As we are now in an era that is dominated by curated ad content lurking in every social media corner, it is important to ensure that your strategic marketing efforts online are actually going to come to fruition. One of the most dominant platforms that is flooded with these targeted campaigns is Facebook; with over 52% of consumers on the site being influenced by site content when making both online and offline purchases, it is evident that there are huge opportunities for creating a successful campaign. On top of this, the average cost per thousand impressions on Facebook ($7) is considerably lower than that of television commercials ($35). The potential for high ROI may be clear, but are your Facebook ad campaigns receiving the high click through rates (CTR) that all marketers strive for? For most brands, the answer is no; studies have shown that average CTR for these ads are below 1% despite the fact that Facebook is number one when it comes to social media sites driving conversions. This can be attributed to many factors ranging from the News Feed algorithm to small advertising budgets. Whatever the reason for low conversion rates may be, read on to learn how you can turn your Facebook campaigns from low engagement endeavors to profitable programs!
Tracking, tracking, and more tracking
Tracking your conversion rates is a critical first step in learning what does and does not work with your campaign. Whether you are looking to track CTR on mobile or desktop, there are multiple ways Facebook recommends capturing audience data. Installing the Facebook Software Development Kit or Facebook Pixel will allow you to specifically target visitors based on engagement, overall expanding your target audience.
Implement creativity and concision
Though this may seem like an obvious tip, it is one of the most important as it only takes a mere 2.6 seconds for your audience’s eyes to choose what to focus on when searching a webpage. This design is essentially your first impression, so make sure that your images are high resolution with short, direct copy, striking visuals, and a proper call to action that will send users to your desired location.
Use Facebook’s software to your advantage
When creating your campaign, use Facebook’s resources to help drive CTR; the social media lets you classify ads based on any of their 12 specific objectives that are categorized by the basic marketing funnel stages– awareness, consideration, and conversion. Prioritizing these objectives will allow you to ensure effectiveness and gauge your ROI more accurately.
Optimizing for conversions by checking of the “conversions” box on Facebook is another way that the site can improve the effectiveness of your campaign with the simple click of a button. Multiple cases have shown that conversion-optimized ads generate higher CTR than traffic-optimized ads, so use these features to ultimately benefit your brand!
Choose the right ad format for your goals
Not all Facebook ad formats are created equal, and some may be more effective at conveying your message than others. Carousel and collection ads are better suited for highlighting multiple features or products, while Facebook Offer ads allow you to display special discounts. Facebook Canvas ads, on the other hand, are ideal in displaying high-impact visuals that do best in a full screen display.
Whether you will be using these tips to ramp up your advertising efforts or as the basis for a new campaign entirely, implementing these practices should happen sooner rather than later. Treating Facebook as the powerful platform it has established itself to be can bring great ROI and engagements, so making it a staple in your digital marketing plan should be a no brainer!
Creative Spot is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Columbus, Ohio. If you would like to learn more about how we can help your organization create a strategic marketing campaign, please contact us.