Facebook might not be new and shiny anymore, but it’s still one of the top platforms in any advertiser’s toolkit. That’s because it’s also one of the most far-reaching, results-driven, and affordable platforms for brands. In fact, Facebook has amassed more than 2.9 billion users, making it the most active social media outlet by far. It’s also the platform that our Code3 clients consistently find the most success with, allowing us to put their advertising dollars to the best use.
Why Facebook Advertising?
Facebook Advertising’s targeting options are increasingly sophisticated and constantly being fine-tuned, allowing marketers to explore new ad formats and ways of reaching their target audiences. For instance, in the last couple of years alone, we’ve seen Facebook expand to eight different advertising formats, including photo, video, Messenger, and Stories. Facebook is also continually refining its targeting options and the way users see and interact with content.
In short, Facebook walks the talk when it comes to prioritizing the experience for users and brands alike. Facebook knows how to provide ongoing value to its audience to keep them coming back. In turn, advertisers can drive true results through the platform while measuring their performance at every turn.
A Word About Facebook Ads and Privacy
Before we jump into optimization tips, we need to talk about privacy. Many of our clients have raised concerns about changes initiated by Facebook and Apple’s new iOS14 and how new approaches to privacy will change the effectiveness of their ads.
Limited tracking abilities are on the horizon, which means ad platforms like Facebook will have less user data to work with. For instance, the platform has removed detailed targeting options related to “sensitive” topics, such as political affiliation, sexual orientation, health, race/ethnicity, and other categories. Users will also gain more control over the types of ads they see. In addition, the company announced it would be deleting its archive of face prints, which has been used to suggest user tags in photos.
When investing in Facebook advertising, it’s important to be aware of potential changes related to user privacy that may affect the outcomes of your campaigns. This is especially important for brands that have been diligently using Facebook ads for the months or years before these recent changes were implemented. And with more limited tracking abilities on the way, it’s becoming more important than ever to optimize and “future-proof” your Facebook ad strategy now.
Tips for Facebook Ad Success
Ready to set up your Facebook ad strategy for 2022? We’re covering the most important steps to take now that will put you on track for ongoing success.
Set Up Facebook Pixel
The outcomes of your Facebook Ads hinge on the Pixel. The Pixel is a line of tracking code that gives you access to valuable analytics that will inform your ad strategy. For example, you can use these insights to optimize the check-out experience and increase conversion rates.
Streamline Your Goals
As with any other type of marketing, every Facebook ad campaign should have a clear goal in mind. Facebook Ads offers a range of tools to achieve specific types of objectives, including:
- Awareness — generate interest in a brand, product, or service.
- Brand awareness — create staying power for your brand.
- Reach — put your ad in front of as many people in your target audience as possible.
- Consideration — get people seeking more info about your brand, product, or service.
- App install — increase the number of downloads for your app.
- Video views — get as many views of your video (e.g., brand story, product demo, etc.) as possible.
- Lead generation — collect contact details to start a nurturing campaign.
- Messages — get people to engage with you via Facebook Messenger.
- Catalog sales — sell items for your e-commerce business with Facebook Shopping.
- Conversions — encourage on-the-spot purchases, downloads, sign-ups, or other conversion.
- Store traffic — drive people to your online store.
Choosing one of the above objectives allows you to build your entire campaign around that goal. Your campaign instantly becomes more focused and better positioned to achieve the outcomes you expect.
Segment Your Audiences
Facebook Ads offer an affordable option for brands of all sorts and sizes. But even with low-cost options, brands still want (and should) get their money’s worth. No one wants to spend more than they need to to get the same results.
Segmenting your audiences is one of the most effective things you can do to optimize and personalize your Facebook ads. This allows you to develop your ad content that truly connects with the right person.
This goes beyond high-level targeting like location, behaviors, and interests. For example, you can use Facebook to create lookalike audiences based on users who installed your app or made a purchase. Facebook looks at your existing customers and past campaigns to find more people like them.
You can also create custom audiences based on your own customer lists, website traffic, app activity, offline traffic, or other details. If you’ve installed Facebook Pixel, you can use the data you collect about people who have visited your website and build your campaigns around them. For instance, visitors who didn’t purchase might be re-engaged with an ad campaign.
Experiment with Ad Formats
Facebook offers a myriad of ad formats, and they’re all worth exploring before you commit to one. Different formats may work better for certain types of campaigns. For example, photo ads are great for sparking interest in a product, making it ideal for a Consideration objective. Video ads work well for brand awareness, while a slideshow can highlight various aspects of your app.
Facebook ad formats include:
- Images
- Videos
- Stories
- Messenger ads
- Carousel (a series of images or videos in the same ad)
- Slideshow
- Canvas ads
Taking these a layer deeper, you can also experiment with where to place your ad creative on the platform (e.g., newsfeed, Stories, Messenger, in-stream video, etc.). Positioning your ad is as important as the ad itself to ensure it’s seen by the right people. Facebook can automatically place your ads on your behalf to help you get the best results. However, you also need to know your options for ad placement and track your results to continue optimizing your future campaigns.
A/B Test Your Campaigns
Through Facebook’s built-in analytics and your own website analytics, you can see how well your campaign is performing through real data and metrics. But A/B testing takes that data to the next level by showing what specifically is working well for your campaign.
There are many variables you can test with each campaign, including:
- Audience segments
- Creative elements, such as imagery or colors
- Placement of the ads, such as on the right-hand column vs. newsfeed
- Delivery optimization to see whether you can benefit from a cost-per-click or cost-per-impression model
While other types of digital marketing require you to set up your own A/B tests, Facebook has built-in split testing features that do most of the heavy lifting for you.
Optimize Your Facebook Ads with Code3
The many options for Facebook advertising give brands plenty of food for thought. Connecting all of these moving parts into a cohesive, successful campaign is no simple undertaking, which is why our clients trust the expertise of Code3.
Code3 (formerly SocialCode) was among the first Facebook API partners, and we have continually followed the evolution of Facebook ad formats, options, and changes to the landscape. We’re experts in this advertising niche and have generated tangible, consistent, and ongoing results for our clients.
Reach out to Code3 today to find success on Facebook and other major social media platforms.
