The ‘how to’ guide for ecommerce Facebook ads – get the best out of your advertisements

Everybody who is somebody has a Facebook presence. It is one of the cheapest and easiest mode to reach new clients. Placing an ad with the Facebook group gives you a presence in its related media like Instagram, Messenger, Atlas, Workplace, and Audience Network.

However, it is also difficult to reach your target audience due to the vastness. This is where you have to apply your skills to reach the right customers and get the best out of your Facebook ads.

What do you want to do? Facebook ads for your objectives

There are different types of Facebook ads. You have to pick one based on your preference and scale of activity. The types of ads depend on your objective:

Image courtesy – Facebook.com

You can read up on the placement of the ads in this Facebook guide. It gives the basic know how on advertising in Facebook. There are five types of ads:

• Only image ads,
• Videos,
• Carousel (multiple images or videos that scroll horizontally),
• Slideshows, and
• Canvas

You can pick the ad type that will help your product.

Making the most of your Facebook ads

While a quick look through of the social media will enable you to post an ad, you can follow these tips to get the best out of them:

1. Define your target audience

Facebook helps you to narrow down your target audience in terms of age and demographics. Blogger Quentin A suggests to split this into smaller sizes with specific descriptions to get a better coverage. You can also create a custom audience list by feeding phone numbers or email ids to target those who have already shopped with you. Another option is to create a lookalike audience. These are people who have something in common with your existing market. Facebook ads reache out to them thus increasing your chances.

To save on your resources, remove existing customers from the ad list. You can do this by selecting the exclude option under Custom Audience.

2. Keep the call to action simple and direct

Call to action (CTA) is what you want your potential customers to do in order to visit your page. For instance: ‘Click here to learn more’. Your CTA needs to be crisp yet encouraging.

The above ad is a good example of a suitable CTA. It asks the viewer a question and suggests what to do. Try to avoid generic terms like ‘Click here’. Depending on your business, use CTA that will catch the eye. Some examples are: ‘Dine with us’ for a food or delivery outlet, ‘Rev up’ for a bike related product, ‘Check in now’ for hospitality. ‘Start now’ is a generic CTA that can work for either a course, or a free trial.

3. Systematically measure the impact of your ads

Keep track of your ads’ impact on the viewers. With Facebook’s comprehensive ad reports, you can learn how many people viewed your ads, number of conversions it helped, how your brand fared (through polls), and even offline conversions. Track your metrics on a regular basis to identify weak areas so that you can improve on them. Facebook helps you with detailed tutorials for placing the ads, measuring the response and fixing any issues.

Image courtesy – Steakgroup.com (2012)

4. Use dynamic adverts to reach the ones on the fence.

Dynamic ads will help you reach those who have shown interest in your product but haven’t purchased yet. This ad will nudge them towards closing the deal.

5. Take help from Business Manager

If you need to scale up, have multiple people accessing your Facebook page, or you need more than one account, you can sign up for Business Manager. It is a free feature that allows you to manage your page if you operate on a slightly larger scale.

We hope this will give you a general idea of advertising on Facebook. If you need help in sorting out your advertising, get in touch with Browntape. We are India’s largest ecommerce services provider and are always there for you.