Facebook ads can be an amazing way to draw in new clients to your business. But they can also be a time and money sinker if you don’t know how to optimise them for conversions.
You’ve likely run a few Facebook ad campaigns in the past. And it’s very possible that you didn’t get the results you wanted.
The campaign didn’t lead to conversions, which led to you deciding not to use this strategy again.
But that decision could be a mistake.
That’s because when done well, Facebook ads are one of the most effective marketing tools at your disposal.
Right now, Facebook has 2.5 billion monthly active users. And of those 2.5 billion, 76% use the platform daily, with them spending an average of 20 minutes each on it.
So, we can see that there’s a huge audience for your ads.
And businesses recognise that fact.
That’s because approximately 6 million business owners use Facebook ads to reach a larger audience. And according to the 2019 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Facebook is the number one ad channel for B2C and B2B businesses.
Do you see why you should be among them?
But before you rush back into launching another campaign, check out these eight tips first. They’ll help you to optimise your ads for more conversions.
Tip #1 – Understand What a Conversion Means to You
Before you can convert more, you need to know what a conversion means to your business. Happily, Facebook offers a few options here:
- Initiate Checkout
- Add to Wishlist
- Purchase
- View Content
You can also create customised conversion events, if needed.
Your type of conversion event will play a big role in determining the ad copy that you use. If you’re shooting for purchases straight from the ad, you need to dig into some benefits of the product. The ad must show the reader how it will help them to solve a problem.
But if you want the reader to view some content on a landing page, the copy should be completely different. In this case, you’ll need to show that you understand a key problem. Then, you’ll prompt them to click the ad to find out more about how you can help.
Failing to match your ad copy to your intended conversion event will lead to people clicking the ad and then not doing what you want them to do. Get clear on what a conversion means for you so that you can offer clarity in terms of the next steps that a prospect should take.
Tip #2 – Choose a Good Image
We’ve dug into creating Facebook ad images before, so we won’t go into it too much here. But you still need to know why it’s important.
Think about the number of things that the average Facebook user sees on their timeline every day. There are potentially hundreds of posts for them to sift through, which means bog-standard ads get lost in the shuffle.
Attractive images, however, will catch the eye and draw attention to the ad. Furthermore, they highlight your business’ professionalism. If somebody sees a high-resolution image attached to your ad, they’re going to believe that you can do what you claim.
Just make sure that your ad copy matches the intent of the image.
Automation Agency can help you to create attractive ad images. If you want to use our service for your ads, send a task to our team. You can learn more about how to create good images here.
Tip #3 – Use Facebook Targeting to Narrow Your Audience
No business can be all things to all people. Your business has a specific niche that it appeals to.
This means if you create Facebook ads that target every possible person, you will lose money quickly.
Most people who click on the ad won’t be a part of your target audience. That means they’ll bounce quickly from wherever they land. And if they do stick around, they’ll likely waste your time because they have no intention of buying.
The good news is that Facebook allows you to target your ads to specific niches. You can target based on gender, age group, location, and even the interests that the intended ad viewer has. Furthermore, you can use Facebook’s Lookalike tool to create audience groups based on the details of people you’ve sold to before.
Tip #4 – Don’t Use a Confusing CTA
Your call to action is critical in a Facebook ad. You have a limited amount of text to work with, which means you’ve got to make every word count.
Your call to action (CTA) has to be as clear as possible within this text. And the key here is to make sure that the reader knows exactly what action they need to take next.
If you want them to join a Facebook group, for example, tell them directly. The more confusing your CTA is, the less likely people are to follow your intended path through your funnel. Many will just read the ad and skip over it if they don’t have a clear next step to follow.
Tip #5 – Don’t Rely on Vanity Metrics Alone When Tracking Conversions
Vanity metrics are the metrics that look good on paper but don’t mean much when it comes to conversions.
Good examples are the number of clicks that your ads get or the number of shares. These may indicate that your ad’s reaching a wider audience. But if those clicks and shares don’t lead to sales, the metrics don’t mean anything.
The key metrics to track include:
- Number of conversions
- Conversion rate (which is the percentage of people who convert after clicking)
- Cost per conversion
If those numbers aren’t where you need them to be, you have a problem to resolve.
Perhaps you’re not delivering on what the ad promised. Or, your landing page needs work to convince people to convert.
Ultimately, it all comes down to how many sales you’re making. Other metrics can help you to achieve more sales. However, you can’t focus on them alone when the conversions aren’t where you need them to be.
Tip #6 – Use Different Ad Formats
Facebook offers eight ad formats:
- Picture
- Video
- Story
- Collection
- Carousel
- Messenger
- Playable
- Slideshow Ads
Each of them has its own pros and cons. For example, a playable ad works best if you’re looking to sell a video game. However, a carousel ad may work better if you have several products that you want to highlight in the ad.
Experimentation is key here.
Try different ad types and measure the responses. You may find that your audience prefers to watch video content over looking at static images. Or, they may want to speak to you via Messenger, rather than looking at ad copy that they can’t interact with.
Run test campaigns for each ad type to see which works best for your business.
Tip #7 – Show People Using Your Product
It’s likely that the people who view your ads aren’t especially familiar with your product. Typically, they’re at the top of your funnel, which means they need to learn more about you.
That’s why it’s so important to show people using your product in your ads.
A short video showing the product in action answers a lot of questions that the viewer may have. It also helps to pre-qualify them before they get in touch with you. They’ll know what the product can do already, which means you can focus more on solving their problem.
As an added bonus, showing the product in action helps you weed out the people who’d never buy. They can see that the product isn’t what they’re looking for, which means they won’t click. Of course, this means that you save money on a click that wouldn’t go anywhere.
Tip #8 – Split Test Ads Regularly
So, you’ve got an ad campaign that’s converting fairly well. Do you leave it alone to do its thing?
Not necessarily.
Your goal is to achieve the optimal number of conversions from your ad campaigns. That means you need to test them constantly to figure out what works best.
Split testing is the best way to do this. It involves running two very similar ads side-by-side to see which performs best. Typically, you’ll make one change to a pre-existing ad, such as altering the CTA. Then, you run both campaigns with an equal budget to see which gets the most conversions.
And split testing is something we can help you with. Want to try it out? Then, drop us a line using our Concierge Service.
Conversions Over Clicks
Facebook ads help you to drive engagement and reach a larger audience. But if nobody in that audience converts, this wider reach doesn’t mean anything!
With these tips, you’ll create ad campaigns that lead to more conversions.
And the team at Automation Agency can help in several ways. If you need to run a split test, we can help you to create it. We can also work with you on segmenting your audience for targeting and creating landing pages for your ads.
Let us know what aspect you need help in through our Concierge Service.
And if you’re not yet a member, check out our Right Fit Chatbot to see if we’re a good fit for you.
