditions.
Experiment - testing the goal Message
Our team systematically improves campaigns to achieve greater scale of results. As a result, as an experiment, we were able to test the Message goal - we set up 3 advertising campaigns in the main cities of Israel, whose institutions need personnel. For some time, LCDs with configured goals worked in the Client’s account in parallel.
Fig. 8 – Goal testing results Messages for targeted advertising
Although the customized advertising campaigns are still being adapted, preliminary data indicates the success of our experiment - during the week of operation of the residential complex, the Client received 44 requests via the messenger at an acceptable average price of 10 ₪. At the same time, 21 calls are recorded with an average price of 24 ₪, which is higher than the acceptable CPL client. Our experiment is currently ongoing and as of the end of February 2024, we are testing the Message goal separately (campaigns with the Call goal are temporarily disabled).
The ITForce team continues to monitor the results of targeted advertising and work on optimizing campaigns for the purpose of the Message. We work within the framework of a scalable and increasing proportionally to the approved budget with an increase in the number of leads received from targeted advertising on Facebook to achieve the goal of SMM promotion.
