Source: Killer
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31st October 2019
10:51
How to advertise on Facebook
key considerations to make your next campaign a success
Across all sectors, not only amongst charities, Facebook is a go-to platform for advertising. Whether your campaign is for brand awareness, promoting an event, asking for one-off donations or showcasing your legacy campaign… the successes bring marketers back time and time again, while if you work alone you should also learn about the paystubs you need to use as well.
Here at Killer, we’re often asked “what’s new on Facebook?” or “how do I use it most effectively”? Our experienced Media Strategists have a wealth of experience and are first in line to hear about new trends. So we thought we’d share our top 10 tips, including tried and tested techniques and new exciting features…
Top 10 Facebook Advertising Tips
1. Explore different image ratios
- Image ads are tried and tested, proven to perform well and achieve results for a number of different objectives, however the available ratios have changed over the years, and it’s worth testing out the options. Vertical image adverts take up more screen space, which increases the chance of visibility
- Want to try out other formats? Download the templates here
- And try this for video too! Research shows that square videos get 25% more views and 100% more engagement. This is particularly key on the mobile newsfeed, because they take up 78% more screen space compared to landscape video
2. Give slideshow adverts a go
- If budget doesn’t allow for video content or animation, then slideshow adverts are a great alternative. Slideshow ads are short videos made from a collection of images, texts or existing video clips. If you don’t have any images then you can select stock photos directly in Facebook Ads Manager. Learn more about slideshow adverts here
- Another great feature is that they use 5 times less bandwidth, which means they even load properly when internet connections are slow!
- Learn here how to create a slideshow ad
3. Test and learn
- It’s important not to assume what will and won’t work. Trends and algorithms change so regularly that testing is vital for every campaign
- We recommend reserving 2-10% of the overall budget for testing
- If your budget is tight, you can also test organically by posting on your page to your current audience who follow you. If you see something performing well, then you can boost the post and reach a wider audience
4. Try something new!
- It’s always great to be ahead of the game. The mobile-only video polls are a new type of Facebook advert that allows you to collect information and feedback, without relying on people clicking through to a landing page (and you can save money on building a landing page too!)
- Find out here how to build a video poll campaign
5. Consider your placements
- You might be able to improve the quality of your leads by reducing the places your ads are appearing
- To analyse what works best, create different ad groups and only show on one placement per ad group. Test this for a week on a low budget, before analysing results and scaling up the campaign whilst showing on only the best performing placements
- Find out more about the different types of placements here
6. Trick the text restriction algorithm
- If you want to include text in your imagery, but don’t want to have issues with reduced reach (or disapproved ads!) then create a simple animated GIF or video animation, combining imagery and moving text, and using text analysis is a great option for this as well, as you can use tools for this from sites like https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/research/text-analysis/.
- See here what we created for BookTrust’s campaign Pyjamarama
7. Keep a close eye on your advert frequency
- Ad frequency reports the average number of times an individual is served your advert. Keep frequency low to prevent negative feedback and ad fatigue
- Note – this is particularly important when using remarketing lists or custom audiences, as audience sizes are smaller, which normally results in higher frequencies
8. Remember the concept of social proof
- Encourage engagement on your posts. If people see comments and reactions then they’re more likely to engage with and believe the message of the advert. Think about it – if you see an empty restaurant you think twice about going in, but if you see happy customers eating food then you’d be more inclined to go in yourself!
- Facebook’s algorithm also prioritises showing adverts with engagement
9. Reply to comments!
- Simple but oh so effective
- Increases brand credibility and reach – and shows you care about and value prospects
- Often comments are questions that could be potential barriers (e.g. “can I take part with a friend” on an advert promoting a virtual marathon). By answering questions publicly, the barrier to signing up is quashed for both the person who asked the question and anyone else who is served the advert
10. Alternative to paid advertising
- Limited budget for paid advertising? Unfortunately organic reach has been reducing YoY as Facebook prioritises advertisers. But there are ways around it! To combat the changes, create a Facebook group and invite people who follow your Facebook page (choosing those with the demographics of who you want to reach). And then communicate with audiences via the group instead!