Facebook Ads, or as it should now be known, Meta Ads, can be a minefield if you’re not 100% sure on what you need to do. From Pixels to domains, Ad Sets to Detailed Targeting, there’s a whole host of different things you need to consider when setting up a successful Facebook (Meta) Ads campaign.
Here are our 5 top tips for getting the most out of your Facebook Ads campaigns:
Clear Objectives
Before you begin your Facebook Campaign, it is important to define what you want to achieve with your Ads. What business goals do you want your Ad campaign to help you achieve? Is it brand awareness, website traffic, leads generation or app install? Knowing this will guide your entire Ads creation process and your overall Ads strategy.
Targeting
The second most important thing when creating your Facebook (META) Ads is the Targeting. There are endless targeting opportunities on Facebook. From Detailed Targeting using demographics and psychographics, to Lookalikes, Retargeting and more, there’s literally an endless amount of combinations to target.
As with most things in Marketing, we advise that you 'Test and Measure'. There's no 'One Size Fits All' approach when it comes to Ads so don't expect that if you use certain audiences, you're guaranteed results. This is not the case. It's more about knowing your target audience, finding them and targeting them appropriately with the right messaging to ensure your Facebook (META) Ads appeal to them.
Creative
Once you've got your targeting right, your creative is arguably the next key thing. Ensuring you have the correct visual and correct messaging is paramount to the effectiveness of your campaign. Think of it like this; your Ads campaign is targeting Business Owners based in Doncaster. If your visuals are referring to Marketing Managers in London, you're unlikely to appeal to the audience.
When it comes to your visuals/creatives, it's definitely worth considering what's going to click with your audience. From colours, to creative type, tone of voice to messaging, it's important to do your research to understand what your audience are more likely to engage with. Also, we'll say it again - test and measure! If your creatives are not having the desired effect, try other creatives, different messaging and creative types.Only change one element at a time so you can easily identify which change has caused the improved results.
Pixel & Tracking
Running a Facebook Ads campaign without a Pixel, it’s like going for a walk in the middle of nowhere without a map, directions or compass; it’s pointless. The walk is going to take up lots of your time, effort and money to get yourself on the right path, and you probably won't be able to track where you started or where you finished. Without a Pixel you’re essentially saying to Facebook - here’s my budget, spend it, but I’m not going to tell you what I want you to do with the budget.
Ad Schedules
Whether you're running lead gen campaigns or e-commerce campaigns, it's important to consider when you want to show your Ad. For example, if you're running a lead gen campaign, it's important to consider when your audience are going to be active on the platform and at what point they're likely to convert. There's no point running a call ad overnight, for example, if your sales team aren't available to answer the call. However, it could be worth a generic lead gen campaign running overnight with your messaging setting the expectations that if they fill in a lead form overnight, someone will be in touch in the morning.
When it comes to e-commerce campaigns, it's just as important to consider your Ad schedules. Looking when sales are being delivered at efficient Cost Per Sales, and optimising your Ad schedule accordingly around that. Remember to continually check your schedule and review when the best results occur and make any amendments where necessary.
Bonus tip - Don't forget about A/B Testing
Ads are about testing. To get the most of your Facebook ad campaigns, it is important to compare two versions of your ad strategy. With A/B test, you can experiment with different ad formats, test different variables such as images, ad copies, CTA, landing page; to see which performs best and resonates more with your audience. This would help you make more data-informed decision concerning your campaigns.
Facebook Ads can be confusing, however, if you consider the 5 things above you should be well on your way to effective campaigns. If you want to get rid of the headache altogether? Speak to our team about how we can manage your Facebook Ads
