Are you tired of busting your butt to get new clients by pounding the pavement, sending out flyers and knocking on doors? Maybe it is time to use digital ads to boost your business growth. Here are 5 essential Meta Ads tips to help you bring in new customers without blasting through your marketing budget in the blink of an eye.
What are digital ads?
Digital ads are similar to newspaper ads from back in the day. When you are scrolling on social media, or searching on Google, these are the advertisements that appear on your screen.
When it comes to digital ads, two main options come to mind:
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads (formerly Facebook Ads)
Both options have their pros and cons.
Google Ads
Google Ads lets businesses display their advertisements on Google’s search engine results page. The platform uses a pay-per-click model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
Google Ads are best for businesses that want to capture customers who are actively searching for a product or service.
Meta Ads
Meta Ads, previously known as Facebook Ads, is a social media advertising platform. They use both a pay-per-click and an impressions model. That means you can choose to pay either when someone clicks on your ad or based on the number of impressions (views) your ad gets.
What sets Meta Ads apart is its incredibly detailed targeting options. You can create custom audiences based on users’ interests, behaviors, and even their location. If your business wants to target a very specific group of people, Meta Ads is probably the best choice for you.
5 Hacks to Unleash the Power of Meta Ads For Your Small Business
With its vast user base and sophisticated ad targeting options, Meta can be an untapped goldmine for small businesses. But, before you dive in headfirst, let’s get your Meta Ads game on point. Here are 5 essential tips to help your small business thrive in the Meta Ads arena.
Tip 1: Start With Research
Although I am not normally an advocate for spying on people, checking out what is already working well for your competitors is a great way to set up a high-converting Meta or Facebook ad campaign from the beginning.
Meta makes it super easy to do some espionage. (I mean market research.)
Just visit the Meta Ads Library for a whole database of ads, past and present. You can review the data for ads similar to the one you are creating to gain insights and inspiration. (Not to copy their work.)
When you come across successful ads, look for trends.
- Are there certain ad formats that perform exceptionally well for your industry?
- What tone do they use in their ad copy?
- What kind of ad image do they use?
Learn from other companies’ wins and losses and then implement that knowledge in your ad campaign.
Tip 2: Make Your Ad Stand Out
The hard part about Facebook ad campaigns, and social media in general, is that there is a lot of competition. You have to find a way to convince distracted social media scrollers to stop and pay attention to your ad while they are simultaneously being bombarded by videos of hilarious pranks, photos of their friend’s kids, and updates on their favorite celebrities.
You definitely won’t be able to stop the scroll with a few mediocre words you slapped together at the last minute. To make your ad irresistible:
Target a Specific Audience
I already mentioned that Meta has very detailed targeting options. Take advantage of them.
The more you know about your ideal customers- who they are, what they like, what other Facebook groups they hang out in, etc.- the more likely you’ll be to get your ads in front of the right audience.
Use Visuals
People scroll through their social media feeds at lightning speed. They are there to be entertained, not necessarily to shop. So, your ad needs to grab their attention within seconds.
Try eye-catching video ads that tell a story, carousel ads that spark curiosity, or dynamic product ads that show what their life could look like after using your offering. Use high-quality images that resonate with your target audience. Don’t be afraid to run several ad variations to find out which ad format converts best.
Bonus points if you can make your ad look like something they would already engage with on social media. We’ve all got a little bit of ad fatigue so if an ad genuinely interests or entertains us, we will be much more likely to engage.
Write Compelling Headlines
Your headline is your hook. The ad creative (i.e. the visual element) grabs people’s attention while your headline entices them to keep reading. Use action-oriented language that motivates readers to follow your CTA.
Craft your headline carefully. Draft as many options as you can think of (try for at least 50) and then test out your top 3-5.
Tip 3: Make Sure Your Ad Is Compliant
Nothing is more annoying than working for weeks on the perfect ad copy only to get it shot down by Meta’s compliance department. Avoid the headaches by knowing what is allowed before you start creating your ad.
Meta has pretty strict advertising standards that change regularly. Some of the most common ad compliance pitfalls are:
Personal attributes
People are on social media to have fun. They don’t want to think about being overweight or struggling with mountains of debt. If your ad focuses on negative attributes or assumptions about a person, it is likely to get denied.
Sensational Content
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Even if you can fulfill your promises, if they sound sensationalist or too good to be true, Meta is not going to run your ad. They don’t want to promote scams or frauds.
Social or Political Issues
Meta wants to maintain a balanced, non-partisan environment on their platform so they won’t let you promote any content that could be perceived as divisive or manipulative.
The easiest litmus test for ad compliance is to promote your product or service while keeping Meta light and fun.
Although they are happy to take your advertising money, they also want people to enjoy using their platform. If you wouldn’t want to stumble upon your ad sandwiched between pictures of your nephews and new recipe ideas, neither would anyone else.
Tip 4: Connect Your Ad to a High-Performing Sales Funnel
Getting clicks on your ad is great, but you want those clicks to convert into customers. To maximize your ROI, connect your ad to a well-established sales funnel that is already delivering results.
Your sales funnel should be optimized for conversions, with clear calls-to-action, user-friendly design, and persuasive content. When your ad and sales funnel work seamlessly together, the results roll in.
Step 5: Test and Tweak Often
Digital marketing is ever-evolving. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. What worked for your competitors might not work for you.
That’s where A/B testing comes into play. Create multiple variations of your ad, tweaking minor elements like visuals, headlines, and calls to action. Run them all simultaneously and then analyze the results to see which version performs the best.
Even after you have a well-performing ad, keep experimenting and making tweaks now and then. Even a great ad can get better.
The Easiest Way to Create a Successful Ad
In the right hands, Meta Ads can be a valuable marketing tool. However, getting them up and running isn’t always easy for small businesses. Although these five tips give you a solid starting point, knowing how to maximize your ROI while minimizing your ad spend takes some serious expertise.
Lucky for you, here at Guide MKTG we’ve got sales funnel experts and ad gurus ready to help you reach your advertising goals and bring in qualified leads in droves. Schedule a call today to maximize your business’s potential with digital ads.
