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Facebook has developed a powerful advertising platform. But if you’re new to it, it may seem a bit daunting. We’re here to help! Let’s break down exactly how to create a Facebook ad that works.
1. Define Your Audience
One of the most powerful aspects of Facebook advertising is in their Audience Insights. Because Facebook is pretty much all-knowing when it comes to data, you can get very specific when choosing your audience. You can target users by location, age, gender, and interests, but also by very specific things like “new moms”, “people who are visiting a city”, “people who buy bakery items.”
Check out this epic infographic that shows all of the different options available to you.
Pro tip: Be specific. Don’t choose a broad audience just because you want more eyeballs on your ad. Choosing the right audience will get you the ROI you’re looking for.
2. Create Your Assets
Creating assets involves creating compelling copy and visual aspects like illustrations, photos, and video. Because you can target your audience so specifically, your assets can be very specific as well. For example, you can choose to target CEOs and build your assets for people in that position.
While “what works” will vary from company to product, you should definitely consider video. Four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than read about it.
Pro Tip: 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound, so make sure your video still works well on silent.
3. Place the Ads
Facebook allows you to choose almost every element of your advertisement, including where it goes. Ads can appear in a user’s newsfeed, on the right side, and on Instagram to name a few. You don’t have to post in every single place to get good results, and in fact, it’s better to be selective.
Pro Tip: Post on Facebook and Instagram separately, so that you can size your graphics and videos appropriately for each platform.
4. Review and Adjust
Create many iterations of your assets and test to see what works best. Give them a few days to gather meaningful results, and then adjust your budget once you know which ad is working best. You can test different audiences as well as the ads to those audiences.
Pro Tip: Don’t change too many things between tests. Try changing one thing, for example using a different picture. This way, you’ll know not only what did work, but also what didn’t.