There’s a LOT to consider when it comes to your Facebook ad creative.
Unlike AdWords text ads that look the same on desktop or mobile, you’re juggling a lot more with Facebook ads. From headlines to images, text, and CTA options, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Not to mention, you need to take into account how your ad displays on different placements and across different devices.
There’s certainly no one-size-fits-all approach for Facebook ad creative. But that’s not to say there are some best practices for success to get you started!
On that note, we’ve created a high-converting cheat sheet for Facebook ad creative to help you get the results you’ve been waiting for.
It includes the critical components you need to consider if you want to reach your target audience, create compelling Facebook ad copy, and ultimately get the lead generation you’re after.
Let’s get started!
Facebook Ad Creative: Your High-Converting Cheat Sheet
We’re going to explore each of these in more detail, but here’s what we’ll be covering:
- Facebook ad placement: desktop news feed, desktop right column, and mobile
- Headlines
- Ad images
- CTAs (calls to action)
- Supporting copy
Choosing the right Facebook ad placement
So we know you can choose from desktop news feed, desktop right column, or mobile for your Facebook ads. But how do you know which one is right for you?
Any of them can be great options depending on your goals.
[Image Source: AdvertiseMint.com – https://www.advertisemint.com/guide-facebooks-ad-placements/]
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide:
Desktop news feed ads
Pros: If you’ve got money to spend on Facebook ads and you want more room for images, copy, and links, you can’t beat desktop news feed ads! They offer you more space for getting your message across, and they also have higher conversion odds than other placements.
Cons: With those better conversion rates come higher costs. These are priority spots, which means you’ll pay a premium to get yours! They also happen to be more competitive.
So, if your goals are boosting engagement and lead generation, this is a good option for you. Hoping for discovery and brand awareness? A different ad placement is probably best.
Desktop right column ads
Even though they take a back seat to desktop news feed ads as far as size and that “in your face” factor, desktop right column ads still serve a powerful purpose.
Pros: They’re excellent for retargeting existing customers or visitors. So, if your brand is already familiar to them, these ads are a super cost-effective way of recapturing their attention.
Speaking of retargeting, take a look at Our B2B Retargeting Best Practices For Success.
Cons: For desktop right column ads to be successful, you have to pull them off flawlessly. If even one component of the ad (say the font size in the image) isn’t right, your whole ad could be in vain. These smaller spaces can also make it more difficult to get your message across because you have less room for images and copy.
Mobile ads
These can be excellent for brand discovery and awareness.
With mobile ads, your goal is ultimately capturing your audience’s attention on their mobile device, then have them move even further down the sales funnel with your desktop ads.
Pros: Mobile ads tend to be a cheaper method for building brand awareness than other ad placements.
Cons: The cons of mobile ads are similar to those of desktop ads: You have less room!
Facebook ads placement overview
Desktop news feed ads: Can be expensive, but have the best conversion rates.
Desktop right column ads: Excellent for retargeting, but you have less room than news feed ads.
Mobile ads: Use these to build brand awareness.
Facebook ad creative elements
With Google AdWords, you can probably create an entire ad in a few minutes. But with Facebook ads, you have so much more to think about.
What colors will you choose? What kind of images? How about the headlines, the CTA, and the supporting copy?
Each of these are critical to the success of your ads.
Here’s what you need to consider for each element.
Facebook ad images
Visuals can increase your visibility by as much as 94%, so you really need to nail this part.
Choose bright bold colors–not busy patterns
First, you want to focus on choosing bright images that are relevant to your ad. Because Facebook’s branding is blue and white, you’ll want to avoid images with those colors front and centre. Otherwise, your ad will blend into the rest of the site.
You also don’t want to pick images that are too busy or distracting. These take away from the ad copy and can distract users to the point of losing them entirely.
Focus on authenticity
Whenever possible, it’s also best to stick to authentic images.
Cold, overly professional images just don’t have the same effect!
Users can identify a stock image in a Facebook ad from a mile away. Try to incorporate high-quality, authentic pictures of your staff, your clients, your product, your business–anything relating to your ad and offering.
Microexpressions for Facebook ad images
If your ad images include people, something else to consider is microexpressions. These are tiny expressions that flash across a person’s face and say a LOT in a fraction of the second.
A researcher named Dr. Paul Ekman discovered strong evidence of many facial expressions being universal, including:
- Anger
- Disgust
- Fear
- Surprise
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Contempt
Now, why do microexpressions matter for Facebook ad creative?
Simply put, they express emotion and tell a story without needing ANY words to do so. When you only have a limited amount of room to make your point, you need to do so in an as effective way possible.
Headlines
One of the most important elements of optimizing your Facebook ad creative is your headline. In a split second, this headline can either grab or lose a reader’s attention.
Here are a few headline styles to choose from:
Cliffhanger: These hint at something interesting your audience will learn or receive by following your link. Cliffhanger headlines often end with “…”
A listicle: This format is considered the most popular and effective for online headlines. They usually start with a number (odd is best), followed by where the link will take them. For example? 11 Ways to Create High-Converting Facebook Ad Creative.
A value proposition: Your headline states what that user will receive or how they will benefit. If you can include evidence or statistics in these? Even better.
Take a look at this post where we break down our 12 Top Headline Writing Tips To Drive Traffic To Your Website for more ideas on creating high-converting headlines.
CTAs (calls to action)
CTAs are important because they tell the user what to do next. Quite literally, it calls them to take action.
That kind of action could be:
- Click here
- Buy now
- Learn more
- Shop today
These are just a few examples of CTAs that clearly demonstrate what their click will accomplish.
Now, as for convincing them to make that click in the first place?
You’ll need strong supporting ad copy!
Supporting ad copy
Supporting ad copy is what adds context to your headline and your CTA. It’s also a great place to add social proof–another useful tool for Facebook ads.
In your supporting ad copy, you might:
- Outline the benefits of your offer
- Explain how it works
- Share how effective your service is
- Discuss how easy it is to use your product
Your supporting ad copy, along with your headlines and calls to action, should all be aligned with one another AND with your images. This cohesive flow goes a long way in boosting conversion rates.
High-Converting Facebook Ad Creative
So, to nail your Facebook ad creative strategy, consider, then optimize, each of these components:
- Facebook ad placements
- Ad headlines
- Ad images
- Calls to action and value proposition
- Supporting copy
Looking for help with this and your other digital marketing needs? We’ve got you covered.
At Blue Water Marketing in Stuart, FL., we employ advanced Facebook tactics for our clients to help them drive real traffic to their website. These include A/B split testing, remarketing, and lookalike audiences, as well as conversion optimization.
Would you like to talk about what we can do for you and your business? Get in touch today to find out more during a free consultation.
