5 key ingredients to make your Facebook ads irresistible

By Ben Walker on 13 December 2017

In case you haven’t heard – Facebook ads are big news. They are one of the most targeted, cost-effective ways you can advertise and – done correctly – Facebook advertising can reap serious rewards for your business.

If you want to reach new potential customers and make yourself a tasty profit from this relatively new advertising platform, then read on for five of our hottest tips on Facebook ad success…

1. Pick your ad type carefully

There are a plethora of different Facebook ad types to choose from. You should select the best ad type based on your overall objective. Here are some of the most popular types of Facebook ad and what you might use them for:

• Link click ads. This is the type of ad most people think of when it comes to Facebook advertising. A link click ad is designed to drive traffic and leads to your website, whilst also encouraging people to like your business page. The most effective link click ads usually feature an offer, promotion or free trial. This type of ad can also feature a video with continuous looping.
• Boosted page posts. If a post on your business page is already doing particularly well, paying to give it a boost can amplify its reach. The ad will look exactly the same as your page post, but have the word ‘sponsored’ at the top.
• Carousel ads. Got a bunch of products you want to show off? This type of ad is pretty perfect for eCommerce businesses, as it can promote up to 10 different products at once.
• Lead ads. If you have an awesome piece of free content you want to give away or an enticing offer, then check out lead ads. Your potential customers can get in on the action in exchange for their email address – and they don’t even have to leave Facebook to sign up.
• Canvas ads. We’re particularly excited about this immersive type of ad. Users simply tap to open an ad that catches their eye and can explore products and services in depth. Showcase your products and let users tilt the image in different directions and zoom in with their fingertips. Currently, you can only place canvas ads on mobile, however if you read on, you’ll find out why this can be a good thing…

2. Design for mobile

It’s no secret that most web users choose their smartphones to browse the internet, over a PC or tablet. And when it comes to social media, 80% of time spent online is via a mobile device. Plus, mobile ads have 9.1 times higher click through rate than web ads, according to the experts at AdRoll, so it makes sense to design your ad with smartphone users in mind.

3. Make an impression with professional design

Amongst a sea of bland, seemingly endless Facebook ads, how can you make sure yours stands out? By hiring a professional designer, that’s how. Nothing can replace an experienced designer’s eye for making sure your ad is un-scroll-past-able.

The creative elements of your ad – namely, the graphics and words used – will be a largely deciding factor in whether your ad is a success or a flop. Studies have found that the image you choose is responsible for 75-90% of your ad’s performance. There is a lot riding on how your ad looks.

Your ad needs to be colourful, attention-grabbing, contrasting with the rest of the newsfeed and optimised to the correct size for every screen.

4. Nail your copy

The best design must be backed up by words that pack proper punch. If you aren’t much of a wordsmith, then look into professional copywriting services for a little bit of wordy magic.

Your main value proposition has to be immediately obvious, and written in an enticing way. Your ad copy should also include a strong call to action and boldly tell your potential customers the next step they should take.

It’s important to remember Facebook has strict rules about how much copy you can actually use in your advertisements. If you have text on top of your main image, it’s a good idea to check the text-to-image ratio on Facebook’s very own Image Text Check tool. 

5. Take a targeted approach

Now you’ve got a kick-ass ad ready to go, it’s time for the techy bit. Targeting is an essential step in any successful Facebook ad campaign. It’s about getting your ad in front of the right people.

You can target people based on a whole range of factors, like location, interests, gender, age etc. One of the most effective ways to choose your audience is by creating a custom audience with an existing list of contacts (like email addresses from Mailchimp), with those who have interacted with your business page or with a Facebook pixel.

A Facebook pixel is a little piece of code you can embed on your website to track visits from users who are signed in to their Facebook account. By recording who visits your site, you can then use this information to retarget site visitors with your beautiful ads on Facebook itself.

Lookalike audiences are another fabulous way of reaching new people who might be interested in what you have to offer. Facebook will help you find new users who are similar to your existing database, based on their interests and demographics. Remember: the more targeted and niche your audience, the more impact your Facebook ad will have.