An industry report from Social Media Examiner found Facebook continues to dominate as the most-used social platform for B2B and B2C marketing. Despite continued user decline over the years, Facebook remains a top marketing channel for business owners. The same report shows that over 6 million businesses use Facebook ads to reach their target audiences. Businesses must understand the balance of visual and text elements to create effective Facebook advertisements.
Visuals are more easily digestible for users and often prompt them to act after seeing the ad — such as clicking through or making a purchase. Even though visuals can be more effective than copy when advertising on Facebook, that doesn’t mean you should ignore your words. The right words in a Facebook ad can help you achieve your business’s objectives and drive conversion — as long as they’re presented well. What makes an effective Facebook ad? To answer this, we’ll explore how to create a good Facebook ad by covering three key topics: copy, visuals, and best practices.
What Makes an Effective Facebook Ad?
Your Facebook ad’s success depends on your ability to engage prospective customers — specifically, the ability to capture their attention with the ad and compel them to buy your product or service. A good Facebook ad will accomplish this with compelling copy and eye-catching visuals.
If you’re wondering how to write a good Facebook ad, these are some of the things to keep in mind:
- The clickthrough rate (CTR) of your ad - This will depend on various factors, including the ad’s placement, copy, and visuals. Your ad’s clickthrough rate will indicate how successful it is at driving traffic to your website.
- The ad’s cost per engagement (CPE) - This is how much you’re paying per person who engages with your ad (likes, clicks, comments, or shares).
- The ad’s cost per click (CPC) - This is how much you’re paying per person who clicks on your ad. The lower your CPC, the better.
- The ad’s cost per conversion (CPC) - This is how much you’re paying per sale. A low CPC is ideal, though it’s not always possible.
- Your ad’s lifetime customer value (LCV) - This is the average amount of money a customer will spend with you over their lifetime. It can be useful for optimizing your ad to increase this LCV.
- The ad’s click-to-conversion rate - This is the percentage of people who only click on your ad versus the percentage of people who also complete the desired action after clicking. A higher click-to-conversion rate is ideal.
Create Scannable Copy for Facebook
Many advertisers believe they should write their ads as if they were news headlines — but they’re doing it all wrong. While you want to make your headline scannable, you also want to avoid simply typing out your ad like a headline. Headlines that read like short sentences are more difficult for readers to process. They have to read the entire sentence before they have a basic understanding of what the headline means, making it much harder for them to retain that information.
In contrast, headlines written like short, declarative statements are quick and easy to understand. Readers can process that information very quickly, allowing them to move on to other things if they choose. This means that writing headlines like short, declarative statements will make it easier for readers to retain your ad’s message — and thus, make it more likely they will click on your ad.
Use Compelling Visuals
Compelling visuals in your Facebook ad are crucial to driving engagement and increasing effectiveness. But many advertisers make mistakes when choosing the images for their ads. Some, for example, use images that are too small or don’t contain enough information to compel users to click.
On the other hand, using the right images can help you engage your target audience and drive better conversion. That’s because images are more likely to be remembered than the text in your ad. People will be more likely to remember your ad’s image and click on your ad if it has an image that resonates with them. However, you shouldn’t just throw any image into your ad and hope it’ll do well. Carefully select a visual that supports your ad's message and is visually engaging.
Best Practices for Writing Copy in Ads
When writing Facebook ads, remember that you have a limited amount of real estate — so use it wisely. You want to make it as easy as possible for prospective customers to engage with your ad and decide whether or not they want to buy your product or service. Write ads that are compelling and easily understood without sacrificing the necessary information. Here are some tips to help you do this:
- Use a call-to-action - This is crucial when writing Facebook ads. It’s the action that you want your customers to take after reading your ad. While you want your ad to be compelling enough to draw attention, you must also provide a clear next step. A call-to-action will prompt your prospective customers to act and either click on your ad or go to your website, meaning an increased chance for engagement. A few standard calls to action include telling customers to visit your website, call now, or sign up for something like your email list or a class.
- Use short, declarative sentences - Remember that headlines written like short, declarative statements are more likely to be retained by readers. Use this format when writing your ad’s copy to make it easier for customers to understand what your ad is about and click on your ad.
- Use numbers, stats, and facts - This is useful for various reasons, but primarily, it makes your ad more compelling and helps you provide more information. This will help you drive more engagement and boost conversion rates.
- Test different copy - Marketing is a trial-and-error process, and what works for one business might not work for yours. Experiment with different approaches, and pay attention to what works and doesn’t (reference the key metrics you should be paying attention to).
- Analyze your ad’s metrics - Keep track of your Facebook ad metrics, including how many people click on your ad, how many people visit your website, and how many people make a purchase. This will help you determine what works and what doesn’t so you can optimize your ads in the future.
The Future of Facebook Ads
Your Facebook ads need to stand out from all the other ads in your prospective customers’ newsfeeds. This means you must write compelling copy, create eye-catching visuals, and optimize your ad for success. It can be challenging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. When you craft a great Facebook ad, you will see a significant increase in engagement and sales.
If you are looking for experts to guide you through the process, or simply manage Facebook ads for your business, visit https://creativelydisruptive.com.