Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising

- Remember that. It is really important. To use Facebook’s paid advertising tools effectively, it is important to understand just how much its creators and designers are not really trying to help you. Fortunately, they do need cash, and we do need clicks, so we can get some great work done together. We focus on the clicks, and they focus on connecting the world. - This is instant, subconscious social proof. People immediately drop their guard and are more likely to click the ad, opt-in, and take action. Both these ads are focused on generating leads and building customers. They are not Like campaigns, but they do show the result and the benefit of investing time and money in Like campaigns. You just get higher click-through rates, higher opt-in rates, and a better ROI. - We have had a client with particularly high conversions that ran them as high as 20 to 25 percent of their campaign budget but somewhere between 5 percent and 10 percent is more typical. It’s a great place to start, and once it’s up and running, you can set it, forget it, and leave it to run so that your audience is always growing with fresh leads. - For now, just choose one or two related interests to build a reach of around 1.5 million. - A video ad was specifically chosen because we knew we wanted quality leads in order to make the transition to the sale easier. We want people who we’ve built brand awareness with and who have good feelings towards us because ultimately, they are much more likely to pull out their wallet after they have opted in. - The second funnel shown takes a person right from Facebook to a sales page. Most people will try to run a regular link post ad and send the user right to a catalog of all their products or a coupon without any effort to build rapport. They don’t have messaging to build interest or desire in the product. It is very important to raise awareness to your audience’s frustration, their challenge, and their deep desires. - Something you want to keep in mind is if you are asking the user to do something very minor, you don’t need to provide as much value in your ad, but if you’re asking them for a bigger commitment, e.g., giving up some of their time to show up and attend a webinar, you need to build a lot more trust and add value in your ad and messaging. - In some ways, AdWords is actually easier than Facebook Advertising (but also more expensive). The reason for this is because people searching on Google or YouTube are already showing intent. They’re actively looking for a solution to their problem so we have an idea of the conversation that might be going on inside their head. - The mistake most people make when advertising on Facebook is thinking it’s all about targeting. That leveraging this incredible wealth of data to show your ads to an extremely targeted audience will yield success and fortune. But unfortunately, in my experience, rarely does this strategy work. Letting yourself get enamored with the potential targeting and retargeting options typically causes people to miss the big picture. - People think Facebook is all about targeting when really it’s about getting your messaging right. It’s understanding the conversations in people’s minds and meeting them where they are—connecting with them, adding value, and increasing their awareness of both you and your business. When you couple the right messaging with a video ad, now you’re in the position to take your business to a whole new level. - even if your webinar is free, your best potential customers will value their time just as much as or more than their money, so if your goal is to persuade a random Facebook user who has never seen you or your brand to not only sign up for one of your webinars but to actually show up for the webinar, then you’ve got a lot of work to do! And I haven’t even touched on webinar consumption, which is paying attention and actually watching and listening to the content on your webinar. This is one of the reasons why long-copy ads and video ads are so powerful. They will usually bring in a much higher quality lead than your typical short-copy ad that you see most advertisers using. - please understand this very important point: if you could only take ONE key thing away from this entire book, I would tell you that getting the messaging right or nailing your “offer” is the key to producing sustainable, profitable campaigns. This is why DPA’s are introduced at the end of Phase 3. If you don’t get the offer or messaging right, you won’t be able to scale your campaigns—no matter how much of a ninja Facebook expert you are or you have on your team. - David Ogilvy said something along the lines of “the reason why you write your headline is so that they read your sub-headline and the reason why you write your sub-headline is so that they read your body copy.” - So, it’s important that when you craft a hook as well as an offer, don’t give them the whole darn thing in your lead magnet. Out of the thousands of names and email addresses we got in that campaign, nobody would buy the eight-module training program because the lead magnet was so good. Why would they buy another training program when we’ve already taught them how to do it for free? - Marketers are somewhat reluctant to do this because they think they are giving away their best stuff and then people will be disappointed when they actually buy. Don’t fall into that trap. The idea is to give away your best stuff, but just make it incomplete so they want more. - Here’s what to ask for your reference: What are your target market’s greatest problems? What are they most afraid of? Why do they want to change? - The 80/20 rule says 20 percent of what you do gets 80 percent of your results. But on the Internet, most things are even more extreme than that—95/5 not 80/20. In Google AdWords, 5 percent of your keywords get 95 percent of your traffic. And if you test LOTS of ads, you’ll also find that 5 percent of your ads get 95 percent of the traffic. This is just as true on Facebook, if not more so. In fact, on Facebook it’s probably closer to 97/3 or 98/2. Why? Because of Likes and Shares. Once an ad has accumulated a lot of Likes and Shares, what was previously a slight advantage becomes a huge advantage. - Curiosity-based hooks are some of the most battle-tested and proven strategies for grabbing someone’s attention and getting them to read on, watch on, or listen on. You can ask a thought-provoking question, use shocking statements, make a statement that goes against conventional wisdom, and many more. - What is the desire or benefit that the reader will achieve? What is the true, deep down, desire they are looking to achieve? To see if you can get deeper with your audience, you just need to add the three words “so you can” or “so that” to the end of any benefit you already have. - Why should people listen to you? What credibility or authority do you have in the marketplace to make people want to pay attention to you, trust you, and do what you ask them to do? This is one of those ad blocks you want to be strategic with. If you’re not careful, you can come across as boastful. However, you will get better and better as you get more experience. - What information can you reveal or story can you tell that can give someone a sudden insight or realization? How can you expose a common belief as being a myth, inaccurate, or recently changed in some way? How can you give someone a revelation, and make them aware of something they didn’t know existed, didn’t know was available, didn’t know was possible, or something else that will give them an “aha moment?” - One of the big findings about the presidential election of 2016 was that Donald Trump spoke at a fifth-grade reading and communication level and that strategy (whether it was intentional or not) helped him win a historic Presidential race unlike any other race that this country has ever seen. Using big words only makes you think you look smarter, but trust me, it will hurt your conversions and your scale. And that might make you look pretty dumb for trying to look very smart. - The important thing to remember with this ad is that the question in the first line works well to grab attention and reinforce your hook, while the solution is then encased in the product itself. - “You” is a very powerful word in advertising, but in Facebook advertising it has to be used correctly so you don’t get on the wrong side of policy. Although we do use first person oftentimes with words such as “I” and “we” (especially in video scripts), second person usage of “you” is a very effective way to capture attention and immediately create possession and implied ownership. - When you run retargeting ads and people keep seeing those same ads over and over and over again—even if the ad is only being shown to them and a small group of people—they’re thinking, “Wow, this brand is a really big deal. It’s really important.” - “How do we make our offer appear novel, unique, and distinctive?” - How can you make your offer simple and easy to understand? - It’s like this: “Well, if I understand it, then it must be true.” And it’s the reason why things like rhythm and rhyme can make messages more consumable. Going back to the OJ Simpson trial, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit!” People could get that concept and easily understand it. That’s why it was so effective. - In the ad copy, what will trigger a desire for consistency that will drive a sale or action? - Question four is, “How can marketers pre-expose their audience to a concept linked to the desired emotional stimulus?” - The mere mention of Valentine Street pre-exposed those men to a concept linked to the desire to emotional stimulus, which in this case was romance. This is why in every single perfume ad, they’re basically selling sex because that’s why people buy perfume and cologne. That’s the desire to emotional stimulus. - what kind of nostalgia can be tapped into and positively associated to the offer? In question five, it’s not just tapping into emotions but into memories. - How can open loops be used to hold attention and leverage through the close? How can the idea of an open loop or a cliffhanger be introduced? - This is the last and possibly the creepiest technique of all. How do you create a visual or mental portal for the prospect to pass through that will make them more open to new opportunities? - Dating experts teach that a good way to increase intimacy with a member of the opposite sex is just to move from one point to another throughout a particular bar or club. They’ll say, “Let’s go over here. I want to introduce my friend. Now let’s walk over here to the bar. Let’s go outside and get some fresh air for a little bit. Now let’s go on the dance floor and dance.” Moving around, even within the same four walls, increases intimacy because you’re passing through portals together. - THE SEVEN QUESTIONS SUMMARY 1. How do I make the offer appear novel, unique, and distinctive? Basically how do you make the offer appear new? That’s the first thing. Remember, the goal is focused attention. It doesn’t matter how great the product is. It doesn’t matter how compelling the message is. If people don’t focus on it, if they don’t hear it, if they don’t pay attention to it, it’s not going to convert them. 2. How do I make the offer simple and easy to understand. Humans love simple. We love easy to understand. If we understand it quickly and effortlessly, we like it more, and we ascribe it more validity. How can things like rhythm and rhyme be leveraged? Children learn the alphabet by simple and easy songs. It’s a simplifying mechanism, and people like it because of that. 3. What’s an opening question that, when answered, will trigger a desire for consistency and drive a sale or action? What’s an opening question that, when answered, will make the prospect say, “Yeah, this is who I am and this is how I’m going to answer.” It’s questions like, “Do you consider yourself a helpful person? Do you consider yourself to be brave? Is your product or service good?” Good opening questions draw attention, but the questions that when answered drive consistent action and, specifically, consistent action that’s consistent with the desired action, that’s even better. 4. How do I pre-expose the audience to a concept linked to a desired emotional stimulus. In other words, how to pre-expose the audience to make them feel a certain way? How can a link be established to a product or service and then to the desired emotion? This is best illustrated by the ad that had the iPhone battery almost dead to denote that tickets were about to be sold out. The emotional stimulus there was urgency. The battery image denotes urgency even though it’s unrelated to the early bird sale. How about the, “Can you tell me how to get to Valentine Street?” example. Remember that example? The mention of Valentine made middle-aged men feel more romantic, which made them willing to throw themselves into harm’s way for a woman they did not know. 5. What mental links and associations can be tapped into and positively associated to the offer? Question four looked at emotional links. With question five, the focus is mental links. It’s all about memory. It’s all about identity. Mental associations like the metaphors, memories, common shared experiences, and nostalgia that become associated with a product in a positive way—that’s the focus of question number five. 6. How can open loops be created to hold attention and leverage the close to create that cognitive closure that the customer’s brain so desperately desires? Here it’s about things like mystery. It’s about a story, but a story where the ending isn’t offered until the message about the product or service is complete. To capture and hold attention, that’s how to truly leverage a story. Don’t just tell a story. Tell a story; talk about the product, close the story, and then the close of the story draws them to the action. 7. How do I create a visual or mental portal for the prospect to pass through that, when they do, makes them open to new opportunities. Is it a visual thing, such as walking with the prospect? Are they passing through a door? Is it a change in background, tone, and music? What is the signal that will make people say, “Now it’s time to make a change.” - Companies like Design Pickle do a good job, and you can get unlimited designs from them. Tools like that can be a little expensive, but it’s nice if you don’t have a designer on your team. - Your Creative Should Be Reflective of Your Hook - Your hook is not your offer. Whatever you’re trying to get your customer to do whether it’s download a lead magnet or buy a product, that is the offer. The hook is the way you sell and market your offer. - try to tell a story about how your offer can change or affect their life. Carousel ads are a great way to tell a story using your creatives. - If you are selling physical products or something you can literally demonstrate it is acceptable to show the product. - Stand Out in the Newsfeed Although you don’t want to use creatives that stand out for the sole purpose of standing out, there are some ways to stand out in the newsfeed - Be on Brand A lot of big companies are talking about this now, but what does that really mean? We have a really simple style guide at Digital Marketer with the fonts and different colors we use. - Play Off of Emotions Already Associated with an Image This is something we’ve really found to work over the past year, and it’s done by figuring out what associations people already have in common that we can play off of. What icons or images do people already have a relationship with? - AdEspresso has a great library of Facebook ads you can use to study, which is something I do almost every day. I’m constantly in Facebook taking screenshots of ads. Ryan, Britney, and everyone on the team sends me ads. We are always circulating what we think is good and bad, and this takes constant attention and practice to learn what’s working. - Before the launch of every campaign we create, whether it’s for ourselves or for a client, we always think, “How is that person coming into our sales funnel? Is he coming in with his virtual guard up? Did he see the word ‘Sponsored’ above the ad and is now expecting to be sold something he doesn’t want? Is his first reaction going to be to say no to everything we offer because he’s suspicious and on guard? - There’s so much science behind this. One study by Nielsen (refer to Figure 22.1 on page 240) has shown that ad recall improves by 74 percent after just 15 seconds of a video ad. Purchase intent increases 72 percent after 10 seconds. Video works. - Facebook marks the caption option as recommended for a reason: it works. If people have turned the sound off on their phone, they’ll still be able to see your message. As soon as they see the text, they’ll start to read it. It pulls them in and draws their attention. We can read faster than we speak so when you’ve got just a few seconds to grab someone and stop them scrolling, that text will help to get your message across much faster than waiting for someone to finish speaking. You’ll be able to prove that you’ve got something they should see before their thumb starts to move. - “Selling to the RIGHT PERSON is more important than all the sales methods, copywriting techniques, and negotiation tactics in the world. Because the wrong person doesn’t have the money. Or the wrong person doesn’t care. The wrong person won’t be persuaded by anything.” - For smaller budgets, establish your daily ad spend budget, divide by 10 to estimate how many ad sets, and therefore how many interests, you will need. - The 400,000 to two million potential reach is appropriate if the U.S. is part of your targeting audience. For smaller population countries, we recommend 100,000 to 500,000. - The more data types you provide, the better Facebook is at matching your contact to a user’s Facebook profile. So, it’s much better to submit first name, last name, email, phone number, city, and zip code than just an email. - Obviously the larger the source audience is and the more like your ideal customer the source audiences is, the better quality the lookalike audience will be. Facebook generally recommends a source audience between 1,000 to 50,000 people. - Facebook has broken down advertising campaign objectives into three main areas: 1. Awareness 2. Consideration 3. Conversions - A CTR over 1 percent is typically considered high, a low CPC targeting consumers is typically under $0.50, and a low CPC in the business to business area is usually $1 or less. This can vary from business to business, but it a good general rule of thumb. - If your landing page is the culprit, this is when you want to consider split testing your landing page. Take a look at your landing page conversion rates (see Figure 30.18 on page 346). Average conversion rates for a landing page are around 20 percent, and if you’re running below 10 percent, you’ve got a problem. - Facebook changes fast, and so do our strategies. Recently we discovered that using large audiences is one of the best ways to leverage the power of Facebook’s amazing algorithm. This might mean four or five million people in an audience, or in some cases, our best audiences might have 40 to 50 million people in it. However, the only way you can be successful targeting large audiences like this is when you are generating at least 20 to 30 (at the bare minimum) conversions per week per ad set. When you are using the “Website Conversions” objective and you are sending lots of Facebook conversion data (preferably 10 to 20 or more per day), then Facebook will do the heavy lifting for you. - Here’s a ninja trick—when increasing daily budgets by large amounts, e.g., increasing from $100 to $300, change the lower end of your age range by “one year.” Facebook considers this to be a different audience and will not view your ads in competition with your other ads.