Everyone aims to be an expert, right? It means you’re a big deal in your industry and that’s huge for your reputation and business. Being recognized as an expert doesn’t just add a cool factor—it actually draws customers straight to you. They come looking because they trust your expertise.
Now, achieving expert status is a major win in any business and it’s especially valuable when we talk about something as dynamic as Facebook marketing.
But here’s the deal: This isn’t a guide on becoming an expert yourself. Instead, it’s about learning from the top dogs in Facebook ad design. By understanding and adapting the strategies of those who are killing it in the Facebook ad game, you’re setting yourself up to replicate their success. I’m not saying to copy them verbatim—that’s not the way. What you should do is take their insights and adjust them to fit your brand and goals.
Don’t just take this advice and chill—you’ve got to stay on your toes. Keep optimizing every chance you get! By combining expert tips with your own marketing savvy, you’re well on your way to nailing your Facebook ad campaigns.
Here’s what the masters of Facebook advertising suggest when it comes to designing killer ads.
1. A/B Test Your CTAs
One killer strategy to get more clicks from your Facebook ads? Simply tell people what to do next. That’s where a Call to Action (CTA) comes into play. Not including a CTA can actually mess up your campaign big time. Seriously, skipping a CTA button when you’re designing your Facebook ad could jack up your cost-per-lead by 2.5 times. But hey, it’s not enough to just slap any CTA on there. You’ve got to choose the right one for what you’re trying to achieve.
Choosing a CTA for Your Facebook Ads
First off, think about what you want from your campaign. Let’s say you’re all about lead generation because you want folks to hand over their info and subscribe to your newsletter. You might see options like “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or “Subscribe” when you’re setting up your ad in Ads Manager.
Design Your Ad Around Your CTA
Check out how you can tie your ad design to your CTA. For instance, imagine an ad for a woodworking guild that urges people to “Sign up today for Free.” That message gets reinforced by a big, bold “Sign Up” button. It’s all about making that connection clear.
Why You Should Test Your CTAs
Changing up your CTA can shake up your entire ad’s vibe. Your headline and the body text will likely need a tweak to align with your new CTA, affecting how your ad performs. That’s why A/B testing your CTAs is a game changer.
You could run two versions of an ad—each with a different CTA—to see which one gets more people signing up or downloading your e-book, just like what Facebook ads expert Katya Ladryda did. She found out which CTA brought in higher quality leads, allowing her to dial in her ad spend for better results. A/B testing like this helps you fine-tune your approach for a lower cost per click and better overall returns.
2. Video is king
Let’s be real: Video is king these days. Need proof? Just look at the stats for Facebook video ads. Did you know that folks are 85% more likely to buy something after watching a video about it? Or that four times as many people would rather watch a video than read about a product or service? Video ads also snag 20% more clicks than static image ads. Oh and Facebook videos—get this—have a whopping 168% higher interaction rate than YouTube videos.
So, ready to get some inspiration for your next video ad on Facebook?
How the Pros Do It with Video on Facebook Ads
Take Kristina Simonson, a Senior Digital Marketing Specialist at WordStream. She crushed it with a Valentine’s Day-themed video for a webinar launch. Her animated video was not only super relevant to the holiday but also totally eye-catching.
And the results? With targeted audience engagement, she nailed a 35% conversion rate.
Then there’s Madeleine Xavier, Director of Demand Generation at Instapage. When she ran her Facebook video ad campaign, the results were off the charts. She experimented with video versus images and played around with captions and icons. What she discovered was huge: videos not only improved her conversion metrics, but the use of captions and icons drove higher conversion rates and led to more efficient leads. Videos slashed her cost per acquisition (CPA) by 48% and ads with captions cut it by 40%.
Top Tips for Crafting Your Facebook Video Ads
Here are a few nuggets of wisdom to keep in mind when you’re putting together your Facebook video ads:
Incorporate Subtitles/Closed Captions: Believe it or not, 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. So, always include subtitles or captions to keep your audience engaged even when they’re on mute.
Keep Your Videos Short: Heidi Buhl, a Facebook advertising guru from Closed Loop, tested videos of different lengths and found that 15-second clips had a 36% higher click-through rate (CTR) and a 36% lower CPA compared to 30-second ones.
Opt for a 1:1 Aspect Ratio: Dane Kragness from Taktical Digital recommends using a square format for your videos. This 1:1 ratio not only looks great on Instagram but also grabs more screen space, making your ads more noticeable. Plus, Facebook’s algorithm favors ads that run both on Facebook and Instagram, so a square format ensures your creative assets work seamlessly across both platforms.
3. Give Carousel Ads a Spin
When you’re picking a style for your Facebook ad, you might want to consider the carousel format—it’s a winner for many marketers. Just ask Marion Barel, the Global Digital Marketing Manager at Trustpilot. She opted for Carousel ads to promote a webinar and saw stellar results: a 50% drop in cost per registration, a 16.74% conversion rate and performance that was five times better than that of mobile static image ads.
Why Carousel Ads Rock
Carousel ads are a go-to for lots of ad pros and for good reason. They can seriously cut your cost-per-click (CPC) by 20-30% and they’re known to slash the cost-per-conversion by 30-50%. Take Wayfair, for example. They used Carousel ads to showcase their best-sellers across different categories, targeting high-value customers. The outcome? An 88% higher click-through rate (CTR) and a 20% lower cost per acquisition (CPA) compared to their regular ads.
Think of Carousel ads as a way to get more out of your budget. You can load up to 10 images in a single Carousel ad, each potentially leading to a different webpage. That’s like having 10 chances to grab a customer’s attention—and hopefully their business—with just one ad set.
Carousel Ads Fit Any Business Goal
No matter what you’re aiming for with your Facebook ad campaign, Carousel can probably help you get there. Trying to boost conversions across multiple products? Set up a Carousel ad that cycles through different items, each slide linking to its own product page. Want to explain how to use your product or service? Design a Carousel that walks people through the steps or shows off your product in action.
And if you’re aiming to give a comprehensive overview of what you offer, Carousel is perfect for that too. You can highlight different features or benefits in each slide, while using a consistent call to action (CTA) that guides viewers right where you want them—your product or landing page. Plus, incorporating regular tweaks and optimizations to your landing pages as part of your strategy can seriously boost your campaign’s effectiveness.
4. Stay Sharp with Best Design Practices
Keeping up with the best practices for Facebook ad design is a must. With the platform constantly evolving, it’s crucial to stay informed about new techniques, formats and creative ideas.
Use Color Psychology to Stand Out
When you’re designing your Facebook ads, think about how easily someone can scroll past your ad. They’re just flicking through their feed on both mobile and desktop, often without paying much attention. So, popping some vibrant colors into your ads can really make a difference. For example, research has shown that just by adding a colored border to your ad, you can double your click-through rate (CTR).
Here’s a tip from ad expert Kragness: “Make your ads pop by choosing colors that contrast sharply with the usual Facebook news feed colors. Otherwise, potential customers might just scroll right past without even noticing.” When picking colors, consider what’s typical for your industry and what your audience expects, but also think about what’s eye-catching.
It’s also a good idea to see what colors your competitors are using to make sure your ads stand out from theirs.
Put Emphasis on Creative Visuals Over Text
This doesn’t mean you should ignore your ad’s text—your headlines and captions still play a huge role in grabbing attention. However, given Facebook’s recent updates, it’s more crucial than ever that your visuals tell the story. Facebook has changed the format for Mobile News Feed posts, now using a 4:5 aspect ratio instead of 2:3. This means only three lines of text are visible above the ad creative without clicking to expand, down from seven.
Kragness points out, “You need to communicate your message quickly and succinctly now more than ever.” You’ll want to employ tactics that grab attention without needing a lot of text. This might mean creating a sense of urgency with short, impactful phrases like “Hurry!” or “Last chance!” Alternatively, you could let creative formats like video or carousel ads do the talking, which can convey much more information visually.
In essence, while your text is important, your Facebook ad’s visual appeal is what truly captivates and engages users, ensuring they pause their scrolling and take a closer look.
5. Why Emotions Drive Purchases
Here’s a little secret: People don’t just buy things based on logic. Nope, it’s all about the feelings. Believe it or not, up to 95% of buying decisions are influenced by our emotions, often without us even realizing it. That’s why it’s super important to connect emotionally with your audience through your Facebook ad designs.
The Big Four Emotions
Turns out, there are mainly four emotions that drive our reactions: happiness, sadness, fear/surprise and anger/disgust. Knowing this, you can craft your Facebook ads to hit one of these emotional hotspots.
For example, Ruben Aguirre, the brain behind PixelMark, nailed this with a campaign for a birth center targeting expectant mothers. He focused on stirring up feelings, aiming for a deeper connection by emphasizing the hope for a positive birth experience. His approach made the ad relatable and it quickly racked up comments, likes and shares. The result? An 800% jump in engagement!
Crafting Emotional Facebook Ads
A big emotion to tap into is FOMO—the fear of missing out. It’s powerful and affects many of us, especially millennials, with 60% admitting that FOMO often persuades them to make a purchase. This can be triggered by showcasing limited-time offers, using social proof, or highlighting the popularity of a product.
For instance, incorporating user-generated content like customer testimonials can make your product look desirable and authentic. When potential customers see others praising your product, they don’t want to miss out. They think, “Hey, if it worked for them, it could work for me too.”
Another solid strategy is to create a sense of urgency by setting deadlines. Consider running a campaign for a special sale that’s only available for a limited period. Keep updating your ad creative to remind your audience about the dwindling time, pushing them towards making that impulse buy.
Examples and Inspiration
Looking for more ideas? Think about Frontier Airlines’ strategy. They often run promotions with a clear, ticking clock on how long the deal lasts, which can really make people rush to get those good deals before they’re gone.
In a nutshell, when you’re designing your Facebook ads, remember that tapping into the right emotion can be your ticket to boosting engagement and conversions. Whether it’s through relatable content, creating urgency, or just plain old making people feel good, emotional appeal can seriously amp up your ad’s success.
Become a Facebook Ad Design Pro
You’ve seen what the top Facebook advertising experts have to say about ad design. Now, it’s time for you to step up and put that advice into action.
While their tips offer great inspiration, remember that they’re not hard-and-fast rules.
Take their suggestions, adapt them to fit your campaign and integrate the design practices that resonate with your audience. Keep tweaking and optimizing to get the best results.
Need help crafting the perfect Facebook ad campaign? TMP is your go-to Facebook ads company. Our expertise can elevate your ad game and drive real results. Contact us today to start transforming your Facebook ads!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is it important to A/B test CTAs in Facebook ads?
A/B testing CTAs is crucial because it allows you to determine which call-to-action drives the most engagement and conversions. By testing different CTAs, you can optimize your ads to lower your cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL). For example, Facebook ads expert Katya Ladryda found that testing different CTAs led to higher quality leads and better overall returns.
How effective are video ads compared to static image ads on Facebook?
Video ads are significantly more effective than static image ads on Facebook. People are 85% more likely to purchase a product after watching a video, and video ads get 20% more clicks. Additionally, Facebook videos have a 168% higher interaction rate compared to YouTube videos. Experts like Kristina Simonson and Madeleine Xavier have seen great success with video ads, achieving higher conversion rates and lower cost per acquisition (CPA).
What are the benefits of using Carousel ads for Facebook campaigns?
Carousel ads are highly effective because they allow you to showcase multiple products or features within a single ad. This format can reduce your CPC by 20-30% and cost-per-conversion by 30-50%. For instance, Wayfair used Carousel ads to advertise multiple products, resulting in an 88% higher click-through rate and a 20% lower CPA compared to traditional ads. Carousel ads are versatile and can be tailored to various campaign objectives, from product showcases to tutorials.
How can color psychology enhance my Facebook ad design?
Using color psychology in your Facebook ad design can make your ads more eye-catching and increase engagement. By choosing colors that contrast with the Facebook news feed, you can draw more attention to your ads. Research shows that adding a colored border can double your click-through rate. It’s important to consider your industry, audience expectations, and competitor strategies when selecting colors to ensure your ads stand out.
Why should I focus on emotional appeal in my Facebook ads?
Emotional appeal is powerful because many purchasing decisions are driven by emotions rather than logic. By targeting key emotions like happiness, sadness, fear, and anger, you can create ads that resonate deeply with your audience. For example, tapping into FOMO (fear of missing out) can encourage quick decisions and purchases. Using customer testimonials, creating urgency with limited-time offers, and making your ads relatable can significantly boost engagement and conversions.
