As the first social media to really take off globally, it was no surprise when Facebook built out ways to monetize. It created the first cost-effective, somewhat transparent advertising channel that was accessible to businesses of all sizes that we had ever seen.
Built to be “easy-to-use” had given many business owners the confidence to explore ads themselves, which is fantastic. Some have great successes, and others well they feel like their ads aren’t connecting, and even worse, aren’t converting,
We actually hear this a lot from clients DIYing and read it in countless group posts, and we have to admit, Facebook Ads is an ever-evolving beast that isn’t as easy to tame, as Facebook would have you believe.
We’ve managed in excess of $500k of ad spend over the last 8 years (yep we jumped on ads with our clients pretty much the day they were born), so we want to spare you the years of experience (and heartache) and fast track you to ads success!
Facebook pitches their ads platform as friendly and a tool for everybody. Here’s their pitch directly from their website:
It is true that any business can technically use Facebook Ads as their tool.
But friendly? That’s debatable. They have absolutely made the platform more friendly for boosting on the page and even expanded the options of this out. But to truly run campaigns, and maximise all it offers, takes time and experience, so that each dollar you spend has a clear ROI.
To save you from the “time and experience” part, we’ve broken it down to 4 parts, to why your ads may not be converting:
- Ad image or video
- Message a.k.a. copywriting
- Audience targeting
- Destination experience
We know that all viewers of your ads have a super short attention span. What’s the first thing they see? The Ad Image or Video.
As an agency, we’ve seen and worked with countless different types of ads. We’ve consistently seen that high quality images and videos truly stands out from the crowd.
The media you choose for your ad should tell the viewer who you are, and what you’re offering.
Even if you are a small business with a few rough edges – that’s ok. Let the high quality media show the blood, sweat and tears it took to create your unique product or service!
Now that you grabbed their attention with your Image or Video, the Message is what convinces the viewer to click the ad.
What are you saying? What is your offer? How are you saying it? Here’s a quick guide:
- Headline: If you don’t have a discount or promotion, what’s the main benefit of your product/service? If you have a sale, make it clear.
- Body of text: This is where your reader wants to find out more because they liked the image and headline. Keep it simple and try this → State the biggest issue your audience is facing > Add your insight or how you relate to this > What is your solution? > What is your offer? > Call to action.
- Description: Use 10 words or less to expand on the promotion (e.g. “First consult complementary”, your tagline, a compelling question)
Make sure that everything you say matches your brand and tone.
Audience targeting.
Getting to know who your customers are is a necessary step for a successful Facebook Ads campaign. Facebook has 15 million active users in Australia ALONE, so it is critical that you target only those who are potentially interested in your product.
To understand the wide range of targeting options, let’s start from the basics.
- Saved Audience: Audience that you have built → you must manually target
- Custom Audience: Reach people who have a relationship with your business
- Lookalike Audience: Find new people on Facebook who are similar to your most valuable audiences
When you build your audience through Saved Audience, don’t make the mistake everyone makes – keeping it really broad.
Picture the ideal customer in your head and specify who this person is in these categories:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Facebook or Instagram pages they may like
- What are their interests that go beyond your product or service?
- Behaviours – did they travel recently, business owners, purchased new car etc
- Demographics – language, education, are they parents, newly engaged etc
So far, the journey your viewers have taken is: they were chosen by you through your segmented audience targeting → you caught their attention with the Ad Image → they wanted to know more so they read all your Copywriting → now they’re convince to learn more or make a purchase → they click and land on their final Destination – your web page.
Destination Experience.
Where have you led them? What web page? Does the journey make sense? Did the viewer in fact find everything they were promised? Are you who you said you were? Did the viewer find the product and the right discount? Is it easy to check out?
In a matter of seconds, the viewer will find the answers to all those questions.
If any of those are deemed untrue, that viewer i.e. potential customer, is gone.
Even if your ad is beautiful and carefully crafted, you won’t make that sale if the Destination Experience isn’t just good. There needs to be congruence between the ad visual and copy, to the destination – keep them on the same journey.
Have you tried Facebook Ads DIY and now hit a wall? Get in touch. Our first 20 min phone consultation is complimentary. Book here!
