In today’s digital world, small businesses have the same opportunity to compete and succeed as large corporations. In fact, according to research from The Center for Technology Innovation at the acceleration of technology is creating a new competitive playing field—one where smaller companies have the advantage.
Small businesses have a major advantage in this new era because they’re nimble and can launch products quickly with fewer resources and red tape than larger corporations. In order for your business to succeed in this changing landscape, you need to leverage every available resource.
That includes Facebook ads for small businesses . This article will detail 20 effective tips for running successful Facebook ads, so you can take your small business to the next level.
1. Create a solid ad foundation before you start
Before you even think about creating ads, you should have a solid foundation in place. Your foundation will affect the success of your Facebook ads, so it’s essential to get it right. Because Facebook is all about the user experience, the best way to approach your ads is to focus on the user.
This means creating ads that are easy to understand, enticing, and engaging. You can do this by answering the following questions:
- What is the purpose of your ad?
- Why should someone care about your ad?
- When and where will the ad appear?
- What is the ad’s main message or call-to-action?
- How does the ad promote your business?
- What is the ad’s visual style and tone?
2. Use Facebook’s built-in targeting features
Facebook’s built-in targeting features are among the best in the industry. Therefore, they’re a very good place to start when creating your ads. Because Facebook knows so much about its users, you can target a very specific audience with your ads.
You can also target the times your ads are shown. Even if you don’t know who your target audience is, Facebook can help you find them. Facebook’s built-in targeting features allow you to find people based on their age, gender, interests, job, education level, relationship status, and much more.
3. Don’t skimp on ad budget
If you have one rule when it comes to Facebook ads, it’s this: don’t skimp on ad budget. Advertising is an essential part of any business’s marketing strategy, and Facebook ads are no exception. Advertising on any social media network is extremely cheap compared to other forms of marketing.
In fact, you can run an ad on Facebook for as little as $1. That said, not all ads are created equal, and you can certainly waste $1 if you don’t spend it wisely. Therefore, before you start creating and running ads, make sure you have a budget in mind.
You should invest as much money as you can into advertising, but you also don’t want to break the bank. You can start small and increase your budget as you see results.
4. Run your ads for a long time
When you’re just starting out with Facebook ads, you may want to run your ads for a short period of time to test the waters. However, you’ll get more out of your ads if you run them for as long as possible. Because Facebook charges you based on when someone clicks on your ad, you’ll pay less if your ad is shown for a long period of time.
Moreover, you’ll have a better chance of showing up in the Newsfeed if you run your ad for a longer period of time. And, you’ll have a better chance of showing up in an ad-targeted search if you run your ad for a longer period of time.
Although you should definitely test a variety of lengths and see what works best for your business, a good rule of thumb is to run your ads for at least a month.
5. Leverage Facebook’s many ad types
There are many different types of Facebook ads that you can run to promote your business. The more types of ads you run, the more people you’ll reach. If you only run one type of ad, you’ll only be seen by a limited number of people. And, you’ll have a limited opportunity to engage with those people.
This will make it very difficult for your ads to succeed. Therefore, you should use as many different types of ads as possible. This means you’ll be shown to a wider audience, and you’ll be able to engage with those people in a number of different ways.
Additionally, the more types of ads you run, the more creative you’ll have to be. This creative challenge will help you come up with better ads that resonate with your audience.
6. Use video to increase ad visibility and effectiveness
A surprising fact is that Facebook users are 2X more likely to engage with ads that contain video. This makes sense given that people are much more likely to pay attention to a video than they are to plain text.
If you use video in your ads, you’ll have a much better chance of getting your ad in front of your audience. You can use several different types of videos in your ads, such as product demonstrations, customer testimonials, educational content, and more. You should definitely experiment with different types of videos to see which ones work best for your business.
7. Utilize Facebook’s many ad formats
You can also experiment with different types of ad formats. There are many different types of ad formats available, and they each have their own purpose. You can use different types of ads to achieve different things, such as driving traffic to your website, increasing your brand awareness, or increasing your sales.
There are many different types of ads you can use to achieve these goals, and you should experiment with all of them. There are six main types of Facebook ads: link, image, video, carousel, canvas, and crowdfunding.
Each one has its own benefits and purpose, so you should experiment with each one to see which ones best fit your business.
8. Find the best performing audience and continue to advertise to them
Once you’ve started running ads, you need to keep track of their progress. This will give you a clear idea of what’s working and what isn’t, and it will help you make changes as necessary. You can do this using Facebook’s built-in reporting system.
You should keep track of various metrics, such as impressions, click-through rate, cost per click, and conversion rate. Continue to experiment with different audiences and ad types to see what works best. Put the best performing audience on a continuous retargeting or ad rotation schedule.
This will allow you to stay in front of these people without over-advertising to them. You should also try to stay up-to-date with Facebook’s ever-changing ad guidelines and changes in the marketplace.
9. Define your target audience and business goal before you start advertising
Before you even think about creating your first ad, you need to know who you’re targeting. The best way to do this is to create a buyer persona. A buyer persona is a fictional character that represents your ideal customer.
It includes information such as age, location, education level, and more. You can also consider creating a customer avatar, which is a fictional character that represents your company.
An important thing to remember when creating a buyer persona or customer avatar is that you should be as specific as possible. You want to be general enough to apply to a wide audience, but you also don’t want to be too general.
10. Solid colours always beat funky backgrounds
The background colour of your Facebook ad has a significant effect on its performance. According to research, a good ad colour combination will generate 33% more clicks than a bad combination. You can choose the right colour combination for your ad using the Colourlovers website.
The Colourlovers website gives you a Colour Wheel with millions of colour combinations to choose from. It also has a visual colour palette tool, which allows you to create a colour palette based on a photo you’ve taken.
You should choose a solid colour for your ad background. Interestingly, a solid colour will draw attention to your ad.
11. Experiment with ad types and ad lengths
You can choose between four different ad types on Facebook: image, link, video, and canvas. The two most popular types are image and link ads, as they’re well-suited for a wide variety of businesses. There are no hard-and-fast rules about what ads work best; you just have to experiment with different types and lengths to see what works best for your audience.
Generally, longer ads are more effective, but there are no hard-and-fast rules about what ads work best; you just have to experiment with different types and lengths to see what works best for your audience.
12. Use the right metrics
When evaluating the success of your ads, you have to use the right metrics. If you’re trying to identify which ads are the most effective, look at clicks to website, conversions, or cost per acquisition (CPA). Facebook also gives you additional metrics that can help you optimize your campaigns.
Also read: Tips for creating the perfect social media outreach plan
These include the number of people who saw your ad, the number of people who clicked your ad, and the number of people who interacted with your ad. You can also view the average cost per click, average amount spent per day, and estimated reach of your ad.
By tracking these metrics, you can make adjustments to your campaign to maximize your impact. For example, if you notice clicks are going up but conversions are staying the same, you might switch to a different ad type that’s more effective.
13. Don’t skimp on quality
You have to invest time and money into your ads in order for them to be successful. If you skimp on quality and try to rush the process, you won’t get the results you’re after. Quality ads start with a compelling headline, followed by a strong call to action (CTA).
Your headline should be short and attention-grabbing, and have a clear value proposition. Your CTA should be short and direct, prompting your audience to click on your ad and go to your website.
Image quality is also critical to the success of your ad. Facebook allows you to include a photo or graphic with your ad, so be sure to create an attention-grabbing image that will appeal to your target audience.
14. Leverage Facebook’s brand recognition
One of the biggest advantages of advertising on Facebook as opposed to other platforms is the brand recognition that comes with it. People are familiar with Facebook, so they’re likely to click on ads they see in their feed.
That familiarity also extends to the images and logos you use with your ads. Facebook is one of the most recognizable and trusted brands in the world, so you can piggyback on that brand recognition with your ads.
You can use the Facebook logo, photos from your company events, or images from your website in your ads to create familiarity and trust, driving more clicks and conversions.
15. Don’t just rely on ads for awareness
It’s important to remember that Facebook ads are not just for awareness; you can use them for conversion optimization as well. You can use a split test to determine which type of ad performs best for your business.
After you’ve selected the appropriate ad type, you can experiment with the different elements of Facebook ads, such as the headline, CTA, and the image or link.
You can also test different audiences and ad schedules to determine which ads perform best, giving you a better idea of how to allocate your ad budget.
16. Be Clear and Concise in Your Copywriting
The copywriting of your ad is just as important as the images and videos you use. Facebook users have become accustomed to short and succinct ads, so don’t write a novel and expect your ads to get clicks. People will scroll past longer ads, and you don’t want that type of ad showing up in their feed.
Nail down your exact target audience, and write a clear, concise ad that resonates with them. Keep your ad between 22 and 80 words long, and don’t forget to include a CTA that prompts people to click on your ad.
17. Use Video Ads to Grow Your Audience
Facebook video ads are a great way to build your audience, provided you create high-quality ads. You can use video ads to promote new products or services, get word out about your company culture, or even use them as a customer service tool.
Facebook allows you to create custom audiences from your video ads, so you can retarget people who’ve already seen your video and drive more traffic to your site.
Increasingly, more people are turning to video as a source of entertainment, information, and even news. By creating high quality video ads that resonate with your target audience, you can drive more traffic to your website, generate leads, and increase sales.
18. Have a Clear Objective for Your Facebook Ads
Before you start running ads, it’s important to have a clear objective for each campaign. Are you trying to drive more traffic to your website, generate leads, or increase sales? Maybe you’re trying to divert traffic away from your competitor’s site. Whatever your objective is, make sure you have a clear vision before you start running ads.
Once you’ve identified your primary objective, you can also select secondary objectives to help you get even more value from your ads. For example, if your primary objective is to drive traffic to your website, you can select the secondary objective of building brand awareness. Once you’ve identified your primary and secondary objectives, you can create a campaign that’s more focused and efficient.
19. Run a Test Campaign Before Committing
Even though Facebook ads have become more sophisticated and effective over the years, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be effective for your business. There are certain factors, such as your target audience, that can make or break your campaign.
Before you invest a significant amount of money running ads, it’s a good idea to test different campaigns to see what works best for your business.
Facebook has a few ways to test your campaigns. You can create a targeted ad campaign and use either a percentage-based or dollar-per-day budget. You can also create a targeted ad campaign and use a split test to evaluate two different ads against each other.
20. Don’t skimp on ad length
The average person spends about two minutes scrolling through their Facebook feed every day. This means that your ad has just a few seconds to get their attention and compel them to click through. The attention span of your audience is shorter than ever before, so it’s important to keep the length of your ad to a minimum.
From one-second ads to 10-second ads, Facebook has a variety of ad types that are designed to grab your audience’s attention and compel them to click. Keep your ad to a few seconds and you’ll have a much better chance of getting your message across, driving traffic to your website, and converting.
