Today, Facebook offers more ways to reach your audience than ever before. Log into your personal Facebook account and you can’t miss them – they’re in your timeline, on the side of the screen and more. They’re also hard to ignore for marketers, retailers and manufacturers. Considering the fact that more than 1.65 billion people use Facebook every single month, it makes sense to put those ads to use on your behalf.
Facebook offers more than a dozen different types of ads. You can choose product ads, canvas ads and carousel ads, for instance. Product ads highlight what you have to offer, and allow direct links to product feeds. They’re great for remarketing to customers who’ve left items in their shopping cart.
Canvas ads are interactive mobile advertisements that can provide an immersive brand experience and can allow customers to purchase a product without closing their app. Carousel ads let you display multiple videos, product photos or some of both to would-be customers.
However, each of these must be used correctly, or you may not achieve the results that you want. We’ll walk you through a few ways to utilize these tools to promote your brand and your products to your audience.
1. Let Your Customers Speak on Your Behalf
You can’t mistake sponsored ads for actual posts from friends or family on Facebook, and there are reasons for that. It goes deeper than the “sponsored” notation beside the post, as well. User generated content is authentic. Most ads are not. So, what better way to reach your audience than by using authentic user generated content? Apple is a great example of doing just that. One of Cupertino’s recent campaigns featured images and videos taken by real people and then uploaded to social media using the hashtag #ShotOniPhone.
Apple also created video ads on both Instagram and Facebook using inspirational images, footage and quotes (such as the one from poet Maya Angelou). After watching a video, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product. Apple tied into that with inspirational messages about a cause, and people happily got behind it because they felt like they were part of that movement.
2. Give Them a How-To
Depending on your business model, products or services, you may not be able to do much with user generated content. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot use Facebook ads to your advantage. One option to create an ad that appeals to your audience and also offers value is to create a how-to tutorial that shows how to use a product in a step-by-step sequence. Not only should this highlight how your product is used, but the benefits of using it in the first place (benefits, not features).
A prime example of this is L’Occitane. The company’s canvas ad reached almost 2.5 million people on Facebook, and was designed to allow users to explore the company’s history and the significance of the brand in the world.
It was an interactive video, and highlighted the key ingredients used by L’Occitane, where those ingredients were sourced, what they provide to the human body, and how they were used within the product itself. Once users had been introduced to the ingredients and the benefits, the video showed some of the products where those ingredients were utilized. Finally, the end of the video gave users a chance to buy products, shop holiday gifts and more.
3. Show It Off
One excellent option is to let your product, service, venue or even destination speak for itself. Show it off. That’s exactly what the Melbourne, Florida tourism board did to highlight what visitors could experience on Cocoa Beach on the state’s Space Coast. The ad ended up with a 7-point lift in ad recall, and showed people on the beach using inspirational images and video footage. The campaign was a huge success, with 86% more reach than TV commercials. In addition, the ad featured a “Book Now” button. That helped the area enjoy a 12% jump in YOY (year over year) revenue from taxes.
Of course, you might not be promoting a destination. This method can work just as well with physical products, such as jewelry, or even soaps or fitness gear. Consider the success that Blue Steel Jewelry experienced with their product ad. With just one campaign, the company enjoyed a 61% reduction in customer acquisition cost, as well as a corresponding 3.25 times increase in sales.
4. Share a Story That Ties into Your Company
While product ads and canvas ads can be powerful tools, never underestimate the power of storytelling. That’s exactly what Jack in the Box found when the burger chain featured an ad (canvas) for their Declaration of Delicious promotion. It featured the ingredients used in their burger, highlighting not just great flavor, but also quality. It also tied in with their motif of breaking new ground and making history, which slotted directly into the time of year when the ad debuted – the Fourth of July holiday.
These are just a few of the ways that you can use Facebook ads to promote your products, services, and your brand. When used correctly, these tools can help you build your audience, reach new people, and see a significant spike in visibility and profitability. There are plenty of other ad types to explore on the social network, as well, and each offers something slightly different in terms of reach or segmentation.
Get creative. Tell a story. Be inspirational. Or, let your products speak for themselves. Combine your marketing savvy with discount codes and authentic language, and you may be surprised at just how successful these ads can be for your company.