Facebook Ads are incredibly versatile. Understanding how to take full advantage of such a multifaceted and far-reaching platform will allow you to target almost any audience with ease. The potential for customisation is unparalleled.
That being said, these options are of little use if you’re struggling with the basics. Even highly skilled marketers struggle with the Facebook Ads platform from time to time, but never fear. Today we delve into our top seven Facebook Ads tips and tricks guaranteed to optimise your campaigns, yield stronger results and maximise your ROI.
1) Create multiple versions of your ad copy
No matter the proficiency of your copywriter, there’s always going to be an element of the unknown when it comes to wording your new Facebook ad. There will almost invariably be at least some incidence of throwing enough at the wall to see what sticks, so to speak — especially if you’ve not yet run extensive A/B tests.
Create several sets of ad copy. Write a handful of headlines and bodies that cohere well together. Each set should focus on a different primary message, address an alternative pain point and be penned in a distinct style and tone. Experiment with structure: have you tried bullet points, shorter sentences, longer paragraphs?
Facebook has a function called Dynamic Creative, which allows you to add up to five headlines, descriptions and images to your ad. The function then combines these in different permutations with different CTAs and works out which one’s working best.
2) You can’t overstate the power of video
After it came to light in 2018 that Facebook had been dramatically inflating video metrics, many advertisers have been questioning whether video is still a relevant marketing tool on the platform. In short, it is and massively so.
Video gives you huge scope for creativity and entertainment. No medium gives a greater opportunity to tell a touching, engaging story. Do you know many customers see more than two lines of ad copy and let out a big fat “nope?!” But catch their eye with an intriguing video and you’re perfectly placed to convey your message while keeping them interested all the way to the end. Customers will happily pause their social media activities to watch a video that’s 20 seconds or so long.
Set up a Facebook Ads funnel with your video. Run a campaign that appeals to a lookalike audience or cold traffic. Centre your video around your brand and tell an amazing story, then create an ad targeted at users who watched at least ten seconds of your video. Show them a lead gen ad. You can even include an offer, such as a consultation, eBook or free class.
3) Create a lookalike audience using high-value customers
All businesses have clients who are higher-value than others, either because they’re loyal or because they’re big spenders. You can use this knowledge within your Facebook Ads strategy by creating a custom audience of only your highest-value consumers. This will help connect you to those members of your cold audience who are most similar to your high-value clients. This is an invaluable way of expanding your high-value clientele.
It’s a good idea to refresh the data on your high-value audience based on their behaviours on both Facebook and beyond. Otherwise, you might be missing out on targeting the most highly compatible users for your ad.
4) Keep frequency low — and relevance high
Facebook Ads has two metrics that far too many advertisers ignore: frequency and relevance score.
Put simply, frequency is an average of how often individual users see identical versions of your ad. Your frequency should ideally be kept at a maximum of three. Any higher and it could begin to damage your campaign. Think about it this way: if a user has seen the same ad ten times and still hasn’t converted, they’re pretty unlikely to do so.
To keep your frequency low, aim to have an audience large enough that your ad cycles through different individuals at a solid rate. If you scale your ad spend, remember to keep an eye out to see whether this is affecting your frequency score.
How about the relevance metric? This score, conversely, should be as high as you can get it. Facebook rates your ad on a scale of one to ten in order to see how pertinent it is to your audience. Positive engagements, such as likes, views, comments, clicks and shares will raise your score. Negative engagements, such as users taking measures to actually hide your ad from their feed, will inevitably lower your score.
Scoring at least eight on your ad’s relevance would be excellent. The higher you can get it, the greater your momentum in Facebook’s algorithms. This can even have the cumulative effect of lowering your CPC.
5) Always prioritise mobile-first content
Google prioritises content that has been created for mobile, and so should you when it comes to your Facebook ads.
Content tailored to desktop won’t always translate well to mobile — but the opposite isn’t true. In other words, content created with mobile in mind will generally translate just fine on a desktop. Therefore, always tailor your ads to mobile; that way, you’re more likely to reach an audience you’re currently struggling to get seen by.
Make sure your ad aligns with mobile best practices. This means vertical videos so that mobile users can easily full screen without having to turn their phones. It’s seemingly small considerations such as this that can genuinely set you apart from your competitors.
6) Know your audience – before you begin targeting
Facebook is renowned for its multitude of targeting options. Put some marketers in the midst of all this choice and they’re like kids in a sweet shop. It’s exciting — but you need to channel that energy smartly.
Creating an audience that is too niche can be damaging. You put yourself at risk of increasing your frequency score (which, as we saw in tip two, is less than ideal) for what is essentially a general campaign. You need to get to know who’s constituting your audience prior to setting targeting criteria. Don’t let the array of options available to you distract you from your most fundamental criteria. You might unintentionally send your CPC skyrocketing.
7) Set a bid cap
Facebook allows you to set a bid cap if you’re on a tight budget. This strategy enables you to pay the lowest possible price for each ad placement in order to stretch your budget, ensuring you don’t spend a penny more than you can afford. You can test the lowest cost for a few days, check the kind of result you achieved in the auction and then implement a brand new standard based on that result.
Are you getting the most out of your Facebook ads?
Digital campaigns can feel overwhelming, but implementing any (or all) of our seven Facebook Ads tips and tricks within your marketing strategy will help you handle the platform like a pro. And if you still need a bit more support, why not enlist the assistance of some pros?
We are a Facebook preferred partner, as well as a verified voice in Europe and globally when it comes to Facebook Ads. Get in touch with the team today and one of our friendly Facebook Ads specialists will be more than happy to help your ads grow your audience, achieve higher ROIs and boost conversion rates — without increasing ad costs.
As seen in The Drum
