Getting familiar with Facebook ads to generate leads for your business

Facebook is arguably one of the most popular and most used tools in the world. Ever wondered, how you can use Facebook ads to generate leads for your business. You will be surprised to know that there are several options available, where you can use Facebook Ads to generate leads for your business.

Facebook increasing in popularity

Day by day, month by month and year by year, Facebook is increasing its presence worldwide. More than 800 million people ‘like’ something on Facebook every single day.  As you plan your product promotions, you will be surprised to know that Facebook offers you several segmentation options as well as multiple layers of targeting, so that you can reach your relevant target audience precisely to maximize ROI. You might also want to check out Google Search or Display ads – what is better for lead generation

Let us talk through the different types of Facebook ads to generate leads for your business

1.The Facebook Video Ad

Video ads appear fairly large in the user’s News Feed and offer more engaging content than static posts. With 8 billion videos being watched on Facebook every day, it serves as an interesting  and potentially profitable ad type for marketers to try out.

Need some inspiration? Check out this example from Nasofilters above

Advantages of Facebook video ads

• Even though this is a video, you still have a general idea of what you will be watching, thanks to the screen capture it provides on the landing screen.
• You can understand the gist of this ad even without playing the sound, which is important given that 85% of videos on Facebook are now viewed without sound.
• It’s relevant to people who are searching for pollution masks in Delhi.
• The video helps deliver an emotional messaging, which is so vital in any form of communication.
• It has a solid call-to-action. This ad is set up to drive Page Likes, which is an easy, one-click option to like the page and continue to receive more such updates.

2.The Facebook Photo Ad

Another type of rich media advertising on Facebook is a post of an image. This is one of the most popular types of ads ever since Facebook began favouring visual content. The optimal size for News Feed photo ads is 1200 x 628 pixels; If you are not using this size, your image will get cropped.

Adjust your image based on the target audience’s needs and be sure to include something that will appeal to them the most.

Alongside, you will see an example of a photo ad from Myntra

Advantages of Facebook Photo ads

• The image shows you exactly what you’re getting. The person who sees this ad, if he is an active shopper will surely get attracted towards it & will wait for this sale to commence, which is what Myntra is expecting to achieve from this ad
• The ad also clearly mentions several brands that will be available as a part of the sale. This will also attract the serious brand buyers

3. The Facebook Multi-Product Ad

Multi-product ads allow advertisers to showcase multiple products within one ad. Viewers can scroll through the images and click on individual links to each product. You can promote multiple of anything, not just products — like different blog posts, ebooks, or webinars. These ads can be created in the Facebook Power Editor.

Alongside, you will find an example of a multi-product ad from Shutterfly, along with the additional images that are used in the ad. Each image has a different offer, to appeal to many different demographics in one ad.

Advantages of Facebook multi-product ad

• This series of images leans on a consistent color palette, making it feel both cohesive and on brand. (Having a cute cat doesn’t hurt either)
• There is a very clear value for the user, 40% off each of the products being advertised. The code and sale end date are also clear in the ad description.
• This ad also has an added level of value, it is showing the many different ways people can use Shutterfly, several that people may not be aware of.

4. The Facebook Local Ad

Local ads on Facebook only work if your business has a physical location that you are trying to drive real foot traffic to. This ad type works best with Facebook’s location-based targeting, helping you to reach people who are currently near your store.If you fall into this category, then locally targeted Facebook ads may be a great fit for you, as you can hyper-target on Facebook

Take this ad for example from Mizzou Campus Dining:

Why this works

• This image has college pride, a variety of salty and sweet treats, and a well-known logo to attract hungry college students.
• This ad is likely only being shown to students on campus who are in its target audience. It also mentions the game that was going on at the time, and plays to the student’s current needs: snacks and Subway sandwiches.
• Mizzou Market is telling hungry college students that it has everything students need for the big game.
• This ad has the option to show directions, making it extremely easy for a college student to follow the walking directions to this market.[irp]

5. The Facebook Offer Ad

An offer ad is a newer form of Facebook advertising where a business can promote a discount on a product or service that can be redeemed on Facebook.

The benefit of this? It eliminates one step in the buyer’s journey, which ultimately increases sales.The offer ad has many benefits. First, it drives the user directly to the offer. The user claims it directly on Facebook, removing any added friction of needing to go to your website for the offer. You also can reach any type of audience that you want, as all the Facebook targeting options are possible.

Finally, you can include all the information needed for the user to decide if they want it or not, including the time period it is usable, the number of people who have already claimed it, and the exact amount the offer is for. This will eliminate any unqualified clicks, which cost you money. Here’s an example of an offer ad from Samsung:

Advantages

• The featured photo clearly using a quote ‘Master Blaster Offer’, which will ultimately attract users to go through it as it also indicates the reduced prices on Smartphones
• This ad is relevant for people ready to make a purchase
• Paying half price for high quality smartphones is a great deal. Reduced prices are only for limited period, so the low price definitely makes me want to click
• The CTA emphasizes that the discount offer is limited and should be claimed quickly using the word ‘Master Blaster Offer’ and telling when the offer expires.

6. The Facebook Event Ad

Event ads promote a specific event. The CTA on these ads usually send users directly to the ticket purchase page, wherever that happens to be hosted.

Using this type of ad will help drive a targeted group of people to attend your event. These will show up in the News Feed of the specific audience you’ve chosen. Events are a big part of most businesses, but getting people to attend even a small event, can be tricky.

Promoting your event to a targeted audience on Facebook can help drive the right kind of attendees. A good ad in this format will clearly show the benefit of attending the event;  The price, dates, and a clear CTA to purchase a ticket.

The events ad alongside for the Tortuga Music Festival displays the date and time and the bands playing

Why this works

• The picture alone is worth a thousand words about how much fun this concert is going to be. Not only is it on the beach, it was also taken on a gorgeous day and the stage looks amazing. Also, it clearly represents what to expect during the event, and it catches the eye as someone scrolls through their News Feed. (The beautiful ocean water definitely helps.)
• The person who saw this ad is a fan of Kenny Chesney and has been to his concerts before. They’re also originally from Florida, which is where this event takes place.
• Since the image was taken on a beautiful day, it looks like an ideal place to be, especially to those of us viewing it from our office desks.
• It also clearly tells you the cost of the ticket so you know before you click. (This is also good for the advertiser: By including the price, the ad allows users to self-select based on whether they can afford the ticket. If they can’t afford it, they won’t click through, thus saving the advertiser money on unqualified clicks.)
• The CTA is clear: “Buy.” The advertisers also add urgent wording with the title “Time is running out!” encouraging you to purchase your ticket now before it’s too late.[irp]

7. The Retargeting Ad

A retargeting ad promotes an ad to a specific list of previously identified people. Have you ever seen ads follow you across the internet after visiting a certain website?

Then you’ve seen a retargeting ad.Facebook has the same capability. An advertiser can advertise to a list of leads or customers by uploading a list of email addresses it already has into the Power Editor to make a custom audience. A good retargeting ad acknowledges that the brand knows you’re already interested in its product. (Because, let’s face it … retargeting can be a little creepy.)

Why this works

• The image gives a good idea of what to expect from the designer’s website, and it definitely helps that the gowns are both unique and stunning. Talk about a showstopper.
• The ad calls out that the user was already shopping for bridesmaid dresses, and what’s more, that they had previously looked at dresses on this exact website, so this ad is highly relevant to his search.
• The variety of dresses in the ad’s image and in the description make this website worth a visit for someone trying to find the perfect gown from thousands of options.
• The CTA is “Shop Now,” which encourages a user  to click to purchase the beautiful dresses in the ad’s image.

8. The Boosted Post

A boosted post is an organic Facebook post that was originally posted on a Facebook page and was later boosted with advertising money. This is different from the above ads because it’s not created in the Facebook Ads Manager. You can include more in the description, as there is no limit to word count on boosted posts like there is in ads. You can also have a link in the copy. The cons? Boosted posts leave you fewer options for bidding, targeting, and pricing. You also cannot run any types of A/B tests because you’re promoting a post that’s already been creating, not creating one from scratch.

Here’s an example of a boosted post from Bustle, who promoted one of its articles on Facebook.

As is evident now Facebook offers a number of options, where you can can use different types of Facebook ads to generate leads for your business. It is for you to make some smart choices and experiment with different types of Facebook ads and make the best use of it for your business.