Facebook recently put on a first class social media training complete with tips on making Facebook ads better. Mari Smith emceed the event and moderated a panel of local businesses who are using Facebook and Instagram successfully. This panel followed Jonathan Czaja (Director of Small Business at Facebook) who shared all about the the great results Bonobos brand (of pants) and other businesses that got results with ads. Then the Facebook trainers took the stage. Colby C. O’Neil got into the nitty gritty of best practices for Facebook ads.
Facebook Link Ads Training
The Facebook trainers focused on link ads which are those ads that link to a page off of Facebook. Could be for a email subscription, opt-in for download, an article or to buy an actual product.
- Use quality images.
- Write compelling text that compliments your image
- Optimize all placements. Facebook automatically does this. Don’t turn off these until you know where your traffic is coming from. Let the ad deliver on all placements
- Call to Action button
- A:B test (Split test) your creative. When you use a link ad, you can upload up to 6 images that Facebook will test for you -test images with products only and people only so you
1. Use Quality Images
Like you, people scroll through their news feeds so quickly. Your images must make them want to stop and look. Too many companies think they don’t have the ability to create great images. If you think you need a professional graphics team, think again. They gave the example of State Bicycle Co. who didn’t have much content. They started running photo contests. They asked their fans to share their photos of and experiences with bicycles old and new on their Facebook page. With their photo, they asked users to inlcude hashtags. They offered gift cards to winners. One contest was called The Oldest Bike Contest. Guess what they had after running the contest? Tons of beautiful photos of bicycles. Some were their own and others were beautiful shots. They re-purposed those photos and leveraged the creativity of their fans. With cell phone technology we have the power to create incredible images.
2. Write compelling text that compliments your image
Equally important is to be writing engaging and compelling text in your ads. Makes sure the text and the image have the same purpose.
3. Optimize all placements.
Facebook will automatically optimize your ads if you let it. Don’t turn off this setting until you know where your traffic is coming from. Colby emphasized letting the ad deliver on all placements. Once you learn from the ads analytics which ads to what audiences are working for you, let Facebook show you through their optimization algorithms. Keep them on until the results are in.
4. Drive action with the Call to Action button
Facebook offers 5 call to action button options. Shop Now,Learn More, Sign Up, Book Now or Download. Use them to direct viewers to what you want them to do. Make it simple and clear. Remember a confused mind never says yes.
5. Split test your creative
When you use a link ad, you can upload up to 6 images that Facebook will test for you. Test images with products only and people only and determine what gets more clicks and more importantly what gets more conversions. Facebook now even houses a selection of stock images that you can choose from at no extra charge. To track conversions make sure you are using Facebook’s conversion pixels on every page of your website. Facebook then tracks ever
An in depth guide to Link Ads can be found on Facebook’s resource area for business. Here is the specific page: https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/page-post-link-ads
Carousel Ads
The most exciting news at the #fbboost Boost Your Business Day was the training on ads that allow you to place multiple images in them. There are two kinds: Carousel Ads and Dynamic Product Ads.
Carousel ads let you create 1 ad with 3-5 images that rotate on viewers device. Each image gets its own call to action. I’m so excited about this as I’m a variety kind of gal. Plus Facebook advertisers are reporting a 30-50% reduction in cost per action and 20-30% decrease in cost per click.
See my upcoming post for details on best practices for Carousel Format Ads.
