Social media advertising is almost a mainstream marketing tool today. The average click-through rates on social media ads have been increasing over the past few years.
Despite the many social media channels we have at our disposal today, Facebook still continues to be the leader in terms of the number of users. With 2.89 billion monthly active users during the second quarter of 2021, it is certainly the biggest social media channel.
This makes it extremely essential for businesses to have a fail-proof Facebook marketing strategy and Facebook ads are an integral part of that strategy. With recent changes in Facebook’s algorithm, achieving organic reach for brands on Facebook has become increasingly difficult. So, paid Facebook ads are your only way to reach out to a wider audience on the platform.
But a paid ad on Facebook does not necessarily mean sure shot success for your business. Facebook ads also need to be planned and built with due diligence. Here are some best practices and actionable tips you can adopt to make your Facebook ads more impactful.
1. Define your target audience on Facebook
The first thing that you need to understand, with any kind of advertising, is who you are creating the ads for. You need to have a target audience and a customer persona that you wish to cater to. Targeting is the key to ensuring that your ad reaches the right people who have the potential to convert into customers.
With Facebook ads, targeting is even easier because you can choose the demographic, location, age group, etc. that you want to reach with your ads. When creating a Facebook ad, make sure to specify the location, age, gender, demographics, language, interests, behaviors, and other fields on the form. This information will help Facebook direct the ads to the right audience.
You can also create a custom audience that includes people who have interacted with your business in the past. It could be existing or former customers, someone who has reached out to you, commented on your Facebook page, or visited your website. Facebook also has a Lookalike Audience option that targets new prospects based on your previous customer profiles. Try to find out more about these targeting options on Facebook.
2. Understand the different types of Facebook ads
Now Facebook ads are not all the same. There are innumerable options today when it comes to the format of your ads. Apart from the usual image ads and video ads, there are carousel ads, collection ads, poll ads, lead ads, stories ads, augmented reality ads, and many more types. The possibilities with Facebook ads are constantly growing, and you need to stay updated on the recent additions. Different kinds of ads will appeal to and reach different people.
Other than deciding what kind of ad you would like to create, you also need to decide on the goals of your Facebook advertising strategy. You need to understand the purpose of the ads, that is whether the ad is to create awareness about a product/ brand, to encourage interaction with the audience, or to drive conversions.
With the goals and the type of Facebook ads thought out, it will become a lot easier for you to create impactful ads.
3. Create a compelling copy to go with stunning visuals on your ads
Your Facebook ad will usually draw more attention to the visuals than the accompanying text. But it is still important to ensure that copywriting for your Facebook ads is flawless. The copy should be aligned with the goals of your Facebook ads and should line up well with the visuals you have used.
Creating good visuals is undoubtedly the single most important thing to garner more attention to your ads. But what may work even better than an image or a carousel, is video. Video ads are almost like a mini commercial for your product/brand on Facebook. Video content is one of the most popular content formats on social media. Video is also known to drive more engagement and boost conversions.
4. Choose a single, focused, and compelling CTA
Another very important part of your Facebook ads is the call to action that you include. CTAs may ask the user to click on the ad to learn more if the goal is to create awareness and generate leads. It may ask the user to shop directly by clicking on the ad if the purpose of the ad is to drive sales. If you are looking to get more subscriptions, you can add a Sign-up button to the ad.
In any case, the CTA should be consistent with your Facebook advertising goals. Most importantly, never forget to add a CTA with your ad. Without a CTA, a user will not know what to do after viewing your Facebook ad.
5. Keep your Facebook ads short, simple but valuable
Lastly, Facebook is not the place for long copies or industry jargon. People do not have that much patience to read through a long social media ad. Your Facebook ad should be short and written in a language that is easy to understand for everyone.
The idea is to deliver maximum value in as few words as possible. Stick to the most important points. What does one gain from using your product? How does the product solve their problem? What should they do next? These are the only things you need to cover as clearly and as concisely as possible.
Conclusion
Facebook advertising can be your way to a successful business. But like all other marketing efforts, social media marketing also needs immense planning and a strong strategy. These top tips to improve your Facebook advertising strategy should help you create more engaging and impactful ads that drive growth for your business. Keep them in mind the next time you start building a Facebook ad.
