In 2020, 10 million advertisers used Facebook to promote their products and services. If you’re not already using this lucrative channel, then you’re putting your e-commerce business at a huge disadvantage. That’s why we’ve created this straightforward guide to launching a successful Facebook ad campaign. 

In this post, we’ll discuss what this social media giant has to offer you as an e-commerce business. We’ll then show you how to create a Facebook ad that targets your perfect customer with laser precision. Let’s get started!

An Introduction to Facebook Ad Campaigns (And Why You May Want to Run Them)

A Facebook ad is paid content that appears in the News Feed. You’ll find these advertisements on both the desktop version and in the mobile app:

With a built-in community of roughly 2.89 billion monthly active users, Facebook represents a golden opportunity to promote your e-commerce business. You can use this platform to reach new customers and grow your audience.

Facebook ads are also ideal for keeping your existing customers engaged over the long term. With the average internet user spending 145 minutes on social media every single day, Facebook can keep your products and services at the forefront of your audience’s mind.

This platform also has a wealth of information about all of its users. The social network giant puts this data at your fingertips, via a range of powerful targeting tools:

Using these tools, you can target customers based on their behaviors, interests, and life events. For example, you might target users who have an anniversary coming up in the next 61-90 days: 

By only serving ads to people who are likely to make a purchase, you should see your engagement and conversion rates skyrocket. If you already have a core group of highly-engaged customers, then Facebook even has a Lookalike Audience feature that can help you find people who are similar to your most engaged existing customers. This can be a powerful technique for boosting your average Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and maximizing your advertising Return On Investment (ROI).

How to Run a Successful Facebook Ad Campaign (In 3 Easy Steps)

The combination of an enormous global user base and advanced targeting options makes Facebook a powerful advertising platform. Let’s see how you can seize this opportunity by creating a successful Facebook Ads campaign. 

1. Create Your Facebook Ads Campaign

To get started, head over to the Facebook Ads Manager and click on the Create button. In the subsequent popup, choose your advertising objective such as traffic, engagement, or lead generation: 

Next, click to expand the Name your campaign section, and give your campaign a descriptive title. Facebook Ads Manager will then ask you to create an ad set, which is the key to running a targeted campaign. As we previously mentioned, this can deliver greater results, so we highly recommend creating an ad set:

When prompted, give your advertisement a name. Then, click on Continue.

On the subsequent screen, you may want to activate A/B testing. This is where you create different variations of your advertisement in order to test which delivers the best results. 

If you do opt for A/B testing, then this advertisement will be the first variation. You can then create additional variations after publication: 

You may also want to enable Campaign budget optimization and set your campaign budget. If activated, Facebook will use algorithms to determine how to spend your budget in order to deliver the greatest results. When you’re ready to proceed, click on Next.

2. Choose Your Facebook Ads Placement 

To help drive conversions, Facebook can generate different combinations of your ad’s creative elements. You can opt into this feature using the Dynamic Creative slider:

By default, you’ll need to provide a start and end date for your campaign. Alternatively, if you want to run your advertisement indefinitely, then you’ll need to deselect Set an end date:

In the Audience section, specify who you want to target with your advertisement. Facebook has a wealth of data about its users, so it’s well worth taking the time to explore your options:

In the Placements section, decide where your ad will appear. If you opt for Automatic Placements, then Facebook will display your ad wherever it’s likely to perform best across both Facebook and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Facebook only, then select Manual:

You can now pick and choose exactly where this ad will appear. This includes video feeds, the right-hand column, and Facebook in-stream videos:

As you explore each placement, the Ads Manager will show you how your content may look within this context. When you’re happy with your selection, click on Next. 

3. Design and Publish Your Facebook Ad

Now comes the fun part! It’s time to create your advertisement. To start, choose the Facebook page that you want to associate with your ad:

In the Format section, you’ll need to choose the structure of your Facebook Ad. You can opt for a single image or video, but you can also explore some alternative formats. 

One option is a carousel, which combines multiple videos and images into a single ad placement. Carousel advertisements are ideal for creating a reel that showcases all of your best products:

You might also use the carousel format to display social proof, such as quotes from happy customers. This kind of third-party endorsement can encourage new customers to take a gamble on your e-commerce business.

Alternatively, you can use Facebook collections to display a group of items. When a potential customer interacts with this collection, it’ll expand into a full-screen, scrollable Instant Experience. This is useful for encouraging customers to explore all the features of a particular product, or to learn more about your brand in an engaging, interactive way.

After making your decision, scroll to the Ad creative section. You can now upload all of the images and write all the text that you want to include in your advertisement. 

Next, specify the destination that visitors will be forwarded to when they click on your Facebook Ad. For example, you might direct them to your homepage, landing page, or a particular product page. You may also want to enable track conversions, so you can monitor your advertisement’s performance. 

When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on Publish. Congratulations, your campaign is now live.

Conclusion 

Facebook is more than just a place to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s impossible to overestimate this platform’s potential for reaching new customers, and retaining your existing ones. If you’re not already advertising on Facebook, then you’re almost certainly missing out on sales. 

Do you have any questions about how to run a successful Facebook Ad campaign? Let us know in the comments section below!

Photo by Nghia Nguyen on Unsplash