5 Tips to Stunning Facebook Ads

It is no big surprise that Facebook is the unrivaled king of social media advertising. In terms of features, insights and targeting it is top of the list for sure, making it the ideal platform to advertise your brand’s products and services.
But all this wonderfulness comes with a price. For the average entrepreneur, the challenges that come with designing ads that stand out amid the cacophony of content littering their target audiences’ news feed requires nearly overwhelming effort.
If you are one of these struggling entrepreneurs, let us ease your troubles mind with a few simple hacks that make it easy to create ads that stand out, excite viewers and leave them longing to click that “Buy Now” button.

1. Color means something.
According to a recent study in Management Decision, 90 percent of all split-second judgements that we make about a product are a result of the product’s color. If you extend this though into the realm of advertising you will quickly conclude that the colors you select for ads can make or break your campaign. Consider these observations about how consumers respond to different colors.

• Blue, purple and green are more heavily favored by older individuals. Younger people, those coveted Millennials, gravitate toward yellow, orange and red.
• According to a poll by Joe Hallock, comparing results from 232 people from 22 different countries, orange is the most disliked color, with purple, yellow and brown trailing closely behind.
• Red is the most attention-grabbing color and implies food or danger to our subconscious. Apparently, it goes back to the time when our ancestors were hunters and gatherers.

While you should use this information to improve the visual appeal of your ads, realize these are broad generalizations. There is no “magic bullet” and biggest factor in the success of your color scheme is more about whether it compliments what you are trying to sell.

2. Avoid making big promises.
Let’s face it, online, your small business is an unknown and if audience members stumble across one of your ads without being familiar with your brand the first question they are going to ask is, “Is this brand credible?” And whether you realize it or not, the design of your ad will have a big impact on how they will answer that question.

To many rely on hyperbole, exaggerated claims or grand promises that appeal to the emotions. This makes it increasingly difficult for honest brands to make bold statements about their products without bringing on the scrutiny.

While we are not saying you should dilute truthful ads in an effort to avoid these skeptical viewer, you need to be aware that the reality and make sure that your ads are professional and credible.

3. Provide proof of your claims.
One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal is social proof. Alleviate people’s fears when they purchase your product for the first time by providing proof that reaffirms the quality of your product. Integrating client testimonials, case studies or user metrics (e.g., the number of subscribers or customers) can increase the power of your ads exponentially.

4. Use a compelling call to action.
Implementing a call to action (CTA) into your ad has a very unique effect on our Facebook campaign. While they will not increase your click-through rate (CTR) or deepen user engagement, they will eliminate friction and ambiguity and this results in a higher conversion rate.

What does that all mean? If a viewer sees your ad for your brand without a clear CTA and then clicks through, he or she will be taken to your website without a clear of idea of what is going on, and this will likely result in the loss of a lead. However, if that same viewer sees an ad with a CTA saying, “Join our email list for your free video,” the process of clicking and converting becomes seamless.

This simple trick will massively boost your conversion rate while simultaneously reducing the number of click generated by unqualified leads.

5. Don’t be asleep at the wheel.
Okay, so this one is not just for Facebook ads, testing and keeping track of results cannot be overlooks. If you want to maintain a high ROI with your Facebook advertising, then you are going to need track the results and stay on top of it.

It is essential to the success of your campaign that you implement the previous steps and then test them against the previous results so that you can determine what is working. Test it all, the colors, the headlines, proofs and calls to action.
​
The message here is that designing effective Facebook ads is not as hard as you might think. While may take months or, deep breath, years to find the right balanced for a fully optimized campaign you will find that all the effort will be worth it. By implementing these tips, you will see your Facebook campaigns and, by extension, your business, will flourish.

About the author: Ben Morris is the owner of Ignite Media a boutique brand management and marketing firm in Cincinnati, Ohio specializing in help grow small business. Email: ben@ignitemm.com