7 Facebook Ad Tips That Drive Revenue

In many ways, the internet is the great equaliser. Anyone with talent, drive, and a reliable Wi-Fi connection can build something that reaches people across the globe.

Of course, the social media giant Facebook is a big part of that reach. According to Statista, there are nearly 2.5 billion monthly active users on Facebook. With the right Facebook ad approach, you can tap into that massive base of users.

Here are 7 Facebook ad tips that will help drive revenue for your business.

Facebook Ad Tip #1: Craft Your Buyer Personas

If you don’t have buyer personas (also known as customer profiles), you don’t really know who you’re talking to. And if you don’t know who you’re talking to, how can you sell them effectively?

Buyer personas don’t have to be complicated. Just paint a picture of who a subset of your audience is, including demographics, interests, pain points, and motivations. These personas can be translated directly into your Facebook Ads as different ad sets.

It’s always ideal if you can base these personas off of your existing customers, but if not, you can always make educated guesses about hypothetical personas and test them to see what’s working. Don’t skip this step now, or you might find yourself attracting the wrong type of leads and customers later.

Facebook Ad Tip #2: Master A/B Testing

One of the first things you’ll realise about Facebook Ads is that there are a LOT of potential variables that can impact your success. Even without getting into the ad itself, you can target all kinds of people based on demographic data, interests, location, and more.

If you’ve created two to five personas, you can start out by testing a few different versions of your ad copy for each persona. This will help you see which persona and ad combination is getting the best cost-per-click and click-through rate.

From there, you can start to test the copy and creative – including different images and videos – to see what’s resonating the best with your audience. Just make sure you never stop, because there’s ALWAYS room for improvement.

Facebook Ad Tip #3: Focus on the Headline

Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a good headline is essential to draw readers in. As David Ogilvy famously said, “When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

Take the time to craft a headline that will draw readers in. Remember, nobody is on Facebook to be sold to – the only reason they’ll stop to check out your ad is if it catches their attention. Good copy is still essential to get the best results from your Facebook ads.

So, how do you write a good headline?

• Keep it short. Between 60 and 100 characters at most, and ideally between 25 to 40 characters.
• Use numbers. People just prefer numbers. Get creative! You can use them to describe how much of a discount they can get, how many users you have, how long you’ve been in business, and more.
• Include power words. There are tons of power words you can include in your headlines to get people’s attention. If your message isn’t resonating, punch up your copy with a few of them.

The only purpose of a headline is to get readers to keep reading. If you can accomplish that, you’re already ahead of the game.

Facebook Ad Tip #4: Build a Compelling Offer

There’s no reason to click through on an ad if it’s a bland brochure type of post. Simply saying, “I sell a product. Here’s what it does,” is a recipe for a failed campaign. If you haven’t given readers a reason to click right now, they probably won’t!

Ultimately, urgency and scarcity play a major role in getting people to take action. You can roll these into a compelling offer that people can’t resist. If you’re selling something that can be purchased right now, copy the Groupon model and include a countdown for an excellent deal on your offering.

If you’re establishing a relationship with potential customers, then a giveaway of valuable information might be the better way to go. Just make sure it’s such a good offer that YOU would have a hard time turning it down if you were the prospect.

Facebook Ad Tip #5: Optimise, Optimise, Optimise

I don’t have to tell you that running Facebook ads isn’t cheap. But especially early on, the best value it can provide is data. It can validate your assumptions and help you hone your messaging to get a better and better response from prospects.

Don’t get complacent. Ads have a short shelf-life. What worked two weeks ago may not work now, especially if you’ve targeted a small audience. You will eventually run out of new people to reach.

That’s why you should review your Facebook ad campaigns every week, even when they’re at a good place. The reality is, some of the best-performing advertisers on Facebook have hundreds of different ads running. Keep optimising so you can put more money into the ads that actually work and stop wasting it on poor performers.

Facebook Ad Tip #6: Think About the Backend

Facebook allows you to install a Facebook pixel on webpages in your sales funnel. That means you can actually track conversions beyond Facebook. By connecting your personas to an action on your sales page – such as a purchase or form submission – you can quantify the value of your campaign.

We can’t cover everything you need on the backend of a Facebook Ads campaign, but suffice it to say, there’s plenty. If you don’t have a website, email list, sales team, or something that can capture value beyond a single transaction, you’re missing out on the biggest potential benefits of your Facebook ads.

Facebook Ad Tip #7: Learn From the Greats

As you create personas, ads, and split tests, you’ll discover what works and what doesn’t. But wouldn’t it be nice to skip right to what works?

There are long-standing principles of advertising that apply just as much now as they used to. I’m talking about Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz, Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins, and Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get a great marketing education!

In the end, you don’t have to become the greatest copywriter ever to succeed on Facebook, but I don’t think any other Facebook advertising tips can top the value of really learning what succeeded in the age before micro-targeting and carousels.

Facebook Ad Tips Wrap-up

These Facebook ad tips should give a huge head start to anyone looking to launch their own Facebook ad campaigns and grow their business this year!

However, I have one note of caution for you: running a Facebook ad campaign can get pricey, and it requires a lot of attention to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. You should learn as much as you can about Facebook for your business, but if you want to see the best results quickly, consider working with an experienced PPC agency.

At Common Ground, we’ve been around the block and know how to launch and manage successful PPC campaigns, including Facebook. We can help you too!

Ready to get started? Request your free proposal today!

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