Social media ads are one of the best tools for advertising. One of the best things about Facebook ads is that you can do so much with them. There are so many ways you can target the best audience, and there are so many ways to present your ads. But because there are so many options, it can get a little overwhelming. Here are nine tips that will help you navigate your Facebook ads.

1. Video Ads Still Matter

After the news that Facebook was inflating video metrics broke, there was some speculation as to whether or not video was still relevant for Facebook ads. Video remains a very important tool, though, especially when it comes to Facebook ads.

With video, there is more that you can do in terms of storytelling, and storytelling is always an effective way to approach ads. Many customers will happily watch a video ad even if it takes them half a minute whereas they may be more resistant about reading text.

2. Try More than One Set of Copy

Sometimes a mere adjustment in the copy can bring you CPC costs way down. There can be a sense of trying different things and discovering what works, especially in the beginning if you haven’t run a lot of A/B tests before.

You might want to create multiple sets of copy. Try different headlines and ad texts that will work cohesively together. Try different styles and different wording. Try using bullet points, shorter sentences, longer paragraphs. Try keeping the basic offer of the ad the same, but highlight it in a different way.

3. Keep the Frequency Low and Relevance High

A lot of advertisers don’t pay attention to two important metrics, but you should: Frequency and Relevance Score.

The frequency will tell you how often one individual user sees your ad. The lower your frequency, the better. If the frequency score is 8, for example, that means a single user sees your ad an average of 8 times. If someone has seen your ad that many times and isn’t converting, it’s not likely that they will, and your campaign will suffer.

Conversely, the relevance score needs to be as high as possible. Facebook will give you a score that basically tells you how relevant they consider your ad to be to the people they are showing it to.

4. You Don’t Always Want to Set a Bid Cap

Facebook allows you the ability to place a bid cap if you’re on a budget. This basically means you won’t pay over a certain amount for each specific ad placement. Bid caps can definitely be a great idea if you are on a budget, but they aren’t always the right thing to do.

They can actually limit your ads. For example, if your bid is capped at $1.51, you might be missing out on placements that are just over that. Just make sure you consider all of your options before you place your Facebook ads.

5. Understand Your Audience Before You Start Targeting

One of the best things about Facebook ads is their extensive targeting abilities. It can get overwhelming at times, though. There are so many options for targeting.

The best way to navigate this is to really understand who your audience is. And although it might be tempting to create an extremely niche audience, doing that can sometimes make your audience too small.

6. Create Lookalike Audiences

Some clients and customers are always going to be more valuable than others. They’re either loyal customers and/or more engaged with your posts. You can create a custom lookalike audience that is based on these people. This will help you connect with new customers that are like your high-value customers.

7. Focus on Content that’s Mobile First

More and more web traffic is coming from mobile devices so you want to make sure your ads appear well on them. Ads created for a desktop won’t always look great on mobile devices. However, ads created for mobile will usually look okay on desktop devices.

So you want to make sure that your ads look good on mobile devices. You can incorporate more vertical videos, for example, that will fit on mobile devices. Don’t forget to test your ads on different devices.

8. Consider Your Placements

Facebook allows you to reach potential customers in many places–even outside of Facebook in Instagram. You can also choose if you want to run desktop ads, mobile ads, or both. Depending on what you are selling, it may make more sense for your ads to be on mobile devices or computers.

The default is to take advantage of all placements, but you’ll be able to edit this accordingly as you edit your ads.

9. Retargeting Works

On average, retargeting campaigns have a lower CPC and a higher engagement rate. Whether you are showing ads to high-value customers who purchase from you regularly or targeting users who have already looked at a page on your website, these users will already have a connection of some kind to your business, which is why retargeting is so effective.

Facebook ads can be a little daunting. There are so many options, and it can get a little complicated. Follow the tips above to keep your Facebook ads under control.

 

WT Digital Agency is an Atlanta marketing agency specializing in brand development, content marketing, social media marketing, website design, SEO, and more. To learn more about what we do, click here.