Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand what paid advertising is, why it's important, and how it differs from free (organic) marketing strategies.
📘 Introduction
Paid advertising is when you pay a platform like Facebook, Google, Instagram, or YouTube to promote your product, service, or content to a specific group of people. It is also called "sponsored content" or "paid promotions."
Unlike free marketing where you grow slowly over time, paid ads help you reach more people faster, especially those who don’t follow or know your brand yet.
Let’s break it down in a simple way.
💡 Key Concepts
1. Paid vs. Organic
Organic reach = Free content (like posting on your Facebook page without paying)
Paid reach = You pay to boost your content and reach targeted users
2. Why Use Paid Advertising?
Fast audience growth
Target people by location, interests, age, or behavior
Promote new products, events, or services
Get more traffic to your website or YouTube
Increase sales and sign-ups
3. Where Can You Run Paid Ads?
Google Ads – shows your site in Google search results
Facebook & Instagram Ads – show on news feeds and stories
YouTube Ads – show before or during videos
TikTok & X (Twitter) Ads – for creative video campaigns
LinkedIn Ads – great for business and job-related content
4. How It Works
You create a post or banner, choose your target audience, set a budget (e.g., $5 a day), and the platform shows your ad to the right people. You pay only when someone sees, clicks, or interacts with it (depending on your settings).
📝 Activity
Look at a social media app (like Facebook or Instagram). Find at least 2 posts marked as “Sponsored.” Screenshot them or write down what they’re advertising. What do you notice about the images, captions, or call-to-action?
✅ Summary
Paid advertising helps businesses grow fast by reaching the right people with the right message—quickly. While organic marketing is important, adding paid ads can boost your results. In the next lessons, we’ll explore how to use these platforms step by step.
🎯 Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand what Facebook Boosting is, how it works, and why it’s a simple but powerful method to grow their audience, promote their offers, and build visibility — even on a small budget.
📘 Introduction
Let’s say you post a great video or announcement on your Facebook page — and only a few people see it. Why? Facebook’s algorithm usually shows posts to just a small number of your followers.
But with a small budget, you can make that post reach hundreds — or even thousands — of the right people. This is called boosting.
Boosting is Facebook’s simplest advertising method. You don’t need to be a professional marketer. Just pick your post, choose your audience, and set your budget — and your post will reach more people, even those who don’t follow your page.
Think of it as paying to “amplify” your best content.
💡 What Is Facebook Boosting?
Boosting is when you pay Facebook to promote one of your existing posts to a larger audience. You choose who sees it, how long it runs, and how much you want to spend.
Use boosting when you want to:
Increase engagement (likes, shares, comments)
Promote a sale or special announcement
Get more views on a video
Drive people to your website or WhatsApp
Grow your page with more followers
Boosting works best on content that is already performing well — a good photo, video, or post that has some likes or shares.
🛠️ How to Boost a Facebook Post
Step 1: Go to Your Facebook Page
Pick a post you want to promote — ideally one that already has good engagement.
Step 2: Click the “Boost Post” Button
This opens up the ad setup options.
Step 3: Choose Your Goal
What do you want people to do? Options include:
Get more engagement
Get more messages
Drive traffic to a link (e.g., your course, product, or YouTube)
Step 4: Select Your Audience
Define who should see your ad:
Age group
Gender
Location (e.g., Malawi, Blantyre, or Africa-wide)
Interests (e.g., small business, digital skills, farming, fashion)
Step 5: Set Your Budget and Duration
Start small:
➤ Example: $2 per day for 3 days = $6
Facebook shows you how many people you’re likely to reach.
Step 6: Review and Confirm
Check everything and click Boost Now. Facebook usually approves your ad in under an hour.
✅ Benefits of Boosting
✔ Simple to use – No need for Ads Manager or technical skills
✔ Low budget friendly – Start with $1 or $2
✔ Target the right people – Reach people who may never have seen your page
✔ Immediate results – Start seeing reactions within hours
✔ Great for small businesses – Build awareness without spending too much
📝 Activity
1. Visit Facebook and look for posts marked “Sponsored” — these are boosted or paid ads. What kind of content are people boosting?
2. If you have a page, choose one post, boost it with a small amount, and track what happens over 2–3 days. Who saw it? What was the result?
✅ Summary
Facebook Boosting is the fastest and easiest way to advertise online. With just a small budget, you can promote your best posts and reach new people — no technical skills needed. As you gain confidence, you can later explore Facebook Ads Manager for more control and deeper results.
Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand how to use WhatsApp in advertising, how it connects with Facebook ads, and how to set up a campaign that brings customers directly into their inbox.
📘 Introduction
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in Africa and around the world. Many businesses use it to talk directly with customers. But did you know you can run paid ads that send people straight to your WhatsApp?
This is called Click-to-WhatsApp Advertising, and it's one of the best ways to start real conversations that lead to sales.
💡 How WhatsApp Advertising Works
WhatsApp doesn’t have its own ad platform yet. Instead, you use Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads and set the goal as “Send Message to WhatsApp.”
When someone clicks your ad, it opens a WhatsApp chat with your business. From there, you can answer questions, send product details, or close a sale.
Benefits of WhatsApp Ads:
Direct communication with interested customers
High open and reply rates
Builds trust and personal connection
Works well for small and local businesses
🛠️ How to Set It Up
Step 1: Create a WhatsApp Business Account
Download the WhatsApp Business app and register using your phone number. Add your business name, image, description, and contact info.
Step 2: Connect to Your Facebook Page
Go to your Facebook Page settings → WhatsApp → Add your business number → Confirm with a code.
Step 3: Create a Facebook Ad (Boost or Ads Manager)
Choose the goal: Get more messages
Select WhatsApp as your messaging option
Write your ad text, add image or video
Choose your audience, budget, and duration
Launch your ad!
Step 4: Reply Quickly
People will message you. Be ready to reply fast with friendly, helpful answers. You can also set automatic greetings or quick replies inside WhatsApp Business.
📝 Activity
Install WhatsApp Business (if not already). Set your business profile and create a greeting message. Then, visit a Facebook page running a WhatsApp ad and click it. How does it feel as a user?
✅ Summary
WhatsApp advertising lets you meet your customers where they are—on their phones. It creates a personal, fast way to connect and grow trust. In the next lesson, we’ll explore Instagram Ads and how to set them up for impact.
Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand what Google Ads is, how it works, where ads appear, and why it's a powerful tool for online marketing.
📘 Introduction
Have you ever searched for something on Google and noticed the first few results are marked “Ad”? Those are Google Ads.
Google Ads is a paid advertising platform that allows businesses to show their ads on Google search results, YouTube, and millions of websites across the internet.
It’s one of the most powerful ways to reach customers who are actively looking for products, services, or information—at the exact moment they search for it.
💡 How Google Ads Works
Google Ads runs on a system called pay-per-click (PPC). This means:
You only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
You bid on keywords (search terms).
Your ad competes with others for visibility.
Better ads (relevance, quality) often cost less and appear higher.
There are several types of Google Ads, but the two most common are:
1. Search Ads: Text ads shown on Google when someone searches for something.
2. Display Ads: Image or banner ads shown on websites, apps, or YouTube.
🛠️ What Happens Behind the Scenes
1. You choose a goal: For example, website visits, phone calls, or app downloads.
2. You create an ad campaign:
Choose the type (Search, Display, etc.)
Set your budget (daily or monthly)
Pick your target audience (location, language, age, interests)
Select keywords people might type when looking for your product
3. You write your ads:
Catchy headlines
Clear descriptions
A link to your site or product
4. Google reviews the ad:
Checks for policy violations
Approves it (usually within 24 hours)
5. Your ad goes live:
It appears when someone types your chosen keywords
If the ad is clicked, you pay (based on your bid and ad quality)
6. You track results:
See how many people clicked
Check if they bought, called, or signed up
Adjust budget, keywords, or ad content for better performance
📝 Activity
Search “buy solar panels” or “free online courses” on Google. Look at the top results. Which are ads? What do they say? What kind of pages do they link to?
✅ Summary
Google Ads helps you reach people right when they are searching for something you offer. It’s precise, flexible, and measurable. With good keywords and a smart strategy, you can reach thousands of potential customers every day.
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