We’ve worked with many clients in the past who have told us
that Facebook ads didn’t work for them. The explanations why they didn’t range
from "our audience isn’t on Facebook" to "we don’t
have enough likes."
These explanations may sound logical, however, they're probably
not the real reasons. The truth about Facebook ads is you need a strategy in order for them to be effective. Creating generic ads for untargeted
audiences won't produce results.
Facebook is a great platform for reaching all types of
people. According to Hootsuite, 36.8% of the world’s population uses Facebook monthly. That equals 2.91 billion users! With that big of a pond to fish in, there's no reason you can’t find your audience.
Here are the top five mistakes we see most often (and what you can do to fix them):
1. Your Offer Wasn’t
Strong Enough
The number one reason that Facebook ads don’t work is
because of a weak or undesirable offer.
Your audience is never going to bite on an offer that
doesn’t have enough value to them. That doesn’t mean you need to offer a huge discount on your product.
But your offer does need to have a high-perceived
value. This can mean giving away a free ebook or downloadable PDF guide, offering a reasonable
percentage off, or providing a valuable offer unique to your audience.
2. Your Images Were
Boring or Unrelated
Never underestimate visuals. Facebook ads with images receive 2.3
times the engagement than those without. But boring stock photos don’t
impress anyone.
Successful ad images look organic within a person’s Facebook
Newsfeed, yet are designed to stand out and resonate with the intended target.
Sometimes, the image that generates the most conversions isn’t what you’d expect
– hence why A/B testing
images is crucial.
Improve your ads' success by following image best practices like showing happy people, bright colors, logos, strong value proposition, pets, and humor. But don’t be afraid to experiment with images – you never know what
could resonate with your audience.
3. Your Targeting Was
Off
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with Facebook ads
is with your targeting. You can have the most compelling ad, but if it’s not in
front of the right people, you won’t see any return on investment.
It’s easy to assume that a broader audience means more
conversions, but in reality, specificity is key to a successful campaign.
Take the time to create a buyer profile for each campaign. You
should take note of demographic attributes, such as age, income, and marital
status, and also psychographic attributes, such as values, interests, and pain
points. Creating an ad is infinitely easier when you understand who you’re
creating the ad for.
4. Your Ad Copy
Didn’t Inspire Action
Your ad copy needs to address your user’s problem and how
your service or product will solve it. Use powerful, emotive words in your
headlines.
And don’t be afraid to use negativity as an emotional driving force.
Some people are motivated by running away from things they dislike, while
others are motivated by moving toward things that they like – both can play a
role in purchasing decisions.
Be up-front with your offering, and don’t try to trick someone
into clicking on your ad that wouldn’t be a good match for your product. Once they get
to your landing page and see they’re not interested, you’ve just spent money to
attract someone that has no intent to buy.
5. Your Timing Was
Off
Not all products and services sell the same year-round. People
aren’t always ready to buy when you are ready to sell.
If you have a seasonal product and you are running too early
or late, you could be met with zero response. Take a look at your products or
services and determine when these would be best sold. This will help your ads
be more effective.
Don't Write Off Facebook Ads Just Yet
Facebook campaigns are similar to many other types of
marketing in that you don’t always strike gold your first time. There's plenty
of split testing and copy tweaking to be done to increase your ads’ ROI.
As
long as you’ve got a great value proposition that will benefit a specific
audience, you just need to follow best practices and keep testing until you find something that gains
traction.
Jump on a free discovery call with Sales & Marketing Technologies to give your ads a
facelift and get you on your way to converting more customers through Facebook!
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in February 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.