Facebook is a major player in the advertising space. Like how advertisers reach and get new leads with Google Ads, marketers do not joke with Facebook Ads.
However, there are mistakes people make on the social media platform when advertising that could possibly lead to a waste of Ad spend. A niche specialist and content creator, NicheSiteLady first shared the following mistakes and how to fix them for a better result when advertising on Facebook.
Using the Boost button
Personally I have used the “Boost button” on one of the articles I shared on Facebook, but the result was like a waste of funds. This button is for “hairdressers and party planners who want to spend $7 every so often,”
Instead of using a boost button, opt for Facebook Ads Manager, this gives you access to a lot of options, people to target, the region to streamline your ads to and the age bracket you would like to capture. You will have better results using Facebook Ads Manager than using the Boost button.
Structuring your Campaigns, Ad Sets & Ads wrongly
Explaining how this works, NicheSiteLady says, “Campaigns are goals e.g. Page Likes, Email Subscribers, Website Traffic; Ad Sets are groups of people e.g. vegans or football fans; and Ads are the individual adverts that you show to those people.”
Understanding the fact that Facebook Ads are an auction will guide you on what placing an Ad on Facebook.
For instance, if the same user ends up in two Ad Sets you’ll bid against yourself in the auction and drive up your cost.
To get the best result, try to avoid overlapping Ad Sets and always test creative at the Ad level.
Showing your ad to people who will never be interested
Targeting the wrong people in Ad sets is like setting up a pork shop in Islamic dominated area, who exactly are you targeting? That’s if Islamic law would even allow you to set up in the first place.
Imagine you set your ad to show to all women aged 18 to 50 in Canada, but your ad creative is aimed at pregnant people, there is a possibility that 90% or more people who see the ads will not be interested.
Showing ads to the people who will not be interested means you will pay “10X what you would if you managed to only show it to pregnant women.”
To avoid spending unnecessarily, you will need to find the targeting options that are available in Facebook Ads Manager, and then create ads that suit those groups of people you are targeting. Don’t generalize your target!
Not testing different ad creatives
Another mistake marketers make on Facebook Ads is not testing different ad creatives. Have more than one version. To do this, you can set up at least 10 different versions of each ad. “Some of these will perform 10X better than others and you can’t guess which,” NSL says.
Leaving your ads running for too long
If a prospective buyer or client has seen your ads more than two times without taking any action, they would probably not buy if they see it more. If you continue this way, it will continue to hit your ads budget because after a few weeks, your costs will start to rise.
So, when running an ad, pay attention to how many times each user has seen the ad, Facebook has this option.
Using boring images
Images convey powerful messages. It can easily convey a message 1000-word may be unable to. Don’t use boring images because they are way more important than the text. Make your images bold, bright, and captivating so that users can stop and read the text. Don’t attach just any image to your ads, make it intriguing.
Using too much text
Most people don’t really have the time to read long text, especially when they are reading a true life story. If it’s an ad, you should give them the reason to do one thing you want to do.
You can learn some lessons from billboard ads, no time for people to wait and start reading long text, this also applies to Facebook Ads.
Showing your ad in too many places
Facebook wants you to pay to show it absolutely everywhere, including Instagram, Messenger and a load of unimportant places. They are out there to make money, their interest comes first, which is the money from your ads.
Most times, Facebook would recommend that you show your ads in several places. For instance, what’s the essence of showing Ads from an Australian-based home cleaning service to the people in California?
When you see this option, it’s advisable to turn them off and do newsfeed only.
Turning ads off too soon
If you’ve spent $3 and got 5 likes you might panic and turn it off. But according to a professional, “But that’s not enough. Let each ad run for at least 3 days or $10 to properly see what to expect.”
The mistakes people make when running Ads on Facebook may be more than this, but the ones listed here will help you to get the best result from your ads on social media.