With so many options, deciding where to spend your marketing budget can be difficult. What makes Facebook particularly attractive for new and experienced business owners boils down to three things:
1. Driving traffic from an active and engaged user base
Facebook is a place where we connect with family and friends, and—as much as we hate to admit it—it’s pretty darn addictive. Facebook reportedly has more than two billion active monthly users, and those users spend more time on Facebook than on competing social networks. In addition, Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, two other popular mobile apps accessible to Facebook advertisers through its advertising platform. That’s a lot of active, engaged traffic to drive to your landing page.
2. Targeting customers based on demographics, interests, and behaviors
Facebook is designed for sharing personal updates and information with your network, such as vacation photos, new songs you’ve discovered, and relationship statuses. All the likes and connections made on Facebook and Instagram create detailed user profiles advertisers can tap into through targeted ads. Facebook advertisers can match their products and service against a long list of users’ interests, traits, and behaviors, resulting in a higher likelihood of reaching their ideal customers.
3. Generating brand awareness
Most businesses have a Facebook and/or Instagram business page they use for connecting with their fans and customers on social media. When you decide to use paid ads on Facebook and Instagram, you can opt to have them come from your brand’s social pages. This often results in increased brand exposure and new followers for your company, which is one of the benefits of advertising on social platforms.
Your success in Facebook advertising depends on your objective and the types of Facebook ads you use. Producing effective, high-performing ads, however, presents a challenge for many beginners because there are so many different types to choose from.
To help overcome this hurdle, we’ve outlined five key Facebook ad formats you can use.
Single image ads are the standard for Facebook advertising. They are easy to make, offer a clean format for you to promote your brand, and are one of the most effective ad formats. In one Facebook study, a series of photo-only ads outperformed other ad formats in driving unique traffic.
Image ads are best for when you want to create an ad quickly or don’t have much of a budget. You can create a Facebook ad right from your Facebook page as a boosted post, or if you want more detailed targeting options, you can make one in Facebook Ads Manager.
Video ads let you show off your product or brand and capture viewers’ attention in the feed. You can create video ads in Facebook Ads Manager or boost a post that has a video from your Facebook page. These ads appear on Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger.
You can use Facebook video ads to show unique features or tell your brand’s story. Videos that are 15 seconds or less can help capture your audience and keep them engaged. They should also have a clear call to action (CTA) at the end, such as purchasing a product or visiting a website.
Carousel ads let you include up to 10 images or videos in a single ad, each with its own link. People can scroll through the carousel by swiping left or right on their devices or by clicking directional arrows if using the desktop client.
You can use carousel ads to:
The collection ad format includes a full screen, Instant Experience to make it easier for people to browse and buy your products. These ads include a cover image or video and can show multiple products underneath.
Collection ads are a great way to show off your product catalog, offer an enjoyable browsing experience, and help turn interest into sales. You can show these ads across the Facebook News Feed, Instagram’s feed, and even Instagram Stories.
Follow this Facebook ads tutorial to set up and launch your first ads.
