It may sound daunting but Facebook ads are one of (if not the) easiest pieces of our digital marketing strategy. All it takes to have successful Facebook ads is to know what works and a little creativity to implement it for yourself. We have put in the time and effort to figure out what actually works and what you should avoid to run successful, cost-effective ads in this industry. Here are the top five Facebook marketing strategies:

1. Use interest and targeting in your ads. 

Many people have been advised to not use the interest or targeting feature that Facebook offers in Ad Builder. We are here to tell you that you 100% should be using them! It may work for others to not because they aren’t asking for the same level of commitment from people who see the ads. If you want an appointment with a client who has a lot of assets, we recommend targeting people of retirement age who are interested in financial topics. 

It is also important to keep an eye on how different interests are performing. If you are trying the same ad on 5 different interests and 2 are spending a lot of money but not getting leads, turn them off and allocate more money to the 3 that are working!

2. Use landing pages.

You may be tempted to use Facebook lead forms. We would advise against this. It doesn’t require enough effort to weed out people who may not be qualified or who ultimately won’t show up to a seminar, webinar, or appointment. Using a landing page that is separate from Facebook (with two required opt-ins) ensures more commitment from the client. 

You are also more likely to get phony or unreliable emails (and phone numbers) from Facebook lead forms. They typically autofill with whatever information the person used when signing up for Facebook. People don’t often use their good email for social media sites to avoid spam messages cluttering their important inboxes. 

3. Use the Ad Library.

It can be very helpful to use Facebook’s Ad Library to see what other ads people are running. Keep in mind that you don’t get to see what they are spending, who they are targeting, or how successful they are so it would be a very bad idea to replicate an ad. Although, it can be helpful to see others as inspiration. An ad you like could be spending a ton of money and not getting the results you like so make sure you make your variation personal and oriented towards your goals. (See tip #5 for more information!)

4. Use a Pixel.

This is one of the biggest mistakes financial advisors make when advertising on Facebook, not using a Pixel. A Pixel tracks who clicks to create an audience of interested or similar people so you can target them in the future. This creates more conversions and lower costs. It is always helpful to track who may be interested in what you have to offer and it’s very easy to let Facebook do it for you!

5. Use bold claims and creative media. 

The most effective ads are not what you would expect. It’s not the stock image of a retired couple holding hands on the beach or a professionally made image design. It’s typically a super basic image and copy. All you need is a bold claim and attention-catching image (sometimes the dumbest most basic media works). One of our most successful ads is just a catchy headline handwritten on a piece of paper photographed on a desk. 

It can be discouraging but once you get the hang of Facebook ads they become the easiest part of filling your marketing funnel. Using these tips can help get you there. Also, avoid letting Facebook algorithms take over for you. It wastes money and doesn't get you better results. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our ads, go here!