An ad campaign with good copy can still fail if it is partnered with bad ad creative. In order to avoid such failure, it is important to understand the key aspects of a good, successful ad. One aspect that I always suggest is to try to tailor the ad to the medium or platform on which it is running. For instance, this post is about tailoring ad creative to work well as a Facebook News Feed ad. But why go through the trouble of making unique ads? The same reason that we advertise across multiple mediums: unique audiences.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Facebook audience in order to get a better idea of how to design ads for them. The Facebook audience is used to scrolling through posts on their News Feed. Posts within their News Feed are considered “native,” and viewed as content that should be there. This audience is more likely to engage with visual content such as pictures or video. One thing to remember however, is that the average time spent looking at a post on Facebook is very small, so any message needs to be conveyed quickly. Now that we have a basic understanding of the Facebook audience and their habits, lets look at a few simple steps to make better ads for them.
1. Be Visual
Because we are able to post your ad within the News Feed of potential customers, they see it as a native piece of content. In order to make sure that the spend time looking at it, you need to ensure that it captures their attention visually. Great copy won’t hurt, but it certainly won’t be the hook. Want to take it a step further? Don’t be generic. Use the fact that it is in their News Feed, as opposed to somewhere else, to your advantage! Here is a great example of an ad which does just that.
2. Be Focused
One of the big problems in advertising is that ads can be misleading or confusing. The best ads are the ones that are clicked on and engaged with, and if the content doesn’t make sense, then that won’t happen. One way to fight this is to make sure that your ad and its contents are relevant to the viewer. For example, if you are advertising lawn mowers, having a picture of a lawn mower, or some form of grass being cut, will keep you relevant. Don’t show other products that you sell in addition to lawn mowers. Too many times, businesses who sell multiple products or services try to cram everything they can into a single ad and confuse the viewer. Another way to fight this? Use Facebook’s Carousel ads to highlight multiple products at once. Here is a nice example of a carousel ad.
3. Be Worthwhile
No one wants to click on an ad that doesn’t promise them something. The best ads have enticing propositions such as coupons, deals, or even freebies. Make sure that what you’re offering would warrant an interaction. If there is anything else needed from the viewer once they click, make sure that the action can be done quickly and easily. This is where great copy can help. Once the viewer is hooked by your visual, make them click by providing an offer they can’t refuse. Take this ad for example which creates great value with their copy and “free trial” visual.
4. Be Engaging
When I say engaging I really mean make it easy for people to engage with your ad. The best way to accomplish this is a clear Call-to-Action, or CTA. Figure out how you want people to get in touch with your business, brand, or product, and make it easy. How easy? One click. Facebook allows for CTA’s on its News Feed ads such as shop now, book now, learn more, and sign up. Take advantage of these to make it easier for Facebook users to engage with you.
This is just one medium with one unique audience. When you start designing ads for specific audiences and the way they use the internet, you will begin to see better results. If you are eager to begin your own Facebook News Feed campaign, let us know! To learn about Facebook advertising in general, click here.
