Apparently Facebook advertising represents an excellent method for cutting through the noise and getting targeted audiences to respond to your message. More and more companies are using this advertising platform, particularly in regards to mobile advertising – which represents 80% of Facebook’s advertising revenue.
While the stories of brands accumulating vast profits as a direct result of Facebook ads are plentiful, the failures are not as openly discussed. Most Facebook ads fail, and it usually takes a lot of trial and error before you manage to make a profit. Fortunately, by avoiding these common Facebook advertising mistakes, you can expedite your journey to success.
Bad targeting
Even if you come up with the most excellently crafted ad in the world, if it’s shown to the wrong audience, it will not be successful. Before you initiate a campaign, you should determine a specific buyer profile for your product or service.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to survey your existing customers and see what common parallels there are. You can even create a Lookalike Audience within Facebook based on your current customers – although this tactic is more effective once you’re already profitable. Don’t be afraid to split test different audiences and see what age range, gender and nationality of people are responding the best. Once you find a receptive audience, you can start tweaking the ads.
Inappropriate images
The image is the first thing a person sees when your ad appears in their news feed, so it’s important to make a good first impression. Counter intuitively, an overly professional photograph of your product can have negative results. Instead, choosing an organic photo of people using your products can work better, as it doesn’t appear as disruptive when people come across it. After all, people are browsing Facebook for entertainment, not to be sold to!
James Scherer writes:
“Depending on your business’ audience, employing a funny or odd image can seriously increase your conversion rates. Not only do they attract the eye, they encourage your reputation as a fun, casual brand. If this is what you’re going for as your Facebook brand persona, go with it. If not, steer clear.”
Poor headline
In addition to having a good image, an excellent headline is essential if you want to capture someone’s attention. Aim to be clear and concise, and if possible, target people’s emotions to make an impact. There is a reason why negative superlatives are used so often in mainstream media – because they evoke a sense of primal fear and cause people to react. Asking a question, listing a key benefit of your product or mentioning a pertinent statistic is also recommended for headlines.
No split testing
You’re unlikely to achieve wild success with your first few ads, but that’s okay. You should run your ads at a low cost until you start seeing improvements in your cost per click (or whichever metric you choose to measure).
Some of the things you should split test include: the image, audience, headline, body text, call to action, landing page and value proposition. Oftentimes, the ad you think is going to be insanely successful plummets, and the one you have no confidence in actually resonates with your audience. Ultimately, you never know until you actually run the ad, so don’t be afraid of failure – it’s essential as a feedback tool.
Conclusion
Avoid these aforementioned pitfalls and you will dramatically improve your ROI with Facebook advertising. It’s important to keep split testing and innovating based on the feedback. Success might be closer than you think!
You may also find this blog on targeting warm prospects through Facebook advertising helpful – “Do this important step before running a single ad!”
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