Have Your Facebook Ads Flopped?
As a Facebook Advertising Agency we often work with clients who have already tried and failed with Facebook and other paid social media ads. One of the questions we get asked the most is ‘why didn’t my own ads convert?’ It can be pretty frustrating, particularly for SME’s that aren’t flush with advertising budgets, when ads don’t deliver, essentially wasting your time and money. Our advice is; don’t panic!
Facebook is built on advertising revenue, so they’re pretty keen on making their offering worthwhile to you and businesses like yours, ensuring money keeps coming in. In short, if Facebook advertising didn’t work, Facebook would be out of business. So where does that leave your ads? Well, don’t be too disheartened if your campaign has brought little custom to your door, it happens (a lot), the trick is figuring out why, so you can refine your offering and generate solid conversions next time. Here’s 5 of the most common reasons your Facebook Advertising isn’t converting…
Here’s Why Your Ads Don’t Work…
Poor Ad Copy
If your ad copy isn’t compelling, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at your campaigns, you’ll never inspire potential customers to engage; whether that means sending you a message, visiting your site or completing your lead generation forms.
Make sure your ad copy has a straight to the point, eye catching heading, along with a clear pitch, not on what you do, but what you can do for your audience. Explain your products clearly and concisely, thinking about the added value your business brings to their life.
Don’t fall into the trap of getting greedy with your copy, potential customers want the bare bones that matter to them, which means you really need to steer clear of telling your entire business life story. Once you’ve perfected your text, you’ll need a killer Call To Action (CTA) to go in for the kill, give your audience a clear direction and why they should bother. (Here’s a tenuous segue for you, an example CTA: Sign Up For A Free Audit On Your Website’s Keyword Rankings)
Don’t Forget Your Artwork!
Good artwork can really enhance your ad. We always look to use branded artwork wherever possible, avoiding generic stock images. Don’t get us wrong, stock images definitely have a place, but try to dig a little deeper when choosing yours, the first result in an image search will have been seen way too many time.
Poor Targeting
Poor targeting is a quick and easy way to burn through your budget, with little to no return. Sure, at first glance your ads will look like they’re flying, especially if your targeting takes on a ‘far and wide’ approach; with impressions and maybe even clicks going into the stratosphere. The only problem? You’re left with no cold, hard conversions.
Facebook has really worked on their targeting options over the years, with a pretty robust system in place to find your ideal audience. It may seem counter-intuitive, as you’d think a bigger audience would result in bigger returns, it doesn’t. When you’re setting your targeting always be specific, it’s better to advertise to a few, very interested potential buyers than a mass market with little interest in your business.
You’re Asking Too Much
We see this all too often, Facebook ads that want potential customers to give up their entire lifestory, sign up, part with cash and maybe even sell a kidney or two, all in one, single ad.
When it comes to advertising on Facebook, rather than starting with conversions in mind, think about the entire buying process your customers follow and target that. What are the stages involved? Do new customers need to become aware of your product, or is it already an established offering? Do customers really see the difference between your product and your competitors?
Put all of these ideas down on paper, then tailor your campaigns to serve one purpose only. For instance, aim for high volume reach to establish a new brand or product, drive site visits to peak interest in your business. Only then can you really go in for the kill, with an out and out conversion campaign.
Not sure which ad types work best? Take a look at our other blog Facebook Advertising | What Are The Goal Types?
Poor Landing Pages
We’re not too sure why, but there are a lot of companies out there that, despite having killer landing pages for Google Ads, have next to nothing in place in terms of optimised pages for Facebook ads. This is a huge mistake.
Treat your Facebook ads as an extension of your PPC, essentially the user experience should be the same. Creating targeted landing pages for your Facebook campaigns can help with continuity, as well as delivering higher conversion rates.
At the very least, the tone of your landing page should match your Facebook Ad copy as well as images marrying together.
If you’re not tech savvy when it comes to websites, their are plenty of Landing Page Builders out there that are pretty simple to use, such as Unbounce and Wix. Whilst we’re not usually a fan of SEO unfriendly web builders, when it comes to Facebook Ads it doesn’t really matter! A clean, nicely constructed landing page will always improve your conversion rates, which, in this case, trumps the need for good SEO.
Inadequate Budget
Budgeting for your advertising can be daunting as, more often than not, it can be a leap into the unknown. Does anyone really know how many leads they’ll get for X spend?
When you’re setting budgets, be bold but make sure you keep on top of your campaign on a daily basis. You might not have a grasp on the numbers to start with, but, with time, Facebook data should give you an insight into where you could spend more, or pull back, for a better return.
If your previous ads didn’t convert, it could be due to inadequate budget. Keep an eye on audience numbers and adjust accordingly until you start to see micro-conversions such as clicks or engagement come in, which are always a positive sign.
The Wrap Up
We hope our latest blog helps you improve your ad performance, bringing in those all important leads, enquiries or sales. As with all things digital marketing, Facebook Advertising has a pretty robust data system, which is really beneficial in setting up and refining campaigns. On the other hand, too much information can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve kept this blog intentionally top level.
If you do want to dig a little deeper, we’re always happy to get analytical! Get in touch and let us see if we can give your Facebook Ads a proper audit, better yet, why not let us run the whole thing for you? Speak to our team today for an initial audit and consultation!
Oh and, as always, don’t forget to give us a share with your network using the icons below…
