Facebook is today’s most formidable social media titan, but the good news for marketing professionals is that it is also an incredibly powerful advertising medium. Facebook Ads will boost any brand or organization’s conversions and revenues — if done correctly. In this article for New Zealand-based marketing agency Ad Infinitum, I shared some of the best advice for Facebook advertising that I’ve learned in my years as a digital marketing specialist. Read below or see the archived post.
1. Choose the right image
The image(s) you choose for your Facebook ad will be the first thing that jumps out at your audience when they scroll through their newsfeed, so choosing the right one is crucial. If you have an excellent photographer on your team, feature an original photo. Retail businesses should show products in an interesting setting rather than against a solid background. If you don’t have original images, stock photography can be useful, but use common sense to choose one that will actually appeal to your customers – few will stop and look at yet another photo of a businessman with folded arms and a white background.
You can also make your image more captivating and go beyond character limits by adding text to your image. However, bear in mind that text can only take up 20% of the image. If you’re unsure if your image qualifies, this tool can help.
2. Find the right tone for your text
While your chosen image will make the first impression, you’ll need to reel in your audience with appealing copy. Your text space may be limited, but you can still pack quite a punch. The tone of this text should fit your overall brand, but, generally, stay away from dry and “salesy” and go for conversational, engaging copy. If you’re promoting a sale on T-shirts, while, “Visit our website for 20% off all T-shirts,” is clear and straight to the point, you’ll see more click-through with a line like, “Time to expand your summer wardrobe? Searching for your dream duds? Tees now 20% off!” For more inspiration, check out these examples of effective ads. Again, split test different text intonations to see what works best.
3. Make use of social proof and participation
Social proof makes customers exponentially more likely to convert, so take advantage of this principle when designing Facebook ads. Feature positive customer reviews in your ads to gain audiences’ trust. Link to news or blog articles that praise your brand. Create ad content that spurs users to interact with the post. Doing so will make your brand more memorable and expand your reach. Use calls to action, ask questions, encourage comments, and inspire shares.
4. Videos sell
Video is the wave of the online advertising future. They capture users’ attention more than still ads, and you can contain a significantly larger amount of information in a video than in an image and text-based advertisement. A Nielsen study found that videos increase ad recall, brand awareness, and purchase consideration from the moment they’re viewed. Making use of video’s powerful conversion rate in your Facebook advertising will help you cut back costs and see serious results. These Facebook video advertising tips will help you get even more return on your ads.
5. Dive deep into demographics
Facebook’s ad targeting options are extensive, so you can be highly selective when choosing your ad audience. Carefully consider who you want to attract to your business, and narrow down everything from location to personal interests to education level to marital status. You can also target users who have previously engaged with your page or who have used your app.
6. Utilize custom and lookalike audiences
While Facebook’s demographics options can help you reach highly targeted new customers, the custom audiences tool is a fantastic way to advertise to your business’ contacts or re-engage your existing customers. Import a contacts file or connect your MailChimp account to display your ad to those contacts who use Facebook. You can then reach a new batch of prospects by creating a lookalike audience, utilizing Facebook’s algorithm to find users similar to your contacts.
7. Track with Facebook Pixels
The Facebook Pixel is a snippet of code you can add to your website that serves as a tracking cookie to deliver intelligence about how visitors are using the site. These can be used in conjunction with ads to target customers who have demonstrated certain behaviours on your website or to track conversions from your ads and adjust accordingly.
8. Increase your relevance score
Facebook provides a score for each ad that reflects how relevant your ad is to your chosen audience. When designing a Facebook ad, begin with your business’ target demographics, but really think about the smaller segment of your audience that this particular offer, link, or service would appeal to, and drill your audience down accordingly. Split testing and quality images and copy can also improve your score.
9. Use split testing
Facebook’s native ads tool now makes split, or A/B, testing a piece of cake. This feature allows you to alter delivery optimization, audience, or placement and later compare the results of each ad variation. For A/B testing comparing varying images or text, you can simply create separate ads and examine their relative effectiveness. Use this information to adjust ads for greater impact.
10. Don’t forget Instagram
Facebook’s advertising platform allows you to run your ads on both Facebook and Instagram. One study found that over 60% of Instagram’s 700 million active users learn about a product or service through the platform, and a whopping 75% take action, such as visiting a website, after viewing a post. With these statistics, if you’re already using Facebook advertising, you’d be crazy to not extend your campaign to Instagram.
Facebook will undoubtedly continue to grow as a social network and advertising platform in the years to come, making it an increasingly useful resource. Using these Facebook advertising tips, your small business will quickly see a boost in traffic, engagement, and conversions while also decreasing ad spend.
