Should I Invest in Facebook Ads?

If you are a business broker that does primarily main street deals, you MUST be doing Facebook ads. Now, I know what you are saying…. I’ve done it in the past and the leads suck! Well, let me put it this way, there is a right and wrong way to just about everything. Done the right way, Facebook ads can consistently bring you in new deals every single month.

Before I get into the main benefits of running paid social ads, let me touch base with my middle market brokers. Yes, there are a lot of leads that come in from businesses doing $5 Million in revenue or less BUT… if you are looking for businesses doing over $5 Million in revenue, online Ads is still going to work for you. Your cost per lead will just be higher which is understandable. For those considering a broader approach to lead generation, exploring professional business broker lead generation services can lead to maximizing results.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let me break down why I strongly recommend that business brokers use Facebook ads for their lead generation.

Consistent Lead Flow

The #1 thing I hear brokers say when I talk to them at conferences is the following… “how can I get more listings?!”. One of the main reasons business brokers struggle to get listings is that they ride the classic broker roller coaster. They will get a referral, work the referral and then once it closes they have nothing in the pipeline.

Don’t be like this.

Running Facebook ads while you are working your referrals allows you to make sure your pipeline is always filled with new opportunities. Facebook ads(now called Meta Ads) constantly and consistently can find new leads in your market through their complex and extremely smart algorithm.

I’ve done cold email marketing, cold calling, LinkedIn Automation and Google ads. Each has their pros and cons but if you are looking consistent lead flow, Facebook ads will be your best bet.

For a detailed comparison of marketing platforms, check out our Best Marketing Channels For Business Brokers – Detailed Guide to see how Facebook ads stack up against other strategies.

Soft-Selling vs Hard Selling

There’s nothing like badgering a business owner a million times about selling their business and, by mere luck, hope that their response to you is positive and that they are, in fact, looking to sell their business. This shotgun approach does a lot more harm than good….trust me on this one.

When running ads on Facebook, we are positioning ourselves in front of the business owner but not doing it in a way that is annoying or confrontational. It’s similar to a billboard in the sense that you drive by it every day and one day when you need the service you’ll call. You aren’t cursing at every billboard you see because they are blocking your view. It’s a natural part of our driving environment.

As a result, the conversations that happen after the business owner submits their information is usually better and more productive. You aren’t saying sorry for your actions. You are coming in and saying, “hey I saw you submitted your information, how can I help?”. This leads to better rapport building and more closed deals.

For brokers seeking professional support to refine their ad strategies, ClientsIO – Marketing Agency for Business Brokers offers professional services to optimize ad performance and lead quality.

No Gate-Keepers or Conflicts

Have you every tried visiting or calling a business just to get stopped by a gate-keeper? It’s the worst!

When doing cold calling or running email campaigns, you can run into this problem. Not getting in front of the business owner when reaching out is almost pointless.

The other problem with these methods is brokers are talking about a very sensitive subject. The only person you should really be talking to about the business is the business owner. Calling and getting the secretary, saying you are with X Business Advisors, it just doesn’t look good. Especially if they see that their boss has been on the phone awhile after being transferred.

Millions of Business Owners to Target

Have you ever thought about how many business owners are on Facebook and Instagram? It’s over 200 Million!

I’ve talked to many business brokers who think that Facebook and Instagram are just full of young business owners that don’t have much to sell. According to Facebook, over 71% of people over the age of 50 have a Facebook. Your primary target is on Facebook. Don’t worry about that.

Summary

Facebook ads is one of many marketing channels business brokers can use to find new opportunities. While each platform has their pros and cons, Facebook has been the most consistent lead generation source I have used for business brokers.

Every year Google and Outlook make it harder to deliver cold emails to business owners. Every year Apple cracks down on the amount of spam calls and emails their customers receive. With AI now coming into the picture, it’s only going to get tougher.

Facebook will always prioritize people that pay them and this will never go away. Investing your marketing dollars into Facebook will lead to lifelong opportunities. You will not have to worry about your lead flow ever again.

If you want to learn more about how Facebook ads can benefit you in your business, schedule a call with us.