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There’s a lot of conversation going around in the marketing world about Facebook Ads, and a lot of speculation that Facebook Ads don’t work anymore.
Well, we’re here to tell you that, in fact, Facebook Ads do still work in 2022. Not only do they still work, they are still one of the biggest and best ways to drive growth for your business.
There are, of course, a huge number of factors that will determine the success of your ad. Optimising elements like landing pages and contact forms, having a great offer and enhancing the user experience of your website will all play a part.
But first we need to get as many users as possible to click on your ads. This is measured by the CTR.
What is CTR and why is it important?
Click-through-rate (CTR) is the metric that measures the percentage of users that have seen your ad and clicked on it. It’s measured as a percentage of how many people have seen your ad (impressions).
CTR = clicks / impressions
CTR is widely recognised as the most important metric to measure to determine the success of Facebook Ads. After all, the aim is to get your viewers onto your website to make a purchase.
How to increase your Facebook Ads CTR
After running hundreds of Facebook Ads for a huge range of industries and helping clients grow at incredible speed, we’ve compiled our top ten tips for getting the most out of your Facebook Ads in 2022 and increasing your click-through-rate.
1. Use a hook
The aim of the game here is to get your audience to stop scrolling through cat videos and Buzzfeed articles and pay attention to your ad. To do that, we need a hook, and a good one at that.
So, what is a hook?
A hook is an element at the start of your ad that engages the user and stops them scrolling. Think of it like an attention-grabbing article headline. It’s what gets the reader to click on the article and actually read it.
In a video ad, a hook could be an opening sentence with a shocking fact, controversial opinion or addressing a consumer problem, for example.
An image could include a bright colour or moving element to grab attention.
Getting the hook right is the first, and arguably the most important element in getting your audience’s attention and increasing your Facebook Ads CTR.
2. Utilise video
We’ve talked about grabbing the attention of your audience and getting them to stop scrolling. One of the best formats to do this with is video.
Video content has increasingly become one of the most important and widely used forms of content over the last few years, and it’s not going anywhere. The use of movement immediately draws more attention and is far more engaging than a static image, driving more consumers to click on your ad.
Using video is also a great way of showing off your and your brand’s personalities. Consumers are craving authenticity from brands more than ever, and showing yourself candidly in video format is a great way to build trust with your audience and drive more clicks and sales.
3. Make it native
The bottom line is, consumers don’t want to be advertised to, especially when they’re enjoying procrastinating with a good scroll through Facebook. Your job is to make your ads not look like an ad. We call this native content.
It’s important to get an idea of what kind of content your target audience are already consuming on the platform so you can produce ad content that’s in line with this.
Here are 3 of our favourite ways to make your ads look native:
1. Use a meme style format
We’ve all become so accustomed to the meme image format; an image accompanied by text, they’re an integral part of our Facebook feeds now. Using a meme style format can add a bit of humour to your ad as well as blending in as organic content.
2. Use a TikTok / Reel style talking video
Put the social back in social media and produce chatty, informal video content for your ads, like you would for your organic content.
3. Use raw imagery
Some of the “photography” (I’ll use that term lightly), we see on Facebook is pretty dire. Now, I’m not suggesting you stoop down to this level, but great ad imagery doesn’t need to be shot in a studio with a professional photographer.
We know if we see an image on our feeds with a perfectly edited background and studio lighting, 9 times out of 10 it’s an ad, and we’re trying to not look like an ad here. Don’t be afraid to shoot on your iPhone in a natural setting and use the imagery for your ads. All you need is good lighting and a high-quality camera.
I’d like to argue this is one of the most important points for increasing your Facebook Ads CTR. Social media consumers simply don’t want to be advertised to, so the less you can look like an ad, the more chance you have of increasing your clicks.
4. Include a call to action
Now we’ve got the user to stop and express an interest, we need to push them to act on that interest. The way to do that is with a call to action.
A call to action should be so compelling that they’re left with no choice but to click on your ad, they’d be stupid not to.
Tips on how to make a compelling call to action:
1. Include an offer
Everyone loves a bargain. If you’ve got an offer running, make sure you use it.
2. Add a sense of urgency
We’ve got your audience interested in your product or service, so if we make them think they could miss out on it they’ll be compelled to get it, and get it fast.
3. Make it specific
By making your call to action specific about what your customer is going to get by clicking, it removes the ambiguity and they’ll be more likely to follow through. You need to make it as easy as possible for them to buy and telling them exactly what they’re going to get takes away some of the research your customer might have done.
5. Engage with emotion, justify with logic
A bit of buyer psychology coming up here.
The best way to sell something to someone is to engage with them emotionally. This is the first thing that draws them in. You need to get them to feel something, anything, to react.
Next up, their logic is going to kick in and you’ll need to convince them this is a worthy purchase, especially if you’re selling a higher ticket offer. They’re going to be looking at whether your product or service is going to provide value for money. How is it going to make their lives better? This is where you’ll be appealing to your target consumers’ pain points.
The best ads include a combination of both emotion and logic. You can cause an emotional reaction with a controversial hook or aspirational imagery, for example. Then sell the solution with logic like social proof, lifetime guarantees or an amazing offer.
6. Include social proof
The benefits of using social proof in marketing have been proven time and time again, and it’s something that you shouldn’t overlook when producing your Facebook Ads.
Just as you’d be more likely to buy something your friend had recommended, your potential customers are more likely to buy something that’s been recommended by people in similar positions to them.
For B2B companies, Marketing Managers are more likely to buy a service that they know other Marketing Managers are using and love.
For DTC brands, consumers are more likely to buy a product that other people who look and sound like them are already buying and loving.
There are so many ways you can include social proof in your ads; from screenshots of messages from happy clients to videos of your clients or customers talking about your product.
P.S there’s more on this in the ‘UGC’ section
P.P.S Katelyn Bourgoin’s ‘Why We Buy’ newsletter is a must if buyer psychology is something you’re interested in learning more about.
7. Sell the benefits
One of the biggest mistakes we see people making with their ads and ad copy is trying to sell the features of their product rather than the benefits.
People care about themselves. They want to know how your product or service is going to benefit them, so let them know straight away. When writing your ad copy, think about why the particular feature you’re talking about is something you want to show off. How is it benefiting the consumer?
Let’s have a look at an example.
You’re a gym clothing business and you want to advertise your amazing new super-stretchy leggings. Instead of selling ‘leggings with extra elastic,’ try selling ‘leggings that you don’t have to constantly pull up,’ or ‘leggings that grow as you do.’
You’ve just sold your potential consumer a solution to their problem.
8. Utilise UGC
UGC, or user-generated-content, is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s content created by real users who are raving about your product or services, used to sell your offering for you.
Like we mentioned in the [section on social proof], people trust other people, and they definitely don’t trust brands trying to sell them things. UGC is one the best forms of social proof and helps your audience build trust in your brand. If they trust you, they’re more likely to click on your ad, and more likely to purchase. Ka-ching!
The style of your UGC content will all come down to what you’re offering and who your audience are, but here are a few examples of styles you could use:
1. An unboxing
2. Before and after
3. Review
4. Product in use
There are endless ways you can use UGC, not only for paid ads but also for organic social content.
Oh, and UGC creators don’t have to be influencers and can often be produced for free, so it’s a great option if your CEO hasn’t quite got round to approving that marketing budget you’ve been asking for.
9. Address a pain point
Every product or service solves some sort of pain point or consumer problem, no matter how small or trivial it may seem. This is something that needs to be addressed.
Whether you address the problem in your ad copy or in the creative, make sure it’s obvious somewhere.
How can people refuse an offer that directly solves one of their problems? After all, we all want a problem-free life.
10. Know your audience
You can make as many native, engaging, benefit-led ads as you want, but if you’re not talking to the right audience they won’t get you anywhere.
The most important thing to do before you start running any ads or creating any content is to fully understand your audience, but you’re a marketer, so you already know this.
Put all these points into practice and you’ll have a pretty good chance of increasing your Facebook Ads CTR. And if you need any help managing all these amazing new ads, give us a call on 0115 718 0450, or drop us an email at team@repeatdigital.com, for a chat with our lovely Commercial Director, Rob.