Social media has become one of the most effective digital marketing channels for businesses to get relevant leads. Of all the channels, Facebook is proving to be the most effective advertising channel to get more impressions, clicks, and conversions.

As you make heads or tails of Facebook ads, read our ultimate guide that has all the necessary information related to these small yet robust revenue generators and how you can use them to make a killer Facebook ad strategy. 

Before delving further into the topic, let us first understand why is it important to use Facebook ads, its different types and the pros and cons of using it.

Everything about Facebook ads

Facebook Ads are a great way to specifically target customers who are likely to be interested in your product or service. Facebook Ads can be used to promote a business, product, or service. They have targeted advertisements that appear in the newsfeeds of Facebook users and have many different targeting options including interest-based campaigns where you could target people who like certain things such as cooking shows but there’s no need for generic marketing speak when describing these types because they’re already very specific

You can target by interests, demographics, and even behaviors. With over 2 billion active users on Facebook, there’s a good chance that your target market is using the platform.

Top four reasons to use Facebook ads

With over 3 million businesses advertising on Facebook, this social media network has gained popularity over the last few years. There are a number of reasons why businesses should use Facebook Ads, the four most important of them are:

Data size: Facebook has more than 1.13 billion daily active users, of which 1.03 billion access it through mobile devices.

Time spent: Most people spend an average of 50 minutes daily on just Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.

Declining organic reach: With recent changes in Facebook’s algorithms, the organic reach of the post has declined. They are now more focused on paid advertisements that can be woven into users’ feeds instead of just advertising themselves organically like they used to do before this newest update came out. There has been a dramatic decrease over time when it comes to your company’s posts being seen by people who aren’t already aware or interested in what you do.

Focused targeting: Facebook Ads provide an unparalleled targeting opportunity by allowing advertisers to target their ads based on thousands of different factors. Incredible targeting options within Facebook Ads are available, including behavior, age, location, demographics, interests, gender, etc.

Different types of Facebook ads

As a business, it’s important to be aware of the different types of Facebook Ads that are available to you. Each type has its own benefits and can be useful for reaching different goals. There are plenty of different types of Facebook ads, giving users versatile options to solve a range of business problems from increasing traffic to a web page to targeting people in your locality.

Photo Ads are perhaps the simplest and most common type of Facebook Ad. They consist of a single image along with a short amount of text. Photo Ads are best used for businesses that have visually appealing products or services, as the image is the main focus of the ad.

Video Ads are similar to Photo Ads, but instead of a single image, they use a short video clip. Video Ads can be up to 90 seconds long and are best used for businesses that have interesting or informative videos to share about their products or services.

Carousel Ads are a type of Facebook Ad that consists of a series of images or videos that users can scroll through. Carousel Ads are best used for businesses that have multiple products or services to promote, as they provide a way to showcase multiple offerings in a single ad.

Collection Ads are a type of Facebook Ad that consists of a collection of images or videos, similar to a product catalog. Collection Ads are best used for businesses that sell multiple products or services, as they provide an easy way for customers to browse through all of your offerings.

Slideshow Ads are a type of Facebook Ad that consists of a series of images or videos that play automatically, like a slideshow. Slideshow Ads are best used for businesses that have multiple products or services to promote, as they provide a way to showcase multiple offerings in a single ad.

Dynamic Product Ads are a type of Facebook ad that is generated automatically based on the products or services that a business offers. Dynamic Product Ads are best used for businesses that sell a large number of products or services, as they provide a way to automatically show relevant ads to potential customers.

Text-only Ads are a type of Facebook Ad that consists of nothing but text. Text-only ads are best used for businesses that want to communicate a message without using any images or videos.

Lead Generation Ads are a type of Facebook Ad that allows businesses to collect leads from potential customers. Lead Generation Ads are best used for businesses that want to build a list of potential customers to market to in the future.

Inclusive of all there are 11 different ad options that advertisers can use:

1. Boost posts
2. Promote page
3. Drive traffic to the website
4. Alleviate conversions on the website
5. Get app installs
6. Boost app engagement
7. Reach local audience
8. Increase event attendance
9. Motivate people to claim an offer
10. Get more video views
11. Garner leads for your business

Pros and Cons of Facebook Advertising

There is no doubt that Facebook is a powerful tool for marketing. With over 2 billion users, businesses can reach a vast and diverse audience. However, using Facebook advertising comes with both pros and cons. One last thing to consider before we delve into Facebook ad strategy and copywriting, we will explore the pros and cons of Facebook advertising so you can make an informed decision about whether it is right for your business.

Pros of Facebook Ads

1. Facebook Ads are a great way to reach a large audience of potential customers. With over 2 billion active users on Facebook, there’s a good chance that your target market is using the platform. It allows use of images and videos to grab the audience’s attention to sell more products or services 

2. Facebook Ads allow businesses to target their audience by interests, demographics, and even behaviors. This means that you can create ads that are specifically tailored to reach people who are likely to be interested in your product or service. It can target people who are at an early buying stage as well as later stages.

3. Facebook Ads are an effective way to increase brand awareness and generate leads. They can help you reach a larger audience than you would be able to reach with traditional marketing methods, and can also help you generate qualified leads that you can follow up with later.

4. Facebook Ads are a cost-effective way to market your business. They allow businesses to target their audience very specifically, which means that you’re not paying for ads that no one will see. And since you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, there’s no risk involved in trying out Facebook Ads.

5. You can easily track campaigns on Facebook through analytics. Ads are a great way to bring instant traffic influx and ROI. CPC is relatively cheaper (On average, up to $0.61 per click).

Cons of Facebook Ads

1. It can be difficult to create effective Facebook Ads campaigns without experience or guidance. This means that it’s important to have a solid strategy in place before you start running ads, or to work with someone who does.

2. Facebook Ads can be very expensive if you’re not careful. If you’re not targeting your audience properly, you could end up paying a lot of money for clicks that don’t convert into customers.

3. There’s always the possibility that your Facebook Ads account could be suspended if you violate any of the platform’s policies. This means that it’s important to read the terms and conditions carefully before you start running ads and to make sure that your campaigns are in compliance.

4. Facebook Ads can be time-consuming to manage. If you’re not using an automated tool like AdEspresso, you’ll need to spend time creating and managing your campaigns manually. This can be a significant time investment, especially if you’re running multiple campaigns. 

5. Works for B2B but they are more suited for B2C.

Designing a Perfect Facebook Ads Strategy

Creating a Facebook Ad campaign is relatively simple and can be done in just a few steps:

But your strategy is more important than your ad. It is actually what your ad depends on. So at this point let’s learn how to best define your Facebook ad strategy.

Define Your offer

Before you define your Facebook ad strategy, you need to first ascertain what your offer is. An easy way to determine your offer is by asking a few questions to yourself, including the purpose of your promos, such as driving traffic or increasing brand awareness or downloads.

The objectives and ad style would greatly depend on whether your offer is online or offline. For instance, if you want people to subscribe to your email newsletter, then you may want to try a lead generation form. If you want people to get an in-store visit, then maybe doing a campaign with an offer will be a better option than a single photo post.

Ascertain your business goals

Once you know your business goals, pick the kind of Facebook ad that aligns with it. If your aim is to reach new customers, then having a lead generation ad should be your objective. In case you have retail locations, then having Store Visits’ objective makes more sense. All these instances show that it is extremely important to determine your business goals before you start any Facebook ad campaign

Ways to measure results

Before starting your campaign, we recommend that you have your Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in place. Whether it is the number of sales you made, the total revenue you generated, or the total form submissions you got, measuring the results of an ad campaign will help you improve your future campaigns. The best way to measure the results is by putting a special tag at the end of your URL called a UTM code.

Copywriting for Facebook Ads

The initial step to writing a fantastic copy for a Facebook ad is to optimize the image. According to Consumer Acquisition, the image of the ad is responsible for 75-90% of the ad’s performance. Therefore, it is important to optimize the images along with the text of the ad.

It is always a good idea to pick multiple images while keeping the copy consistent to find out which images work for you the best. Make sure to use the UTM code to track the ad copies and see which one brings the maximum results.

Text message on the image

You should also be mindful of the messaging on your ad’s image to get at least one key message across to the target audience. Even though Facebook only allows 20% of the image to be text, how you place the text on the image and what text you put will eventually matter the most in converting leads into sales.

The copy and the image

Once you’ve determined the image text and optimized the image of the ad copy, you’d want to create a compelling copy. How you create the copy will be dependent upon your target audience and where they are in the funnel stage. If it is top of the funnel, then having a copy that compels the person to down a report, sign up for a webinar or subscribe to your newsletter is suited the most to start a new relationship. However, if the ad targets the bottom of the funnel audience, then having a free trial or promo offer will be the offer that will close the deal and increase sales.

5 Rules To Write Compelling Facebook Ad Headlines

How many times have you seen a Facebook ad with a boring, unimaginative headline? Unfortunately, too many businesses still don’t understand the importance of a great headline. Without an attention-grabbing headline, your ad is likely to get overlooked. In this post, we’ll share five rules for writing compelling Facebook ad headlines. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to creating ads that stand out from the competition.

1. Include CTA in headlines by using an imperative form of the verb as the first word.
2. As part of storytelling, tell them why they should take the action you’ve asked them to take in the CTA. By connecting the “what” to “why”, you give your readers a direction and a strong reason to act.
3. Don’t have multiple ideas in the headlines. The headline should be crisp and should not convey multiple thoughts.
4. Use numbers and special characters to make the headline more eye-catching.
5. Keep it short by restricting it to 5 words, because this is what mostly works, according to AdEspresso.

Understanding the data gathered

Once your ad campaign begins on Facebook, you will be provided with a generous amount of data along with its analysis. You can access the data by clicking on an individual ad campaign, ad set, or data just for a particular ad copy. All the data provided by Facebook ads can be sorted by clicking on the heading and this data can be exported into an excel spreadsheet using the Export button. The stats for each set of data has basic information such as delivery, cost, reach, relevance, and more to help you see if your campaign is working or not.

Final Thoughts

Facebook ads are an easy and affordable way to drive traffic to your website or landing page. To get the best results from a campaign, you need to understand what makes up each part: goals; offers (products/services); more particularly – how well they align with one another in terms of content strategy so there’s no wasted time on things that don’t work.

With a strong image and a copy, you can derive maximum results and become a pro at Facebook advertising. If you are wondering where to get started, then we recommend experimenting with ads with a small budget. After all, as the saying goes, an opportunity not taken is an opportunity lost! Over to you now.