It can be a bit of a minefield trying to work out the dos and don'ts of social media marketing. So, we have been busy bees and compiled a list of common mistakes small businesses make when creating ads on Facebook and even have some tips on how to overcome these. Stay tuned for part two next week!
So, let's dig in. Hubspot did some research and found that Facebook ad revenue grew from just under £2 billion in 2010 to $£12.5 billion, with ads on the popular social platform accounting for “more than 9% of total digital ad spending and 18.4% of global mobile digital advertising.” It has been argued that a large part of the company's success is due to its unparalleled targeting capabilities.
I created my first ad when I was about 20 years old, it is absolutely user friendly. A few clicks and you're live however, Facebook ads are far from beginner-friendly. The huge range of ad options make it tough for new businesses to actually be effective. Saying that, let's make sure you have the tools to succeed and avoid the pitfalls of Facebook ads.
1. The targeting is too broad
With over 2.6 billion monthly active users as of the first quarter of 2020, the marketing opportunities on Facebook are incredible, but it is so easy to get carried away.
Remember those targeting features mentioned earlier? Using ads appropriately can mean the difference between an ad that reaches audience members who are primed to respond positively, or tarnishing your brand image by displaying your messages to Facebook users who don’t care. It is so important to ensure you are targeting your key audience, make a note of the demographics of the people who are interacting with your ads and refocus your marketing efforts on people similar to them.
2. Your ads aren't clear
If you are looking to make a profit from your Facebook ads, you have to be able to capture the attention of your audience and persuade them to take an action. That is where a call-to-action (CTA) in your ad copywriting comes in. There is no need for a long winded explanation of features, benefits and outcomes of your products or services. Just use around 14 words for your ad post text, and 18 words for your link description to keep your customers ever decreasing attention span.
3. Creating ads in the wrong format
As with most highly success businesses, Facebook tends to change the platform frequently to stay ahead of the curve. Making sure you are constantly learning any new features and layouts and optimising your ads to reflect the changes is a great way to ensure your ads looks great and perform well. Keep studying the platform’s ad types carefully, choose the one you think will best suit your audience and goals, and adapt as and when necessary, based on your campaign performance.
4. You don’t have any goals
It is all well and good wanting to hit the ground running and setting up an ad ASAP. However, how will you know whether or not Facebook ads are working for your brand, if you don't to know what metrics and targets you want to meet? The easiest thing to track at first is website click-throughs and conversions. That will give you a direct number of how much money you are making from your ads. Although, remember the Return of Investment (ROI) of social media is not always monetary. For example, if you’re a new brand, building brand awareness - measured in number of page followers - may be just as important.
Finally...
5. You're just using one ad set
Campaigns on Facebook ads are based around a thing called ad sets (groups of individual ads that include daily or lifetime budget, schedule, bid type, bid info, and targeting data). if you put all of your ads in one ad group, Facebook may not equally share all the ads you create. This may skew your data, you may believe one type of add does better than the other, when in fact it is just because it is not being shown as much as the other. If you keep them in separate ad groups, you will eliminate the chance of that happening.
I hope these 5 common mistakes made on Facebook ads helps you make more informed decisions on the platform.
Come back next Sunday at 8am for the next 5 mistakes small business make on Facebook ads, or sign up to our mailing list. You'll even receive a free guide!
FYI These tips can be used across all ad platforms.
Have a great day!