Facebook Ads are quickly becoming the new normal for small- and medium-sized businesses when it comes to online advertising spending. Yet it’s important to note that Facebook Ads aren’t the same as Google Ads. Facebook Ads require you to grab the attention of someone who isn’t specifically searching for a product or service. You’re reaching out to people at the very top of the sales funnel. You’re putting an idea in their minds for later. You’re building awareness and then you’re pulling them to your website to convert.
Facebook Ads are the envy of Google Ads when it comes to cost-per-click. We’ve found for our clients you can usually expect a CPC of under $0.50 and the cost often hovers around $0.25. However, the tradeoff is that because you’re engaging with people who may not have previously thought about your service or product before, they’re less likely to convert than those who are already specifically searching for a service or product like yours.
So how can we improve conversions through your Facebook ads? Make sure you’re taking full advantage of everything Facebook Ads have to offer.
Know the Goal
Are you just getting the word out or are you trying to get people to visit your website? Once they're on your site, perhaps you want them to download an application or sign up for something. Facebook offers a number of different campaign options designed for specific goals. Make sure you know the goal of your campaign and choose a Facebook campaign that suits your goal.
Take Advantage of Targeting
Knowing your audience is key. It's about more than just picking an age and a location. What does your target audience like? What do they do when they get home? What TV shows do they like? Sometimes you can even directly target people who are already fans of your competitors. The more focused your targeting is, the better chance you have of reaching the kind of person who is most likely interested in your service.
Consider the Type of Ad?
Facebook offers a number of different ad types as well. From single large images to carousel ads to video and Canvas ads. Your task is to choose the right ad for your message. If you’re looking to make an impression, a single large image has the best chance of standing out. If you’re showing multiple products, or you’re trying to tell a story, carousel ads are very effective. Video can be a great way to capture attention and share a lot of information quickly, while Canvas ads are perfect for creating an immersive mobile experience.
Use Arresting Imagery
As we talked about before, Facebook Ads are different from Google Ads because with Google, people are already searching for a specific product or service. On Facebook, you’re trying to grab the attention of someone who may be interested, they just don’t know it yet. That means you have to stand out from everything else on their Facebook page.
Luckily, people are always looking for interesting posts on Facebook. Whether from their friends, pages they follow or yes, even businesses. People respond to interesting images and messages that stand out from the crowd. So if you want to get noticed, find a different way to get your message across.
Consider Timing
Most people just tell Facebook to runs their ads whenever. You’ve heard that timing is key, and this is no different for Facebook ads. When is your audience most likely to need your service, and when are they online. Most of this information is already available to you by looking at your Facebook page and Audience Insights. Do some research on your industry and target market as well.
What's the offer?
The first question that pops into your viewer's head is why this company? Make sure that question is answered loud and clear. Clarity is so important here. People see so many messages on Facebook, that if they are even a little confused about what they need to do with your ad, they’ll opt out before they even begin.
Where are they landing?
You can have the best Facebook Ads in the world, but if your landing page and the journey to conversion on your website is confusing and hard to navigate, that visitor will bounce before you can say: “Another lost conversion.” Help your Facebook Ads by creating a landing page that is easy to navigate. You do yourself a huge favour when you make the path to conversion simple and easy to navigate.
The Pixel
Do you want them to Search, Add to Cart or Purchase? Facebook will target your ads for people who are more likely to follow through to the Standard Event you choose when you set up your Pixel with the campaign. Specifically when you set up a conversion focused campaign, you can select which Standard Event you want to aim towards. So if you want people to make purchases, select Purchases when you set up the campaign.
Awareness and then Conversion
When you consider a Facebook Ad strategy, don’t box yourself in by thinking only about a single campaign. If you’re planning a campaign where the goal is to get people to buy your product, running a campaign beforehand that’s focused on creating brand awareness will help people see you brand. Consider it a one-two punch.
