This was one of my most shared posts over at AgoraPulse, the Social Media Management Experts.
If you’re a social media marketer, you know you have to run Facebook ads. When they are running correctly, your ads can bring you signups, orders, web visits or video views.
But what if they are not?
I am going to tell you, from personal and bitter experience, five reasons your Facebook ads aren’t performing so you can save time and money next time!
1. You’re Targeting Non-Fans
You know that part of the ad creation or boosting process where you can select your audience? Well, it turns out that when you target Facebook ads to fans, you get 700% more click throughs. You may think that targeting existing page connections is a waste of your money but think about it… how many of your page fans are actually customers? Probably very few.
This makes sense because you are not “cold calling” your leads via advertising.. They are already warm and ready to buy. You could also use custom audiences to retarget clients who have not yet purchased as the same principle will apply.
TAKEAWAY– Focus on building up your fans first and then retarget them. This is something American Express (6.2 million fans) regularly does through ads (believe me I know from all the ads in my own news feed).
2. Your Headline Text Isn’t Compelling
It’s interesting to think that Facebook has removed the 25 character limit for its headings and yet so many marketers still get it wrong.
That’s probably because a compelling message can be short and to the point but your text has to convey your value proposition. What are you offering? Why should someone click on your ad right now? Why is your product irresistible? A beautiful image and relevant ad is great, but without a great headline and compelling call-to-action (CTA) , your viewer might not know what to do next.
This ad from Jasper’s Market hits the spot. With a clear offer, social proof (all these other people got the offer), a deadline, and a great image I would certainly want to know more.
TAKEAWAY– Take Your time writing headlines. They are one of the most important parts of your ad.
3. Your Budget Is Too Low
When you create an ad, Facebook gives you the choice of a CPC (cost per click) CPI (Cost per impression) or Daily Reach. In my experience, CPC is the most tangible option because you are only charged when someone clicks on your ad. If you choose one of the other options, it is difficult to know how many people have seen it at all.
The other issue is choosing the bid price. Facebook will automatically assign a daily bid for you but if you choose to enter one manually then you need to be realistic. Entering a figure like $0.10 per click just won’t get you anywhere and can leave you with zero ad views.
Takeaway- The average cost per click is $0.64 and if you are in a competitive industry this will be much higher. The average Facebook click through rate is less than 1% so be a little more generous with your budget!
4. Your Images Aren’t Very Attractive
Images on your ads are the first thing that Facebook users will see so taking chances or cutting corners are not options here! First off, the image should be eye catching, clear and correctly sized. When appropriate, consider incorporating one of the top 3 most successful images in your ad creative:
- A smiling woman
- Children or pets
- Bright colors- especially red or orange
Smiling woman = check!
TAKEAWAY– Split test your Facebook ads for a week using the same text with different images. After a week, drop the one that is performing the least and make a note for future reference.
5. Not Managing Comments
If you are not managing comments on your dark posts then you are definitely missing out and your ads will not perform as well as they should.
Dark posts are not visible on your page’s timeline so it can be easy to forget about them; however, your potential clients may have asked questions, commented or even requested a call back on them! These newsfeed ads are rising in marketer popularity so you need to manage yours effectively.
TAKEAWAY– The Agorapulse dashboard allows you to view and respond to comments on dark posts. Without it, you might be fighting an uphill battle managing all those comments!
Other Reasons Your Facebook Ads Aren’t Performing
- You aren’t thinking about the mobile Facebook user. 90% of Facebook users are on mobile devices!
- You haven’t tried video ads. Videos are rising in popularity — it’s time to try them.
- You haven’t doublechecked your links. You’d be surprised how many are broken!
Ultimately, your Facebook ads have a split second to prompt a reaction from users. If your ad message, image or relevance isn’t awesome then there are plenty of other shiny fun things to grab their attention away!
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