Blog Introduction:
Hack #1: Target a Lookalike Audience of Your Best Customers
If you’re just starting out with Facebook ads or you’re looking to improve your results, one of the best ways to do that is to target a lookalike audience of your best customers. A lookalike audience is an audience that Facebook creates of people who are similar to your best customers.
Hack #2: Use Facebook’s Ad Preferences to See What Interests People Have That You Can Target
You can use Facebook’s ad preferences to get an idea of what interests’ people have that you can target in your ad campaigns. To do this, go to the menu on the left-hand side of Facebook and click on “Ad Preferences.” From there, you’ll see a list of interests that Facebook has identified based on your activity on the site.
Hack #3: Use Custom Audiences
Custom audiences are a way to target people who have already interacted with your business in some way. For example, you can create a custom audience of people who have visited your website in the past 30 days or people who have made a purchase from your store in the past 6 months.
To create a custom audience, go to the menu on the left-hand side of Facebook and click on “Audiences.” Then, click on the “Create Audience” button and select “Custom Audience.” From there, you’ll be able to choose which type of custom audience you want to create.
Hack #4: Use Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are words or phrases that you don’t want your ad to show up for. For example, if you’re selling women’s clothing, you might want to add “men” as a negative keyword so that your ad doesn’t show up when someone searches for “men’s clothing.” To add negative keywords, go to the menu on the left-hand side of Facebook and click on “Campaigns.” Then, click on the name of the campaign that you want to edit. Next, click on the “Ad Set” tab and scroll down to where it says “Negative Keywords.” Click on “Edit” and then add any words or phrases that you don’t want your ad to show up for. Once you’re done, click “Save.”
Hack #5: Test Different Ad Types
One important thing to keep in mind with Facebook ads is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one business might not work for another. That’s why it’s important to experiment with different ad types until you find what works for your business. Some ad types that you can experiment with include video ads, Carousel ads, lead ads, and collection ads. To create a new ad type, go to the menu on the left-hand side of Facebook and click on “Ads Manager.” Then, click on the “+Create” button and select “Ad.” From there, you’ll be able to choose which type of ad you want to create.
Hack #6: Use Eye-Catching Images
The images that you use in your ad should be eye-catching and relevant to the product or service that you’re promoting. Remember, people are scrolling through their newsfeeds quickly and they’re more likely to stop and take notice of an ad if it has an attention-grabbing image. If you’re not sure what kind of images will work well in your ads, try doing a search on Pinterest or Google Images for inspiration.
When selecting images for your ads, it’s also important to keep in mind that Facebook favors images with little or no text. So, if you’re planning on using an image with text overlay (aka text overlaid on top of an image), make sure that less than 20% of the image is covered by text. Otherwise, your ad may not be approved.
To check if an image meets Facebook’s guidelines, you can use their Image Text Check tool. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/ads/tools/text_overlay and upload an image from your computer. Then, Facebook will tell you whether or not the image meets their guidelines.
Hack #7: Write Compelling Ad Copy
The copy (aka written portion) of your ad should be clear and concise while still delivering enough information about what you’re promoting. A good rule of thumb is to keep your headlines under 15 words and your descriptions under 125 words—but depending on what type of product or service you’re promoting; you may need more or less space. The most important thing is that you provide enough information, so people know what they’re getting but not so much information that they get overwhelmed or lose interest before they get to your call to action (CTA).
Your CTA should be something like “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Learn More.” It should be short and sweet while still being relevant to what you’re offering—and it should always encourage people to take action! If you’re not sure what CTAs work well for your business pr niche; again; Pinterest pr Google Images are great places to start for inspiration—just make sure you stay away from generic CTAs like “Submit” or “Download Now” which don’t really deliver any value or incentive for clicking them.
When you’re creating your ad, keep in mind that people will be viewing it on a small screen (aka their smartphone). So, make sure your copy is easy to read by using short sentences and bullet points. You can also highlight important words or phrases by making them bold or using a different color font.
And last but not least, remember to proofread your ad before you hit publish! Nothing will turn people off more than seeing typos or grammatical errors in an ad. So, take the extra time to proofread your copy several times—or better yet, have someone else proofread it for you.
Now that you know how to create an effective Facebook ad, it’s time to put these hacks into action and start driving traffic to your website!
Disclaimer: These hacks are based on my own personal experience and results may vary depending on your industry, niche, target audience, etc.
