How To Use Facebook Ads Effectively
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Every month there are over 2 billion active users on Facebook. These users are students, parents, business owners and others who are browsing content and sharing it with their friends.
Right now, people who may be interested in your business are using Facebook. But, how do you connect with them?
Facebook ads are an extremely effective way to reach out to potential customers and increase your revenue. However, if you don’t know how to use Facebook Ads, you could be wasting a lot of your time and money.
If you’re interested in learning how to use Facebook Ads effectively, keep reading to discover a few tips and examples to setting up your next advertising campaign.
We focus on direct response and customer acquisition in e-commerce, lead gen, and mobile. When it comes to results and leads, we speak your language.
5 Tips for a Successful Ad Campaign
Before starting your next Facebook ad campaign, take a look at these 5 tips to help you make it more successful:
- Use Visuals. The primary success behind any Facebook ad campaign comes down to the visual elements in the ad. This is how you capture attention and get people interested in what you’re promoting. Using appealing visuals is something your target audience is more likely to appreciate and remember you for.
- Stay Relevant. The last thing you should be doing is creating ads that aren’t relevant to the audience you’re trying to attract. Even though you’re being charged per click, you want to ensure that your advertisement is connected to the right audience. Facebook now provides you with a relevancy score which you can use to create ads that include relevant copy and images to your target audience.
- Be Congruent. Facebook Ad campaigns will quickly fail if the message you promote is not the offer you provide. For example, you’re offering a free piece of content, don’t send those who click on your ad to a product page. You’ll increase your campaign’s success be staying consistent to what you message implies.
- Provide Value. You need a value proposition, because, why should people click on your add? You might not be the only business offering organic fruit drinks. However, if you include a 35% discount, it’ll give people more reason to click and consider your drink. To make your value proposition even more powerful, try adding social proof. Having an ad like, “34 500 have tried our drinks and you can too — get 35% off your first healthy drink!”
- Have a CTA. What is a CTA? This is your call-to-action. You may have just created a beautiful ad that has a great image and unbeatable value, but what happens next? Add something like, “Offer Ends At Midnight” or “buy one get two free” gives additional urgency to click your ad.
Setting Up Your Facebook Ads
As you prepare your Facebook Ad, remember that you need 3 things to get it running:
- Campaign: Right away, you will be asked to determine your advertising objective. The is the ultimate goal of you ad campaign which may be to increase likes on your business page or send traffic to a sign-up page on your website. Knowing the end-goal helps to create congruent ads.
- Ad Set: In the ad set, you’ll define your targeting strategy. This includes who you’ll target, your daily spending budget, and the duration of your campaign. Knowing who your audience is lets you create relevant ads (see next step).
- Ad: The last step is to create the visual elements and copy for your ad. Now you create an ad that is both relevant and has a distinct value proposition to entice people who see it to click on it. Don’t forget your CTA.
Understand how Facebook runs your ads along with the process of setting them up allows you to prepare the strategy needed for a successful campaign.
Facebook Ad Formats
Depending on your business and the purpose of your ad, Facebook provides different formats for your ad campaign. Here are the 11 formats for Facebook Ads to guide to toward an effective campaign:
Video ads are a great way to show off your products, services, or brand. They can inspire curiosity to view and tell a story to make a deeper connection. Use these ads to send links to where you want people to go.
Placement Options:
- Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Upload Size: 4 GB Max.
- Length: 120 Min. Max. (Best Length: 15 to 30 Sec.)
- Continuous Looping (Optional)
Image ads are simply links to landing pages, your website, or blog posts. Its similar to the Video Ad, however they can be placed in more places. Remember, to boost engagement high, be sure to respond to all comments.
Placement Options:
- Right Column, Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Collection Ads use short yet powerful copy while showcasing a few of your best products or services up for sale. These ads are featured on mobile devices and can lead to quick buys and easy discovery.
Placement Options:
- Mobile News Feed
Some Specs:
- Headline: 25 Characters (recommended)
- Image Ratio: 1.9:1
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Note: You cannot use more than 20% text in your image.
Canvas Ads are an interactive way to feature your products and services which Facebook users can play with. By tilting their screen or pinching their fingers, they can zoom in and out while getting familiar with your offer.
Placement Options:
- Mobile News Feed
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 45 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Carousel Ads may seem similar to Canvas Ads, however they lack the same interactive features. Carousel Ads can be used in many different placements and feature videos and images for up to 10 different items. These ads are extremely effective for ecommerce or promoting various blog posts at one time.
Placement Options:
- Right Column, Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 45 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1080 x 1080 or 600 x 600 pixels
Slide Show Ads allows you to tell a story using images, motion, and sound. The entire process can be done inside Facebook’s campaign generator or you can use your own video. Use these if you’re looking for an alternative to expensive video ads.
Placement Options:
- Right Column, Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 125 Characters
- Video Length: 240 Min Max.
- Video Ratio: 9:16 or 16:9
- Video Sound: Optional (but recommended)
- Note: You cannot use more than 20% text in your image.
Lead Generate Ads are the perfect format for collecting emails and other contact information. You can use an image, video, or carousel to attract user to click. Afterwards, they will be sent to a form to provide you with the information you want. This is Facebook ad is effective for offering a free download or coupon offer.
Placement Options:
- Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Notice: Website URL and Privacy Policy are required
Offer Ads are the perfect choice for generating sales by offering discounted prices. You can set up these ads using images, videos, or a carousel and reach new people or your current followers. Anyone who claims your offer will also be given a notification before it expires.
Some Specs:
- See Image, Video, or Carousel Specs
Post Engagement Ads are those you see with the SPONSORED description on the top of the ad. You’ll often see this option to “Boost” a post to drive more engagement (i.e. likes and shares) toward your business. When setting up these ads, be sure to detail who your target audience to ensure they are the most effective.
Placement Options:
- Desktop + Mobile News Feed, Audience Network, Instagram
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: Unlimited
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Event Ads should be used to promote special events like an online seminar or local performance. You can use either image or video to capture interest however you may want to limit access to the event. If you don’t set the geographic location in the demographic settings, you may be wasting your ad budget on people signing up who may not actually be able to attend.
Placement Options:
- Right Column, Desktop + Mobile News Feed
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Image Ratio: 1.9:1
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Page Like Ads are just that, they generate likes for your page. If you’re worried about your advertising budget, remember that getting the right people to like your page is more effective than saving money and purchasing cheap likes.
Placement Options:
- Right Column, Desktop + Mobile News Feed,
Some Specs:
- Ad Copy: 90 Characters
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Link Description: 30 Characters
- Recommended Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Facebook Ad Placements
Finally, there different placement options for your Facebook Ad. Knowing where to place your ad can determine its overall effectiveness. These are the common places you can put you ads using Facebook: (1) Right Column Ads; (2) Desktop News Feed Ads; (3) Mobile News Feed Ads; (4) Audience Network; (5) Instagram
(1) Right Column Ads
These are the traditional ads offered by Facebook and they appear on the right side of user’s News Feed. Because these ads remain static on the right hand side, they are ideal for less expensive clicks and often provide better conversions. In order to make them truly effective, remember to use an attractive image with relevant copy and an irresistible CTA.
(2) / (3) Desktop / Mobile News Feed Ads
Here’s an ad placement that can get a lot of traffic is created right. Desktop News Feed Ads are those placed inside your pre-determine target audience’s News Feed as they scroll down. Video ads tend to capture the most attention, however your advertising spending can grow fast if your call to action isn’t compelling enough.
(4) Audience Network
Facebook has an extensive network where they can feature your ads away from Facebook itself. These are like retargeting ads where Facebook users can discover your placements in different places as they browse the web.
(5) Instagram
Since Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, you can now offer your ads in both Instagram stories and feeds. While the format of ads may appear the same, the nature of Instagram may behave differently. If you’re business isn’t already using Instagram, you may want to focus your time, efforts and spending on Facebook only.