*This is the second post in a series on paid traffic 101.
Facebook is the largest advertiser on the planet. It’s true! Billions of people use Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. They are the three leading social media platforms. So, basically – there are more people there than anywhere else!
The question you should be asking yourself is not, “Why should I use Facebook ads?” but “When should I use Facebook ads?”
I’m not going to lie, Facebook ads offer many, many options! This can make them pretty complicated and overwhelming. That is why I recommend that you consult an expert and avoid wasting your time and money by attempting to DIY them. Getting your Facebook ads right from the start will make a HUGE difference in your results.
Let’s begin by talking about the many different types of Facebook ads that are available to you:
There are eleven (yes, eleven!) different types of Facebook ads you can run.
- Promote your page – The goal here is getting likes on your business page. Before you choose to run this type of ad, consider if your business page really does need more likes.
- Boost your posts – The goal here is to get more eyes on a post that you’ve already shared on your business page.
- Increase conversions on your website – This is what most people use Facebook ads for! You can drive traffic to your website to gather email addresses or get purchases.
- Send people to your website – These ads serve to generate traffic to your website. Unlike the previous type of ad, this one does not track what action is taken once on the website. It’s more about simply generating traffic to the site.
- Get installs of your app – If you have an app, you can run ads with the goal of generating app downloads.
- Reach people near your business – This type of ad will target people who are located within a certain radius of your business. This is a great option if you have a brick and mortar business.
- Increase engagement in your app – This is exactly what it sounds like. This type of ad has the goal of increasing engagement on your app.
- Raise attendance at your event – You can run ads to your events, whether it is an in-person or online event.
- Get video views – Many businesses will use this type of ad to retarget based on how much time viewers spend engaging with the video.
- Collect leads for your business – This type of ad is pretty similar to increasing conversions to your website, but it is less about the dollars and more about email signups.
- Get people to claim your offer – This is another one that is pretty self explanatory. The goal of this type of ad is to get your audience to make a purchase.
Once you choose your ad objective, you have even more options to customize the look and placement of the ad!
Image ads
Image ads are a static image with copy, headline, and a clear CTA. They offer an excellent way to start off your Facebook marketing journey. This is mainly because they’re simple to comprehend and create.
One thing to always take note of is that the Facebook images should be interesting and grab attention. They should never be boring.
Video ads
Again, these ads feature a video, copy, a headline, and a clear CTA. There are several places where Facebook video ads can be viewed. They can be viewed in-stream during a Facebook live video, in the news feed, and in stories. The idea is to always be creative. Keep in mind that you can also create GIFs or animations and not necessarily filmed footage.
When you create a video ad, you may want to consider showing exactly how your product can solve a specific problem.
Carousel ads
With these types of ads, you can upload up to ten images or videos that can be swiped through like a carousel. One of the major benefits of these ads is that you can showcase different features of your product or even several different products! You can then add a different link to each image or video. Very useful if you have multiple products or testimonials to share.
Dynamic ads
These are very cool and were released maybe three or so years ago. With dynamic ads, you can test a bunch of images, videos, headlines, and copy. You put it all in and then Facebook pairs things together and releases it based on their algorithm to see what performs best.
Story ads
As someone is viewing Facebook or Instagram stories on their mobile device, ads will appear. Story ads are mobile only ads that are meant to utilize the full screen of the mobile phone.
The benefit of story ads is that they allow the user to view ads regardless of where they are. They can even view the ads when they are on the move.
Messenger ads
There are over 1.3 billion people who use Facebook messenger. After you have created your ad, you will simply need to choose Facebook messenger as the placement.
The defining feature with messenger ads is that they often contain a call to action button which then starts a conversation with your Facebook page. In fact they allow for people to use it to have a one on one conversation with the customer sales reps.
Lead ads
This is all about using Facebook’s own form to capture leads and information. One thing to note is that lead ads are only for mobile devices. The reason for this is that they are designed to make it super simple for people to offer their contact information while avoiding too much typing.
They come in handy when looking for people to send your newsletters to, or even encouraging visitors to a free trial of your product. Lead ads are among the most popular ads for generating a sales funnel.
How to choose?
The type of ad you choose to run will be determined by your purpose. Every ad campaign should have a clear purpose before you begin. Please, please avoid running ads to a general post with no call to action. Honestly, you’re just flushing money down the toilet.
Facebook ads, just like all of your marketing spends, are an investment into your business. The more you know and plan, the better your investment will turn out for you!