Are you running Facebook ads but struggling to make them work?
Perhaps you’re facing a low conversion rate, not enough audience interest, or even a poor Facebook advertising campaign altogether.
If you’re worried about your ads not performing well, rest easy.
There are plenty of ways to get them up and running in a manner that brings you new fans, customers, and subscribers.
I’ve run a lot of Facebook Ad campaigns over the years. One of the biggest problems I’ve seen, especially with people new to Facebook Ads, is a low click-through rate.
If you’re looking to improve your click-through rate and conversions, these 22 strategies are what you need to improve your ads.
Choose one or two to implement, test the results, and watch the traffic come in.
Let’s get started.
1. Feature customer testimonials
If you’re looking to create ads that drive the viewer to take a specific action, you should include customer testimonials in your advertising.
This technique works because it starts off the conversation by answering objections your prospect might have.
Instead of leading with a generic offer, show the exact benefits one of your happiest customers has received from your product.
In this ad, The Betty Rocker uses a powerful customer testimonial to advertise the benefits of the diet and fitness system the company has to offer.
If you’re looking to maximize conversions and run profitable Facebook Ads, you need to start showing real people recommending your product.
It’s the perfect way to engage interested viewers while being authentic and transparent about the benefits of your product or service.
2. Test carousel ads
If you’re looking to add a refreshing sense of color and layout to your ads, you need to experiment with carousel ads.
This is a great way to provide a bigger feel to your ads without investing in the expertise that’s necessary for other ad types, like canvases.
Shutterstock included a carousel with multiple panels to show their collaboration with Adobe Photoshop.
The carousel extended to show the full length of the airplane image being edited.
The effect was compelling, and it made the ad even more interesting and engaging.
3. Sync your landing page
Your landing page isn’t the ad itself, but it plays a huge role in how effective your Facebook Ad will be.
If you’re struggling with visitors leaving your landing page soon after clicking on the ad, look to create an ad and landing page that match each other.
You’re going to want to copy both the message and the layout.
This ad and landing page from LeadPages work in harmony. The ad has a blue color scheme with a distinctive product image (a box with a DVD in front).
It promises a webinar funnel system.
And sure enough, the landing page delivers. It uses the same blue color and product image, along with the same promise of a webinar funnel system.
By matching your ads to your landing pages in this way, you’ll increase your conversions and make your ads much more effective.
4. Improve the clarity of your offer
Look, I’ll be honest. Even if your offer is clear to you, it’s probably too vague for someone who has never heard of you.
If you want serious success with your Facebook Ads, you need to clarify your offer in the ad copy. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to clarify it even more.
What exactly does the prospect get from clicking on your ad? Make this incredibly clear early on.
This ad is specific and to the point. It gives a date, the number of people who should sign up, and what the hike is all about.
If your Facebook Ads aren’t doing very well, consider the type of offer you’re making. Is there a way to make it even more clear?
Remember, it’s impossible to be too clear with the copy on your ad.
5. Schedule ads at a specific time each day
If you haven’t changed the default settings placed by Facebook, you’re probably running your ads 24 hours a day.
While this can be great if you’re looking to target international Facebook users around the globe, it can also be a complete waste of time and money if you’re not.
Instead of running expensive ads at all times, AdEspresso recommends finding the best time of day for your ads.
Review the breakdown of ad data, then click on “Time of Day.”
You’ll be able to see the cost for different time periods. Look for your most cost-effective window.
With this in mind, go into scheduling and change the windows during which your ads run.
Look to spend more of your ad dollars during those times when you can get subscribers, viewers, and customers at a lower cost per action.
This is a great way to save money and make your ads better.
6. Compel action using urgency
Urgency has been around as long as marketing has existed.
It’s simply a proven fact that people are more likely to take action if there’s an expiration date, price increase, or limited-time offer.
If you haven’t used real urgency in your copy yet, it’s time to get started.
By “real urgency” I mean an offer that will really go away. Saying “buy now” isn’t a form of urgency. You want to indicate that the offer will disappear.
This ad from Watch Junction offers a staggering 60% discount, but only until midnight.
Offering a clear deadline is a sure-fire way to run Facebook Ads that convert.
7. Collaborate with another leader
If you’re struggling to draw name-brand recognition with your small business or startup, you can partner with someone else to draw in more traffic and followers.
By using an image of a well-known figure in your field, you can get exponentially more recognition by using the association with another leader.
EO Fire references Lewis Howes in this ad, using his image and name to draw attention to the offer.
Even if you don’t have a huge connection with a large player in your industry, consider including a reference to them in your copy or image.
This can be a great way to draw attention to your business, even if you’re just starting.
8. Test different images
If you’re not testing different variations of your ad, you need to start immediately.
Testing is the best way to improve the results you get from your ads, so you can start creating ads that bring you new visitors and customers.
The first place to start testing is in the images you use. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your ads, and the results may surprise you.
When AdEspresso wanted to increase signups for their free e-book with 500+ Facebook Ads, they expected the branded image of their signature character to perform best.
Yet when they tested it against an Instagram-like sepia picture of a Polaroid camera, the sepia picture cut the cost per conversion in half.
Don’t be afraid to test with a huge variety of images to see which ones perform the best.
9. Change the placement
If you’re running ads without choosing the placement Facebook gives you, you’re giving up a lot of ground in how your ads are displayed.
Kissmetrics gives an explanation of the different placements you can choose.
By default, Facebook places your ads on all three areas: desktop news feed, desktop right column, and mobile.
But you may find that you don’t want your ads on all three of these locations. Chances are, one area will work a lot better for you.
If that’s the case, you need to do some analysis and find out where your ads are performing the best.
To do this, you’re going to want to look at the “Breakdown” section of your ads in the Facebook Ads Manager. Choose “Placement.”
From there, you’ll be able to see how your ads are doing based on cost and CTR. Choose only the ads that are performing the best, and eliminate the rest.
Digital Marketing Institute recommends adjusting this in your ad’s “Placement” settings.
From this panel, you can even decide whether or not you display ads on Instagram and Facebook’s Audience Network.
Look to change your placement for full control over your Facebook Ads and maximum results.
10. Customize with location-specific imagery
If you have a local business, you need to be appealing to the buyers located near you.
Facebook offers a variety of geo-targeting strategies and options, and you should take advantage of them to the best of your ability.
This ad shows an image of a New York City showroom to viewers based in that area. It’s a more customized experience for those users, and it results in a higher engagement level.
Even if you don’t have a local business, you can use this same technique to appeal to viewers located in areas with different landmarks, weather, or even sports teams.
11. Offer something for free
It’s no secret that free sells.
By giving away a version of your product for free, you’ll start to see a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of your Facebook Ad campaign.
To get started with this, you’re going to want to figure out an offer that works for your budget and is guaranteed to convert trial users into paying customers.
Once you have this in place, you need to get started setting up an ad to effectively promote the offer.
This Facebook Ad from Plated offers four free meals and free shipping for new customers.
This is a very appealing offer for someone interested in the service, but who hasn’t had a reason to get started quite yet.
If you already have a free version in place, like a trial offer or free plan, look to market this through your Facebook ad.
12. Test different color schemes
The image you choose makes a huge difference in how your ad is received, but you can also make minor changes in the colors of your image for huge effects.
LinkedIn has a specific branding and color scheme they want to preserve with their Facebook Ads. But just because you have branding doesn’t mean you can’t try different shades.
This first ad markets their Modern Recruiter’s Guide with a darker blue, closer in tone to the LinkedIn logo color.
But they also created a different version of the message using a lighter sky blue background and whimsical image.
By adjusting these slight variations, you can create stellar ads that pull in massive results.
13. Exclude people who have already converted
Are you throwing money at people who’ve already converted through your ad?
If so, you’re wasting your time. It’s a bad idea to keep promoting to viewers who have already seen your ad and taken the action you’ve requested.
To solve this problem, you’ll need to create a custom audience for your Facebook Ad account. Look to use a Facebook targeting pixel to find out who’s converted with each campaign.
You’ll want to exclude this list of converted users from your targeting using the “Custom Audiences” section of your ad settings.
If your campaign worked well at first but it’s now struggling to gain traction, this could be the exact problem you’re facing.
14. Include a call to action in the copy
If your ad isn’t driving the kind of clicks you’d hoped for when you first started the campaign, the problem might be that your copy isn’t driving people to action.
Rather than leave your call to action in the button text Facebook gives you, consider including phrases that drive conversions in the copy itself.
A great way to do this is to include short phrases like “claim your spot” or “try free” when you write the script for your ad.
These ads have done a great job of including a brief call to action in their copy. It makes the reader more interested in clicking and provides a reward for action.
Look to change your copy to mesmerize ad viewers into taking the action you’re promoting with your Facebook Ads.
15. Use “you-based” phrasing
The copy you use on your ad should appeal directly to the reader, not to an ambiguous “person” who will benefit.
To drive your point directly and make a huge difference in how well your ad performs, you should include what I’ve termed “you-based” phrasing.
Whenever possible, use the word “you” and write directly to the customer. This is a great way to show the benefits directly.
Look to expand your copywriting skills by putting you-based phrasing into use whenever possible.
16. Use less-professional photos
There’s a problem with photos that look generic and professional. On Facebook, they tend to look like corporate-style stock photos, and they fade into the background.
For really stellar results, look for natural-looking images that resemble pictures snapped by friends rather than purchased from a stock photography website.
This sample ad isn’t very compelling with its generic image of a MacBook.
By changing it for a more engaging image with a low-resolution picture of a broken laptop, it immediately grabs your attention.
This kind of familiar photography will grab the attention of ad viewers and drive them to take action.
17. Speak directly to a specific group of people
The days of generic marketing that appeals to your entire audience is long over.
If you’re still using marketing strategies from the Mad Men era of the 1960s, it’s time to move forward into today’s landscape of targeted marketing.
Instead of writing one ad for all the different types of readers who might encounter your product, you should look to create customized experiences for particular demographics.
AdEspresso recommends talking directly to your audience using specific campaigns, like this Sprint ad that reaches out to AAA members exclusively.
By being more specific, you’ll get a better return on your ad spend and increase the signups and purchases of those customers.
18. Target friends of fans
If you want to run an ad campaign that’s wildly successful, you’ll need a strong amount of social proof to make it work.
A great way to do this is to reach out to people who are friends with someone who already likes your page.
Facebook will display the connection, giving you an extra dose of authority and encouraging those readers to sign up for what you have to offer.
Social Media Examiner recommends experimenting with different kinds of “like” campaigns. This is a great way to add new authority to your Facebook Ads.
And of course, the more authority you have in the eyes of your prospect, the more likely you are to increase your conversion rate and click rate.
19. Show people and faces
One of the best strategies to use when choosing images that will make your ads stand apart is to look for images of people, specifically faces.
This allows you to draw in viewers with a friendly face, which then directs them to your copy and ultimately leads them to take the action you’ve included in your ad.
This strategy is so powerful, it’s one of the few recommendations from Facebook itself on how to create better ads on their platform.
Look for happy, smiling customers or even just close ups on faces to skyrocket your engagement and make your ads that much more effective.
20. Mention social proof in the copy
The copy you use should reference the popularity of the product or service you have to sell.
Rather than relying exclusively on Facebook’s algorithms to show the popularity and reactions of other viewers to your post, mention some social credentials in the ad text itself.
This Dropbox ad includes a reference to their large number of customers within the copy. It’s a great way to show that the product is proven by over 100,000 businesses.
Even a subtle reference to how many people use your product, have downloaded your resource guide, or have signed up on your website, can drive a dramatic shift in conversions.
21. Appeal to viewers both emotionally and rationally
Most marketers understand that reasoning plays a huge role in how people interact with your ad and your marketing strategy in general.
It’s important to get the reasoning correct when targeting a new prospect. You need to make sure your offer makes sense, is at the right price, and offers great features and benefits.
But you also need to make an emotional connection with your prospect. That emotional side is where a lot of ads fall short, and you can stand apart by featuring it effectively.
This ad from Hootsuite has both emotional and rational features, showing a happy and relaxed software user, as well as rational features like a risk-free trial.
Be sure to appeal to both the emotional and rational side of your prospects in your marketing.
22. Target intersecting interests
Today’s marketing through Facebook Ads gives you the huge advantage of being able to target users with intersecting interests.
Look to create custom audiences with multiple overlapping interests, and reach out to those interests specifically.
This ad from Dr. Pepper markets the product to college students (interest #1) who like college sports (interest #2) and soft drinks (interest #3).
It’s a perfect intersection of interests for a customer who would be interested in the giveaway Dr. Pepper is running.
Look to understand the complementary interests your audience has, and target those demographics directly.
Conclusion
If you’re not seeing massive success from your Facebook Ads yet, don’t worry. There are some simple solutions that can give you huge results without a lot of work or effort.
The first place to look when improving your ads is to make sure you’re displaying them in the right environment. Look to use the right placement to maximize your impact.
If you’re displaying them on the right screens, check your audience. Look for a group that’s customized to your unique offer. Target specific interests and locations.
Images play a huge role in the success of your ads. Adjust your color scheme and include different photos and designs, including those with people and smiling faces.
If you’re looking for dramatic improvements in your ads’ success, make adjustments to the copy. These seemingly minor tweaks can really add up.
Also, make your offer very clear and include a call to action in the copy, if you can. It’s a good idea to appeal to the different objections of the viewer and use urgency.
Finally, test and refine. No matter what you change with your Facebook Ads, you’ll need to adjust and see what kind of results you get.
The more you test, the more improvement you’ll see on a daily basis.
How will you make your Facebook Ads better?
Grow your traffic