We are rounding the corner on a new season, and it's just about time to start thinking about your Facebook ads for the upcoming holiday season and New Year. If you're like most marketers though, this is not something you're looking forward to. Understandable! Facebook advertising is a moving target. Between all of Facebook's recent algorithm updates and the increasing traffic on the platform, it's harder and harder to get noticed. As a result, marketers frequently dread the prospect of creating Facebook ads. After all, what works and what doesn't? How do you create advertisements that do their job and grab the attention of users? What if your ROI goes up in flames because you create a bad add? There's a lot to be concerned about, and many reasons this isn't a fun task. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. If you know the secrets to create successful Facebook ads, it gets much easier to hit the ball out of the park every single time. With that in mind, here are seven top tips to create Facebook ads that drive results in 2019 and Beyond.
Facebook Ads, by the Numbers
Curious why Facebook ads matter, or what the state of the platform looks like today? Here are some Facebook ad stats to consider:
- 2 billion daily active users
- By gender, 85% of users are female, 75% male
- Facebook is available in more than 70 languages
- 60 million Facebook pages belong to businesses
- 39% of customers utilize Facebook for special offers and discounts
- One-third of customers engage with brands on a regular basis
- Every month 5 billion comments are made
- 42% of customer service responses occur during the first hour
- On average customers spend 35 minutes on Facebook daily
- The average customer logs on to Facebook 8 times each day
- Facebook has 01 billion monthly active users.
- 79% of Americans are using Facebook— Instagram 2nd at 36%
- 22% of the world’s total population is on Facebook
- About 83 million Facebook accounts are bogus, either as duplicates, or spam.
- 400 new users log on to Facebook every minute.
- Facebook Messenger has over 2 billion users monthly
7 Essential Elements to Make Your Facebook Ads More Productive
Whether you’re new company is looking for a way to give your Facebook posts a leg up, or an established company that wants to be more effective on the platform, these 7 tips are great place to start:
1. Stay Creative
Remember when everybody was talking about the “content sea?” Allegedly, it was this massive pool of content that, if you failed to be creative, you risked drowning in. Companies that didn't float sunk to the bottom of the content sea, never to be found again. Although it might be a hokie metaphor, it works well for Facebook. With billions of daily active users, it's easy to see how you have to come up with a gimmick to stand out. To put this another way, if you're not creative on Facebook, nobody's going to pay attention. This doesn't mean that you need to go over the top and make your ad so creative that readers don't know what you're saying. It does, however, mean that you need to come up with a way to provide true value to your readers, preferably in a way that your competition doesn't already do. Snappy, memorable copy, high-quality images, and a very distinct voice are all must-haves when it comes to interacting on the Facebook platform.
2. Solve Customer Problems
In recent years, advertising has changed. Whereas it used to be enough to put out ads that pushed your customers to buy things, today's advertising methods are much more personalized. Customers today have so many purchasing options that they're not interested in your pitch. They don't need to know why your company is better or more unique. They don't need your hard-sell. Instead, they want to know how your items, goods, or services can help them. If what you're selling isn't solving their problems, they're not going to be interested. Enter your Facebook advertisements. For them to be as effective as possible, they need to call out a customer's pain point directly. From there, they need to go on to demonstrate some ability and awareness and willingness to fix it. This is essential, when it comes to writing your Facebook advertisements. Do not skimp on this.
3. Showcase Benefits
This is advertising 101. Today, successful advertisements showcase the benefits rather than the features of a product. While features are rational, benefits are emotional. Today's customers are looking for products that they can connect to emotionally. As such, a company that showcases the benefits of its products successfully in its advertisements will get greater results. Making the benefits of a product clear allows customers to envision your product solving their ultimate problem and making their lives better. It's the first step to creating a customer/company relationship that will last for years.
4. Include Social Proof
One of the most powerful things you can do on your Facebook advertisements is include social proof. The reason for this is simple. Customers have objections. All customers have objections, no matter how high-quality or dedicated they may be. Your job as a marketer is to find a way to get around these objections. Social proof in the form of testimonials is an expedient and intelligent way to do this. Today, customers trust other customers. In fact, about 72% of Shoppers say they trust a customer's recommendation as much as much as they would word-of-mouth from a friend. With this in mind, consider adding testimonials to your Facebook advertisements. These can be especially helpful when it comes to the holiday shopping season and New Year-focused products.
5. Use Power Words
Power words are essential when it comes to creating high-converting ad copy. Think of it this way, power words are the motivation that pushes your customers over the edge and encourages them to make a purchase. When you use these elements in your advertisements, it becomes much easier to create compelling copy. Wondering what power words are? Think of words like suddenly, now, introducing, amazing, Sensational, quick, easy, hurry, and more.
6. Use FOMO to Your Advantage
If there's one place the “fear of missing out” can be your friend, it's in Facebook advertisements. Fortunately, this works to your benefit when it comes time to write your ad copy. To make them as compelling and urgent as possible, don't be afraid to use a little bit of FOMO to your advantage. Stressing that your offer is only available for a limited time, that customers have to ask now, or that the price is expiring within a certain number of days or months is an exceptional way to drive interest and encourage more rapid conversions.
7. Make Your CTA Specific
Although a call to action might not help you get noticed in the sea of Facebook advertisements floating through your customer's news feeds, it will go a long way toward helping your customers find direction. With this in mind, make your calls-to-action as specific as possible. They should tell the customer exactly what you want them to do, how you want them to do it, and what will happen when they do.
More Powerful Facebook Ads Start Here
Today, Facebook advertising is a science. Although it can feel impossible to predict what will work and what won't, these tips are a great way to skyrocket your Facebook at efforts and ensure you're not wasting time. By following these seven tips, you can enjoy a higher return on investment, and more effective Facebook advertising both now and in the future. Need help creating Facebook ads for your company? Contact our team today!