8 Ways to use Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads When You’re Not Ready to Sell

Contrary to popular beliefs you can actually run Facebook Ads and Instagram ads even if you're not ready to sell. Keep reading and I will show you 8 unique ways you can run successful Facebook Ads without having anything to sell.

So typically when people come to me, as a Facebook Ads consultant, to set up their Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads they want the ads to play as a catalyst of sorts in their overall sales funnel.

What's a sales funnel you say?

According to traffic and leads guru, Neil Patel, "a conversion funnel, or sales funnel, is the path that a prospect takes through your site that ultimately results in a conversion."

I like this definition...it's definitely a pathway type of situation and it's your job to be as intentional as possible every step along the path of your funnel. Now there are different models with different steps for customers to take along their journey with you.

Here is an example of a basic sales funnel.

Now a Facebook Ads Consultant can help you nudge people along the journey by using Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. The ads cannot be the complete path, but they can certainly help move customers along the path.

If you're interested in running Facebook Ads, but you're not ready to sell you can certainly begin nudging people along the pathway to you. This will ensure that they go from cold to warm and eventually too hot.

You can welcome people in as new leads with Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads, then nurture them on your email list or on your Instagram feed.

Eventually, when you are ready to sell to them you will have started a relationship with them that will increase the likelihood that they will buy from you.

Here are 8 reasons to run Facebook and Instagram ads when you do not have anything to sell:

1. Boost/Promote your content that is already on your Facebook or Instagram feeds and increase engagement.

a. Now by no means do I mean for you to hit that Boost or Promote button. Ugghhh!!! It limits you too much on the number of people you can reach for the same amount of money you would have spent if you went into Facebook Ads Manager to run the actual ads.

b. What I do mean for you to do here is used previously created content as ads in Facebook Ads manager

2. Create ads to drive people to your podcasts.

3. Promote your freebie or lead magnet and build your email list.

4. Drive traffic to your website. You can be strategic here by driving them to a specific blog post or page on your site that hosts something interesting for them to click on.

5. Run a Facebook Ad for Video Views. This will allow you to quickly see how interested a person is by how long they view your video. The video could be a new video not already on your Facebook or Instagram Feed. The video could also be previously released on your feed.

6. Run a Facebook Ad to send people/traffic to your Facebook page to Like the page or become a Fan.

7. You can run ads to promote a LIVE stream that you have done on Facebook. You could include a Call to Action here that invites them to future LIVE streams by turning on notifications, signing up for your email, leaving a comment to be notified via messenger, etc.

8. You can run ads to promote a Free Event that you've created an actual Facebook Event for within the Facebook App. The event could be a FREE LIVE series, challenge, etc.

I am sure there are probably A TON of other creative ways to promote your content and essentially yourself even if you have nothing to sell right now.

It's always a great thing to build an email list and to begin creating and nurturing relationships with otherwise cold leads and members of your audience.

You just have to be strategic and comfortable with not seeing an immediate monetary return on your investment.

Want to remove the guesswork from setting up a successful Facebook and Instagram Ad? Click here to join my 6-week program to walk you through setting up a successful List Building Facebook Ad.