Facebook advertising is an in-house lead generation tool for every business and public pages. Its strength lies in easy-to-use digital ad strategy features, filters, and data analytics.
2.41 billion — that’s the number of Facebook active users worldwide, according to Statista. And this was recorded on the second quarter of the year. Facebook continues to grow and add more updated features, to keep regular users and businesses involved. It would be remiss not to set up a Facebook account, no matter the type of business or service, as it holds a huge number of potential and active customers, being the largest social media platform in the world.
If PPC advertising is to Google Adwords, then Facebook advertising is another way to study user activities and target potential customers on a more specific scale.
There are important Facebook advertising tips and tricks that you can use to better optimize your campaigns and yield stronger results, no matter your current objectives. There’s no doubt that Facebook has a lot to offer, and it can definitely help your business grow as you continue to learn using it.
To help you maximize your return of investment (ROI), here are the Top 10 Facebook advertising tips that you can effectively use for your campaigns.
1. Target the appropriate audience
One mistake that many new Facebook advertisers make is in trying to reach as many people as possible. While not entirely wrong, it’s also not a smart approach. Doing so can bring down your chances of finding any notable reach with Facebook ads.
Every ad you create and run on Facebook should have a purpose. And this purpose should align with your target audience. When you target just about anyone and everyone, the ad’s purpose is defeated.
Retargeting campaigns, on average, have higher conversion rates and lower cost-per-clicks (CPCs). Whether you’re targeting users who have simply visited a certain page on your website, or you are showing ads of a big sale to high-value regular customers, these users already have that connection with your business. This familiarity will make them more willing to click on that ad and see what you have to offer. It will also make them more likely to convert.
Whatever type of custom audiences and retargeting campaigns you choose to create, just remember to use what you know about that specific audience to your full advantage in creating relevant content.
2. Choose your placements carefully
Placement is very important when running Facebook ads. These are your two best options:
- Use Automatic Placements – your ad will appear in more places including Facebook feed, right column, Instagram’s stories, and more.
- Edit Placements – you can just pick the exact placement you have in mind, based on your brand strategy.
Between the two, automatic placements will help you identify which placements perform best, granted that you have used and studied all the available placements.
Always review your ad placement performance, including the device/s that worked. That way, you’ll know where your budget should go for future campaigns.
3. Create multiple sets of copy
Another Facebook ad strategy is to create different sets of ad copies. Include several headlines and texts that work together.
Each of the texts and headlines should be focused on a single message, or emotional appeal. It can be written in different languages and styles, and may highlight different features.
Test out bullet points, longer paragraphs, or short sentences. You want to keep the basic offer consistent but highlight it in different ways. This is the strategy that you can use with your clients to quickly figure out what works, and how to create high-converting content moving forward.
Each audience is different, so testing here is so important. You can use Facebook’s split testing feature and choose “creative” as the variable to make this easy.
4. Use a multi-product carousel
Facebook now allows you to choose a multi-product carousel advertisement. There are tons of reasons why this particular advertising feature increases click-through-rate and decreases your costs.
First of all, it’s intriguing and interactive. Customers want to scroll through and see more products. It has to catch the audience’s attention for them to click and see more of it. That draws more people to engage with your brand.
Second, you can show a group of products that work together. You can also use this option to tell a story or explain how multiple products interact.
Third, use it to show a wider range of products. Let’s say you sell computers. Customers might not immediately want to buy a computer, but you can use the carousel to show them cheaper products like individual computer parts and the like. This will give them a much bigger reason to click on your ad.
5. Boost existing popular posts
Sometimes, we’re wary of launching an advertisement, because we just never know how well it will react. Will anyone click through? Will it be a waste of money? This is why boosting an existing post is a great idea.
You can pick a post that has already generated tons of shares, click-throughs, and interactions. And because you know how it works, you can simply boost it to reach thousands of new people.
You can choose to promote it to your followers, or set specific filters and reach out new people. The advantage of Facebook advertising is that it’s very straightforward and easy to use. It guarantees more followers and increased engagements. To set a more strategic approach, their data analytics feature is also easy to use. Keep monitoring your competitors, learning more about the trends, and learn what makes an ad effective.
6. Use a video advertisement
Facebook’s algorithm actively prioritizes video content. By using a video, your advertisement is much more likely to find its way onto people’s feed. Not only that, videos are way more engaging as an ad format.
Statistics show that more than half of daily Facebook users watch videos on the platform every single day. This is why your customers are much more likely to stop and watch a video. The Facebook video auto-play feature also helps in grabbing your audience’s attention.
You can use a video to show your products, or actively engage with your audiences through valuable information, games, or promos. The possibilities are endless. It’s all up to your creativity.
7. Use Facebook ‘offers’
Everyone loves discounts, and your customers are much more likely to click when you offer one. If you’ve got a sale on your products, you can create an advertisement specifically for the offer. Consider creating an introductory offer to entice people.
The best thing about this advertisement is that your potential customers don’t even need to leave Facebook to redeem it. There’s less friction, and it closes the gap between a sale. Clicking the ad gives them a unique code which they can use on your website.
This particular method also uses ‘social proof’ by showing that ‘14,991’ people have already claimed it.
All in all, this is a brilliant way to entice new and existing customers to your website.
8. Stop selling
Not every advertisement needs to be focused on sales. In fact, studies show that users tend to tune out blatant advertisements. We’re so used to seeing these adverts online that we automatically ignore them. Instead, look for other ways to obtain value from your advertisements.
One option is promoting an event. Events are a fantastic way to grow brand awareness. Perhaps you could host a product launch event in your area.
If you own a fashion store, you could host a catwalk event, or sponsor a clothing event. If you run a jewelry shop, you could host a workshop in your local area. Then use a Facebook event to build awareness for it.
Don’t just actively sell anything, do various advertisements and see how it will all contribute to your eventual sales. Remember that people are drawn and make a lasting impression on your brand, if you bring added value to their lifestyle and the community at large.
9. Strengthen your brand identity
This is another great way to advertise without actually selling anything. Understand that Facebook advertisements work best when they’re visual, inspiring, and viral in nature. Keep coming up with engaging and quality content, and you will surely attract more followers. In the long run, you can build your customer base and strengthen your brand loyalty with this strategy.
10. Create a custom call-to-action
Creating your very own call-to-action is one of Facebook’s newest features. Rather than using the simple box format, Facebook now lets you create a personal call-to-actions. It is still hugely unpopular with big brands and e-Commerce sellers, but give it a try, and it will surely increase your click-through-rate.
When setting up your advertisement, head to the ‘text and links’ section. This will allow you to choose from a few drop-down options, like ‘shop now’, ‘learn more’, ‘sign up’ etc.
You can also enter your own custom call-to-action. This will actively drive your customers to click and boost your potential sales.
The blog article was originally published on our Creative Performance unit, Odd1Out Digital’s website. Visit their site to see more content focused on creative performance marketing!
