Growth Marketer Academy: Episode 22 – How-To Run Facebook Ads For Massive Gains – Part 1

With 2 billion active monthly users, your customers are most definitely on Facebook.

But reaching them at the right time with the right message takes more than putting up an image and an offer.

Facebook offers a unique opportunity to build brand awareness and engage with new and existing customers.

We’re sharing the secret to building a Facebook campaign that can – with some nurturing – convert engaged leads into loyal customers.

Traffic is fundamental to generating leads.

You need to steer qualified traffic to your site if you want to make sales

 

You’ve got 2 options:

Invest time and man-hours in organic search

Or

Invest money in paid search advertising.

 

We’ve said it before:

You should use paid search to gather info and hone your campaign BEFORE you invest the time and effort into building your SEO.

 

It’s not all about Google.

 

Facebook is different from Adwords:

People aren’t actively looking for a solution on Facebook.

They are on the platform to unwind, relax, and socialize.

Your job here is to tailor your message to gently guide potential customers down your sales funnel without disrupting their experience.

In this TWO PART series, we’re covering:

1. How to determine which type of Facebook ad to run and, 
2. How to set up that ad so it converts

Why Choose Facebook?

Interrupting people with messages (like on TV, radio, and print) brings limited success.

You have to be active where people are listening.

People are active and engaged on Facebook

Unless you’re targeting only people between the age of 18-22

Your customers are on Facebook

 

It’s not just to laugh at a silly meme or post a comment on a family photo.

 

Nearly half of all Americans use Facebook as a news source.

 

Facebook and other prevalent social channels are the modern age equivalent to network news giants like NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS.

When it comes to advertising on social 96% of marketers favor Facebook

Facebook has nearly 2 billion active monthly users.

Potential to reach an audience unparalleled by any other social network.

More importantly, they’re engaged.

Facebook users spend 35 minutes per day on the platform.

Better yet?

Compared to other advertising channels, Facebook is incredibly cheap.

The average cost per click for a Facebook ad is $0.26 (in the US).

Bonus: great analytics

• You can see right away when someone sees your ad or reacts to it
• Lets you make adjustments to style and copy more quickly than other marketing channels.

 

People are accustomed to seeing ads in their Facebook feed

BUT only those that blend in seamlessly are successful.

What Makes Facebook Ads Unique

Facebook knows a TON of stuff about your potential customer:

 

• Age
• Location
• Pages liked
• Groups they participate in
• Events they show an interest in

 

Facebook’s algorithm chooses relevant ads to show a user.

Facebook wants users to see ads that don’t feel disruptive or out of place.

Most Facebook ads displayed in a user’s newsfeed mimic native content.

Desktop users may see ads on the sidebar.

Side ads don’t prevent users from scrolling down their feed:

They don’t disrupt user experience.

 

Facebook Audience Network:

Lets you extend Facebook ads onto other platforms and websites

Appears like native content or video ads

Further increases reach.

The Different Formats of Facebook Ads

Regardless of the Facebook ad format you choose, your ads should encourage users to click-through, leave Facebook, and visit your website.

If viewers stay on Facebook, they’ll get distracted.

Here are the components of the average Facebook ad:

Most common ad formats:

 

The Image Ad

 

Appears on a user’s newsfeed with

• an image,
• accompanying text,
• and sometimes a CTA.

 

Goal: click anywhere on the ad and get led away from Facebook.

Upload an engaging & relevant clickable image of your choice

Recommended image size: 1200 x 628 pixels for best-quality.

Make sure your image:

• Tells a story
• Captures attention
• Leaves a lasting impression

 

Video Ads

 

Facebook prioritizes video content in the newsfeed

Videos now also autoplay

Gives video ads great reach.

Make sure to include transcripted text overlaid on the video

It will auto-play as the user scrolls

Allows you to engage passive viewers.

They see an expanded message without having to actually click to hear audio.

 

Carousel ads

 

A carousel ad is basically 10 photo ads lumped together as one.

Users can scroll horizontally to view 10 different images

Each can link to the same or different CTA.

Best for

• showcasing a product,
• demonstrating how to use your service,
• Telling a story through pictures.

 

In case you’ve never seen these before, here’s what they look like:  

 

Collection Ads

 

The collection ad format lets you pair an image or video ad with 4 additional images within a single ad.

Lets you create an immersive experience.

Compliment your main featured ad with themes and stories

Each additional image can open in full-screen templates

User doesn’t have to leave Facebook.

Like mini landing pages within Facebook.

Here’s how they look in a user’s feed:

How to Decide Which Ad Type To Use

Some ad types are naturally better suited for certain objectives over others.

For example:

If your objective is to gather leads then running an image ad that leads users to an ungated blog post = mismatch

 

This will negatively impact the effectiveness of the ad campaign.

Facebook helps you match your objective with an ad type by configuring them to match the stages of the sales funnel.

When you go to create your ad in Ads Manager you’ll see:

To identify which stage you should target with your ads, ask yourself:

• What is your overall objective?
• Do you have an existing website?
• Do you have an email list that you already market to?

A new business venture needs to start with awareness,

An established brand might focus on engagement or store visits.

The most common ad offers used by marketers at each stage:

Raise Awareness

Ads in this stage are meant to increase brand visibility.

Provide users value without asking for anything in return.

Get users to follow your brand page and engage with future offers.

Some ad styles that raise awareness:

 

• Promoting Ungated Content

 

These ads lead users to specific, valuable content on your website.

Provide something useful

Introduce your brand as a solution to a problem or pain point

Provide helpful tutorials

Establish yourself as a thought leader in the market.

Common content:

• Blog post
• Infographic
• Helpful video.

 

Ungated:

Just click-through to access the content

Users don’t have to give up their email

No cost

Low level of commitment

An image ad could suffice.

A video ad is even better.

Make the ad copy (text above the image) short.

Make sure viewers don’t have to click a ‘see more’ option.

Hook users and quickly get them to leave Facebook.

 

• Promotional offer

 

 

Offer something free or risk-free

Goal: lure potential leads into engagement.

For example: Offer a limited period free trial version of your software

Promo offers can be highly effective for relatively inexpensive purchases.  

Again, low commitment: an image ad with short copy will work fine.

This promo ad for Dr. Pepper is short and sweet.

This ad accomplishes a few things:

• Presents Dr. Pepper as altruistic and charitable
• It establishes goodwill for the brand.
• It’s not trying to sell you a product — lets skeptical scrollers to be more likely to engage.

Consideration

Ads in this stage target users who are already familiar with your brand.

Not everyone will convert on an awareness ad

Especially if your ask is high.

For example, A high-cost purchase will require a longer warm-up process

An unknown brand will require more time to establish trust

 

You’ll have to move users along the sales funnel step-by-step.

Provide value in exchange for emails (leads)

You can then use email addresses to nurture leads to eventual conversion.

 

• Use a lead magnet

 

Downloadable content

• checklists,
• eBooks,
• whitepapers.

 

Entice viewers to trade email address for something of perceived value

LinkedIn entices users to give up their email with helpful eBooks.

An image or video ad.

Limit your copy.

Your lead magnet should do the talking for you.

Prominent call to action.

 

 

• Entice participation with a Quiz/Survey

 

Quiz and survey-based ads have a high engagement rate.

You’re basically ‘gamifying’ conversion and data mining.

Reduces a user’s guard by inviting them to participate in something fun.

Upon completion, a reveal or insight should drive further action.

For example: Motivate them to sign up for your newsletter (for more info or cool content)

Give an enticing offer to encourage a purchase.

Use long copy or even video.

Make sure it’s relevant to your brand and your target demographic.

Bonus: make results complementary and shareable

Encourage new leads to invite their friends to participate.

 

• Promote a webinar

 

 

Webinars = interactive workshops or seminars held online.

They happen in real-time

Give participants the opportunity to interact

Enhances the learning experience.

Use a webinar to show your expertise

Warm up cold leads

Ask interested participants for an email address

Maybe even a fee to attend.

Asking users to block off time and hand over something is a pretty big ask.

Use image ads with long copy or video.

This gives you an opportunity to convince users – why should they attend?

Conversion

It’s tempting, but DON’T jump straight to conversion ads.

They’re the final step in a social media ad campaign.

The first experience of your brand on Facebook should NOT be a sales pitch. Disruptive marketing turns off Facebook users.

Only go for conversion with interested followers on Facebook or if you have a history with a customer

These ads are designed to get the viewer to take action.

Create some urgency.

These ads directly prompt users to make a purchase

Ad recipients need to be convinced on value.

Video ads work great

Especially for things that are not inherently self-explanatory.

 

For example, If you sell a $1,000 marketing automation software you probably need a lengthy video ad

Convince someone familiar with your brand why they need your tool.

 

Lower price point items (like $50-100) can use:

Long copy photo ads

Carousel ads

Getting Ad Viewers To Act

You need to get people to

1. stop scrolling
2. pay attention
3. click on your ad.

 

How to increase click-through rate (CTR).

 

Keep it short and sweet

 

AdEspresso studied successful Facebook ad copy

Found that the most popular headline is just 5 words long.

Concise wording

Gets straight to the point

Quickly engage the viewer

Positive phrasing (upbeat, focus on benefits).

This ad uses positive wording:

Enjoy

Free

Unlimited

 

Social proof

 

Effective trust builder

You don’t even need a testimonial or review.

Facebook ads show above the ad those friends or influencers from a user’s profile that already like the business page of the company showing the ad.

Check out this ad from Shopify

Viewer more likely to ‘listen’ and take action when they see that people they trust have already committed to the brand.

 

 

Urgency

 

By now you’ve heard us refer to urgency in your ads and outreach

Urgency triggers a natural reaction to avoid loss.

When appropriate, time-limited incentives can encourage action

 

 

Scarcity

 

Similar to urgency

Scarcity works on the principle of loss aversion.

Instead of time-limits, implies a limited number of opportunities

Tells users that if they don’t act now, they might miss their chance.

 

 

Copy that evokes curiosity

 

Facebook users aren’t actively shopping

They aren’t looking for solutions

BUT

If your ad promises a solution to a common pain point it can catch the scroller’s eye

This Ad from the American Massage Therapy Association

Suggests that therapists may develop health problems if they don’t take certain actions.

Target users with massage therapist listed as occupation

Questions can hook people

Get them to keep reading from one line to the next

“Are you frustrated by…”

“Do you struggle to…”

“Tired of…”

You get the idea.

Make them nod their subconscious head in agreement and you’ve got them hooked.

Alright so now you know what kind of ad to run to reach your objective. It’s time to dig into crafting the ad, right?

In the next episode/shownotes, we’ll take you step-by-step through creating a Facebook ad.

From setting up your campaign and setting your budgets to measuring success.