Facebook is a giant among social media platforms. With over 2.6 billion daily active users, it towers among its peers. According to research, more than 60% of internet users are active on Facebook. Therefore, it’s no surprise that it’s a popular choice for marketers.

Apart from its impressive reach, Facebook also has the most sophisticated ad targeting algorithm. Businesses can utilize their ad targeting options to send their advertisements to consumers who are most likely to purchase their products.

Facebook’s algorithm not only helps businesses achieve their marketing objectives, but it is also friendly for their bottom line! By ensuring that the right audience receives your ads, it reduces the cost of acquiring a customer for the business.

However, that doesn’t mean that any old ad will do well on Facebook. Since hundreds of homogenous companies are vying for the attention of the same set of consumers, it is essential for brands to develop quality ads optimized for their audience. Companies must utilize the most recent research on what works for their brand and apply it to their ad content and graphics.

Hubspot and AdEspresso analyzed over 100,000 Facebook advertisements from a thousand different companies to find out what works and what doesn’t. If you are looking to make a Facebook ad, take 3 mins out of your time to read this post. It is well worth your time.

Here is what the Hubspot and AdEspresso report found out:

1.      The Type of Ad

The research revealed that out of the 100,000 Facebook ads that were analyzed, the majority were Paid Post Link Click Ads. You must have come across advertisements on Facebook that hook you with appealing visuals or content and then prompt you to View More, Signup, Subscribe, or Download. When you click on the link, it takes you to the desired web page.

Not only do these ads promote the brand and its products, but it also stimulates an immediate reaction from your target audience. Other benefits of Facebook’s link ads include:

• Promotes the main marketing message
• Promotes the external website
• You can use the same ad to reach a large audience as you can use the link ad with several placements
• They generate high post engagement and customer response which leads to conversion
• They can also increase likes for your Facebook page

Most marketers use Facebook ads to drive traffic to their websites. Therefore, link click ads are the most preferable ad format. Not only do they drive traffic to the intended web page, but they also prompt user engagement.

What is more, you can make different types of Link click ads. For instance, your link click ad can be a photo ad, a video ad, a carousel ad, and so on to reap the benefits of both formats.

The Takeaway? If you want to boost post engagement and drive traffic to your website, paid post link click ads are your safest bet!

2.     The Length of the Ad

Do you know that our average attention span is just 8 seconds? For teenagers, it is probably even less. I less time than it takes us to finish a glass of water, marketers need to entice their audience to keep reading their ad. If a marketer can convince you to read your ad for more than 8 seconds, they must be doing something right!

An analysis of these successful ad posts shows that advertisements with short headings and precise content are likely to grab user attention. 4-word headings and 15 – word descriptions are common in successful Facebook adverts.

However, you can add more words if you believe more information is necessary to inform your target audience. The KISS (keep it simple, stupid) formula is applicable here; instead of jam-packing a single advert with diversified information, it is best to provide to the point and relevant information.

Since you are using link click ads, the viewer will get more information once they land on the desired webpage.

Keep the following specs in mind when developing your ad copy:

• Heading length should not exceed 25 characters
• The content should compromise of 90 characters at max
• Link description length should be no more than 30 characters

Similarly, if you are making a video ad, make it short. 15 – 30-second video ads perform the best on Facebook.

The Takeaway? Keep your Facebook adverts simple, short, and precise.

3.     The Emotions behind the Ad

It has long been established that pathos or emotional content influences consumer behavior the most. Therefore, emotional marketing is your best bet to a successful Facebook ad. Most marketers use emotional content along with rational arguments to win over their potential buyers.

Surprisingly, research shows that an overwhelming quantity of Facebook ads uses emotionally neutral words instead of strong words. Here is what we found:

• Figures and statistics are replacing strong words (whether positive or negative). Consumer behavior research shows that numbers are like candy for our brain; our brain instantly focuses on any number in between the words. Therefore, marketers are using numbers more and more in their headlines and content.
• Specific Instead of Sugar Coated

Research found that the trend for vague sugar-coated promises is declining in Facebook adverts. Instead, marketers are focusing on presenting content that is of value to the viewer. Not only does it hold your customers’ attention, but it also makes your ad stand out from the crowd.

• Keep it Casual

A conversational storytelling tone to the ads makes it more personable; the target audience is more likely to believe your claim if it is in a story format.

• Positivity is Key

Finally, the ratio of positive words outnumbered words with negative connotations by a large margin.

The Takeaway? The popularity of emotionally charged words, whether positive or negative, is waning every year. If you want to make an effective Facebook ad, it’s better to invest in neutral sentiment words, use figures and statistics, highlight specific consumer benefits, and keep it positive.

4.     The Essential Components of the Ad

A lot of things go into making a successful Facebook advertising campaign, but at the end of the day, there are only 2 things that matter the most: An Outstanding Copy and Laser-Focused Targeting.

The Ad Copy includes the text and the visuals which the advertisement is made of. If they are less than excellent, they won’t be able to impress the consumer. Today, your consumer is being courted by hundreds of companies that make the same product that you do (minor differences aside), and they are all investing in marketing, so why would a consumer pick your company instead of your competition?

Because you are going to make your consumer believe that your product/service is superior to others through the power of marketing. And for this, your ad needs to be spectacular. Keep the following in mind when creating mind-blowing ad copies:

• Find out your target audience? Who wants to buy the product you are selling? Be as specific as you can with regards to market segmentation elements such as demography, psychograph, and behavior, etc.
• Create buyer personas based on market segmentation and then develop unique ads for each persona.
• Develop a unique ad for each market niche. Micro Marketing is the way forward.
• Test multiple designs and then choose the most effective one

The Takeaway? Make sure that your ad copy is customer-centric (think micro marketing), creative, and unique.

Wrapping it Up

A successful Facebook ad? It’s not as hard as you would think! This year, Facebook earned 17.44 billion US dollars in revenue in just the first quarter. This goes to show the confidence marketers have in the ability of the platform to turn ads into leads.

If you follow the tips given above to make your ad, then you will surely join the ranks of the companies that are using this social media giant to earn millions each year. Here are the key takeaways:

• Make Paid Post Link Ads as they encourage user engagement and drive traffic to your website
• Keep your Facebook adverts short and sweet.
• Use neutral words, statistics, and figures in your ad’s heading and body to woe the customer.
• Focus on ad-targeting and use it along with creative ad copy for excellent results. A unique ad for every niche is the way forward.