Still some people think that Facebook ads are not a good channel to generate conversions but it leads to many impressions and clicks with low value.
This preconceived notion comes from the fact that Facebook is still often seen as the platform people primarily use to connect with friends and family, rather than where we “do business”.
As such, many brands underestimate the importance and potential of Facebook ads as a major acquisition channel.
Partly because maybe we should start doing a better job of defining what a conversion is.
The problem is that, too often, we categorize a transfer as the final step in the acquisition path — and so, for most people, a transfer is a sale or transaction with return value attached to it.
However, the truth is that conversions – or as we should say, conversion points – can be much more than that, and identifying them requires looking at the aftermarket or lead.
In the modern world – where the relationship between users and brands is very complex due to the multiple ways and channels they can use to communicate and interact – every touch point is (or could be) just as important as the last.
Therefore, every interaction can be defined as a conversion, which means that savvy marketers and companies must plan, track, and measure accordingly.
Now that we have more clarity on what conversion is, how can you make the most of Facebook’s powerful medium and create ads that convert?
So, we’ve got nine proven tips that are guaranteed to help.
1. Segment your target audience into whole segments and frame them with AIDA
First of all, you should always take advantage of Facebook’s audience targeting capabilities.
This requires mapping and planning your campaigns and ad groups to target different users with highly relevant ads that can capture their attention, generate genuine interest, convert that into desire, and ultimately action.
Where possible, smaller audiences will allow you to create more relevant and compelling ad text that can resonate with your target audience.
The trick here is to find the right balance between audience size and the platform’s ability to gather enough data to improve it.
However, the Attention, Attention, Desire, and Action (AIDA) framework—which is what some stand for Locate Because “the four stages a consumer goes through before making a purchase decision” – should be what underpins your strategic approach and keeps it all together.
2. Build audience personas and use them to define your goals (conversion)
A clear audience profile will always help, so if possible, you should create personas who are your main segments.
You must understand what motivates your customers and what triggers you can leverage to get them to take action and convert.
What is their need? What is important to them?
How can you help them with that?
Are they affected by emotions or are they the rational type that resonates with numbers and facts?
Understanding and answering these questions will allow you to create ads and copy that are more effective and more likely to convert.
3. Take advantage of psychological stimuli
Emotions move people.
We take action because we have an intention, whether it is to satisfy a need or simple satisfaction, such as entertainment.
But for that to happen, we need to establish a connection. So, we need a trigger.
In the example below, it’s hard not to feel connected!
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Screenshot from Facebook Ad Library, June 2022
Also, one of the strongest triggers is the fear of missing out (FOMO).
When appropriate, highlight such elements in your ad copy as rarities, time-sensitive offers, or anything that might be too good to refuse.
4. Identify your audience’s pain points and highlight the benefits you can provide
With a thorough understanding of your target audience comes the opportunity to clearly address their pain points in your ad copy and highlight the benefits your solution will provide them.
If you’ve done a good job of segmenting and narrowing down your target audience, you can take advantage of empathy to connect with and engage with them.
Letting your potential customers know that you understand their problem and can help them is a surefire way to reach those users who are most likely to respond to your ads, and may be ready to convert.
Once you’ve captured their attention, clearly (and accurately) explain how you’ll help them focus on motivating them to take action.
It is also highly recommended to use a strong call to action.
The example below shows how Nike takes advantage of one of the biggest pain points for people who want to exercise: motivation.
Also note the strong CTA: “Come run with us.” Clear, direct and effective.
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Screenshot from Facebook Ad Library, June 2022
See more about the CTA below.
5 You have a choice for those who may be less emotional
While an emotional trigger can work for most people, a more rational approach may prompt others.
For those who stick to the facts, using numbers and stats is likely to work better and drive conversions rather than emotional triggers – which may also be more relevant to certain industries than others.
For example, while you can see how some people can react to numbers and stats when talking about a home loan or a mortgage, the same may not be true for the travel industry if you’re selling packaged vacations.
6. Always Have a (Powerful) Call-to-Action
Regardless of the goal of the ad, whether it is to attract attention, instill desire or trigger action, the ad copy should always have a clear, powerful and unique call-to-action.
Even in advertisements, people respond to instructions – most likely because they don’t want to think about what to do.
Guiding them in their decisions is more likely to be successful than leaving them to wonder.
7. Test, test and do more tests
Going back to the above example and the importance of comprehensive segmentation for the target audience, it goes without saying that a robust testing framework should always complete segmentation.
It’s key to the success of any campaign to not only experiment with different messaging and targeting settings but also to proactively develop and update creativity, specifically, in your case, copy.
This way, ads stay fresh and relevant, which increases your chances of converting.
8. When possible, always tell a good story with your ads
Speaking of ads that evolve over time, I strongly believe that advertisers often miss the opportunity to engage deeply with their audiences in favor of what (to me) is more like instant gratification.
As marketers, we are often so focused on getting “that conversion” that we overlook the fact that with a (large) portion of our audience, the first task is to help them move through the funnel.
Yes, we’ve talked about audience segmentation and the necessity of ads relevant to each stage, but how about having a vision to connect all those stages through consistent communications and messaging that also evolves?
In simple words, how about storytelling?
If you can create and copy ads that tell a meaningful story that resonates with your audience, your chance of converting is sure to increase with it.
In a storytelling format, you can address pain points, offer solutions that benefit your audience, validate them through social proof, address barriers and reservations your audience may have that are preventing them from converting, and more.
9. Use creatives and copy for your ad format
This is also often overlooked.
In an effort to achieve efficiency and effectiveness over time, we often make the mistake of using or adapting the same design and copy for different ad formats.
But the truth is that different ad formats are meant for different contexts and, as such, give the opportunity to speak to our customers in different ways.
For example, Facebook and Instagram stories are very different from carousel ads and therefore require a different approach.
With Stories, it’s important that the copy is on point and complements the image or video, while this may not necessarily be the case if the copy is accompanied by a single image, carousel, or video ad.
For the latter, ad copy can take a bigger role in the hero role and, while still supporting the design, help address some of the points we mentioned earlier (eg pain points, benefits, etc.).
conclusion
While many of the tips we discussed today are great for optimizing our Facebook ad copy and can be transferred to other platforms as well, mastering the art of copywriting is an amazing skill that takes talent, persistence, and flexibility.
What works for some may not work for others.
Our surefire tips for writing Facebook ad copy that converts are like good ingredients for a good recipe, but to make it great, it takes a good chef and hard work.
More resources:
- Facebook Ads: Who’s Best to Earn Clicks and How It’s Done
- 4 SEO Copywriting Tips for Sharper, Effective Copy
- How to Advertise on Facebook: A Beginner’s Guide
Featured image: Alisa Komarova/Shutterstock
