Tired of your Facebook ads underperforming?
You’re not alone. With over 8 million active advertisers on Facebook, the competition for eyeballs is intense.
But here’s the thing: you can crush your competitors on Facebook if you know the right strategies. I’m talking about reaching the promised land of insanely low cost-per-click rates and off-the-charts engagement.
In fact, this exact approach has helped me spend as little as $0.03 per click on Facebook for my businesses:
Intrigued? You better be. Because in this guide I’m going to hold nothing back and show you how to set up a Facebook ads campaign that far outperforms anything your competition is running.
Let’s get started.
What You Need to Know About the Facebook Ads Auction
Before I reveal my top Facebook advertising tips, you need to understand how Facebook’s ad auction works.
You see, Facebook wants to make sure they show ads that are highly relevant to each user. They don’t want random spammy ads cluttering their newsfeed.
So Facebook looks at two key factors when deciding which ads to show:
- Estimated Action Rates: How likely is a user to take your desired action (like, click, comment, conversion)? Facebook predicts this based on the user’s traits and past actions.
- Ad Bid: How much are you willing to “bid” to reach that user? The more you bid, the better chance your ad has of being shown.
Here’s the formula they use:
Estimated Action Rate X Ad Bid = Total Value
Facebook chooses the winning ad based on whoever has the highest Total Value.
Now you might be thinking: “I’ll just bid a crazy high amount to get my ad shown!”
Not so fast. If your ad is awful and no one clicks on it, your Estimated Action Rates will plummet. And even if you bid $100 per click, Facebook won’t show your ad very often.
The takeaway? Bidding high is only part of the equation. You need to create ads that people actually want to click on and engage with.
The first step is getting your targeting dialed in.
Find Rabidly Profitable Audiences With Advanced Facebook Targeting
As an advertiser, you want to reach hyper-targeted groups of people that will maximize your return on ad spend.
Thanks to Facebook’s powerful advertising platform, you can get EXTREMELY granular with your ad targeting.
For example, you can target based on:
- Demographics like age, gender, income, life events, job titles, and much more
- Interests and behaviors like hobbies, shopping habits, TV shows they like, etc.
- Custom Audiences created from your email lists, website visitors, and existing customers
That’s just the start. You can also layer these different targeting options and get aggressive with your ad targeting.
Let me show you some real examples of hyper-targeted Facebook audiences examples I’ve created for this guide:
Running an e-commerce store that sells outdoor gear? Target this niche interest group:
“Outdoor enthusiasts” between 25-40 years old with an interest in “Camping,” who live within 25 miles of a major city, who are in a relationship, and whose income is above $75,000/year.
Want to pitch your B2B software to decision-makers? Here’s an audience for that:
People with the job title of “Director of Operations” or “Chief Technology Officer” who work at companies with 100-500 employees in the information technology and services industry.
The more specific your targeting, the better. You want to reach people who represent your ideal customer avatar.
You can even get HYPER-specific and target based on the type of device someone is using. For example, if you’re advertising a mobile app, you’ll want to focus your budget on mobile devices:
Why does this matter? Because someone browsing Facebook on their desktop computer at work is less likely to convert vs. someone on their mobile phone during a break or commute.
Now that you see how powerful Facebook’s targeting capabilities are, it’s time to optimize your ads for maximum performance.
Write Magnetic Ads That Command Attention
Most Facebook ads suck. They’re boring and uninspired, making them easy to ignore as you scroll through your feed.
If you want to crush the competition, you need ads that grab attention and demand to be engaged with.
I’m talking about hilarious ads that make people laugh out loud:
Thought-provoking ads that make people think:
Or ads that tap into a strong emotion or desire:
Did I mention that the companies behind these ads spent $0 on advertising? It was just so shareable that it spread like wildfire!
The point is: that at their core, people are drawn to interesting ads that entertain them. Not boring, robotic ads that feel like a sales pitch.
Facebook ads are deceptively simple. The actual ad unit is tiny:
- An image or video (required)
- A headline of 25 characters (optional)
- Some body copy of up to 125 characters (optional)
That’s it. Just a small image and a few words.
But with those few elements, you have to craft an experience that hooks people instantly. A magnetic ad that commands their attention as they’re rapidly scrolling through the feed.
It takes creativity, yes. But also an obsession with split testing to get it right.
Here are 7 tips for creating high-converting Facebook ads:
7 tips for creating high-converting Facebook ads
1. Use a Killer Hook
Look at any memorable ad campaign, and you’ll likely notice that it has a “hook” or angle that instantly grabs your attention.
Dollar Shave Club mastered this with a hilarious intro that makes you want to keep watching:
With Facebook ads, you need to hook people within the first few seconds.
One way to do that is with an eye-catching image. Humans process visuals much faster than text, so using bold visuals is key.
2. Match Brand Tone and Voice
Your Facebook ads are a direct extension of your brand. The visuals, messaging, and voice should align with your overall brand identity.
Think about the kind of person who would actually use your product or service. What kind of humor, language, and ideas resonate with them? Your ads need to hit that mark.
3. Tell a Story
No one wants to see a pitch. People want to be transported into a world or situation that speaks to them.
BMW does this brilliantly by depicting a visual story of exhilaration and joy:
Look how it taps into an aspirational emotion rather than dry facts about the car’s engine specs. That’s what grabs you.
With your Facebook ads, don’t just list out product features. Use storytelling techniques to spark emotion and make people envision the transformation your product provides.
4. Keep it Simple
Facebook ads are glanced at for a split second as people are scrolling. Trying to communicate too much will cause your message to be lost.
Rather than cramming in all your key points, focus on one core message or value proposition. Make it crystal clear what your ad is about in a single line.
5. Use Social Proof
People are heavily influenced by the crowd. If others deem something as cool or worth paying attention to, we’re more inclined to check it out too.
Adding elements of social proof like customer logos or testimonial quotes can give your ads more credibility and urgency.
6. Offer Value
The best Facebook ads aren’t pushy sales pitches. They provide some sort of upfront value to warm up the prospect.
This could be in the form of:
• Free tools/resources
• Useful tips or strategies
• Entertaining content
For example, look how this ad from HubSpot offers a free kit to anyone interested in Instagram marketing:
By giving away valuable info for free, they create goodwill with prospects who may buy from them in the future.
7. Make an Irresistible Offer
While you don’t want to come across as too “salesy,” ultimately your end goal is to incentivize people to claim an offer.
That’s why including some sort of discount, bundle deal, or other promotion is smart.
This Vincero ad offers a steep 20% discount for anyone clicking through the ad before 11:59 PM.
Scarcity (“until 11:59 PM tonight”) and social proof (“20,000+ 5-star reviews”) make it an enticing offer that’s tough to pass up.
Other successful offer examples:
• Free trials
• Buy-one-get-one deals
• Limited-time discounts or bonuses
The key is making an irresistible deal that creates a fear of missing out and urgency to claim it.
Now let’s look at the image and video creative that will make your ads pop.
Create Eye-Catching Image and Video Ads
Your image or video creative is the first thing that captures someone’s attention in the Facebook feed. It needs to stop them in their tracks and command a double-take.
For image ads, using high-quality visuals is a must. Blurry, amateurish photos have no place in a professional advertising campaign.
If you can, get professional product shots or use a high-quality stock image that aligns with your message. Contrasting colors and negative space also help your image stand out.
For example, notice how this Chubbies image ad uses bright colors and simplicity to draw you in:
You can also use illustrations, animations, or graphics like this Proof product demo:
The important thing is making your image look purposeful and brand-consistent rather than an afterthought.
Video ads are also hugely effective for grabbing attention and explaining your product’s value. Just look at this delectable ad from the beauty brand Dove:
According to Facebook, video ads earn 27.8% more clicks than static sponsored ads. However, just like images, quality is paramount. Your video should be:
- Super engaging from the first frame (people scroll quickly)
- Optimized for sound-off viewing (85% of video is watched without sound)
- Clear messaging and branding
- Short and sweet (15-60 seconds max)
Of course, your videos should also align with your brand tone and personality. This spirited, high-energy ad from Liquid Death matches their bold, in-your-face brand personality:
With static image and video ads covered, let’s look at another ad format gaining popularity: Collections.
Leverage Facebook’s Immersive Collection Ads
Collections ads allow you to combine video and product imagery in a single immersive ad unit. Users can explore your products in a visually rich, lightweight canvas experience.
Here’s an example of what a Facebook Collection ad looks like:
When someone interacts with the main video or image, it expands to this full-screen experience.
Collection ads are awesome for capturing someone’s attention upfront with video or lifestyle imagery. Then you can showcase multiple product shots and calls to action in an immersive branded content experience.
Even better, Collection ads are lightweight and load quickly to keep people engaged. The full-screen product exploration mimics the experience of shopping in-store or browsing an e-commerce site.
According to Facebook, Collection ads work exceptionally well for e-commerce brands looking to drive mobile shoppers down the purchase funnel.
The internal data shows:
This lines up with my experience too. When I’ve run Collection ads for e-commerce businesses, they tend to drive a high volume of highly qualified traffic and conversions.
The only drawback is that Collection ads require more creative assets (videos, photos, etc.) to produce. But the added production costs are worth it if immersive shopping experiences better align with your marketing goals.
Now let’s look at another pro-level Facebook ads strategy…
Retarget Website Visitors for Higher Conversions
Did you know that only 2% of website traffic converts on the first visit?
The remaining 98% of potential customers don’t buy right away. They may get distracted, need more time to research, or simply forget about you.
That’s where retargeting comes in. With Facebook’s powerful retargeting capabilities, you can stay top-of-mind and nurture prospects until they’re ready to convert.
Here’s how it works:
1) Someone visits your website
2) You drop a Facebook tracking pixel on them
3) You create a retargeting campaign to show ads to those recent visitors
4) Seeing your ad repeatedly keeps your brand topical and entices people to come back
Retargeting works because it capitalizes on the principle of familiarity. The more someone comes across your brand, the more likely they’ll start to know, like, and trust you.
In fact, retargeted visitors are 3X more likely to click on your ads compared to visitors who have never been to your site before.
I’ve also found that retargeting allows you to pay lower cost-per-click rates because you’re reaching pre-qualified prospects who already know your business. You’re not blasting a cold audience.
To set up a retargeting campaign, just follow these steps:
1) In Facebook Ads Manager, go to the Audiences section and choose “Create Audience” then “Custom Audience”
2) Select “Website Traffic” if you want to retarget anyone who hits your website, or specific options like visitors of a certain page, customer list, or engagement action.
3) Name your audience and set the duration window for how long you want to track people (between 1 to180 days is recommended).
4) Double-check check you have the Facebook tracking pixel properly installed on your site, then click “Create Audience.”
After that audience starts populating, you’ll be able to create a retargeting ad campaign that specifically targets them.
When creating the ad creative, think about where these visitors are at in their customer journey.
Remarketing is most effective at the consideration stage when prospects know about your solution but need an extra nudge to convert.
For example, this video ad for a meditation app does a great job of reinforcing the app’s value prop in a visually compelling way:
You can also remarket to existing customers to upsell new products/services or promote loyalty programs.
The key is understanding the context and mindset your audience is in. Provide content or offers that resonate with wherever they currently are in the sales process.
Now let’s look at a ninja Facebook ads strategy that the pros use…
Supercharge Your Results With Lookalike Audiences
What if you could clone your very best customers and prospective customers? Then reach an audience of people exactly like them?
That’s essentially what Facebook lookalike audiences let you do.
Let me explain how this works…
Facebook allows you to take any source audience (like a customer list, website visitors, engaged fans, etc).
and find clusters of people who share extremely similar traits, behaviors, and demographics.
These “lookalikes” matched people are then output as a targetable advertising audience filled with other users who look like your best prospects. It leverages Facebook’s deep data to build a hyper-qualified and relevant audience for your ads.
To create a lookalike on Facebook, simply upload a source list of customer contacts or website visitors to use as a “seed” audience:
Then Facebook clones that audience and creates a larger pool of users statistically similar to those seeds.
This strategy taps into the fundamental truth that people like us tend to exhibit similar behaviors and make comparable purchasing decisions. Neighbors, friends, and people in the same socioeconomic bracket tend to like the same stuff.
So if you zero in on your existing best customers or engaged fans, then essentially clone that ideal profile en masse, you get a ready-made audience of very likely buyers.
I’ve used this lookalike technique for all sorts of industries and businesses, from B2B software to e-commerce companies. It’s consistently one of my highest-performing audience tactics.
According to Facebook themselves, advertisers see 20% lower acquisition costs from lookalike campaigns compared to interest-based targeting. The ROI is that powerful.
The key to lookalike success is nailing the source audience you use for seeding. The stronger the seed characteristics, the higher the quality of lookalikes you’ll receive.
For example, one of my clients generated unbelievable results by creating a lookalike audience based on their highest-spending customers from the past 6 months.
Not only did this deliver a steady stream of new high-value customers, but the CPA was 63% lower than cold traffic! That’s the power of matching audiences who mimic your top buyers.
You also don’t have to stick to just website visitors or customer lists. You can get creative with seeds like:
• People who attended your event/webinar
• Leads who filled out a form or downloaded content
• Fans who engaged heavily with content or ads
• High-revenue or canceled subscribers
The more refined you can make the source audience, the better the lookalike matches will be.
Let’s wrap up by covering a few more proven strategies and things to keep in mind when running Facebook campaigns.
Campaign Setup and Optimization Tips
Set the Right Campaign Objective
Not all Facebook ads serve the same purpose. It’s critical to select an objective that aligns with your specific goals.
For example, if driving website traffic is a top priority, choose the Traffic objective. If reeling in new leads is the focus, choose Lead Generation.
E-commerce brands will want to use the Conversions objective and optimize for purchase events.
This might seem obvious, but so many advertisers miss this step. Don’t just default to the Traffic objective every time. Get hyper-specific based on your goals for maximum results.
Exclude Existing Audiences
There’s no point in wasting ad spend showing promotions to people who already converted. That’s why you’ll want to exclude existing customers, subscribers, etc. from your targeting.
Simply create an audience list out of these unqualified segments, then exclude them when building out campaigns.
Split Test Ad Creative
Never fall into the trap of assuming your first ad will be a winner. Even the most experienced Facebook advertisers have to split test relentlessly.
Create multiple versions with tweaks to the copy, imagery, video, value prop, etc. Then let Facebook’s data optimize towards your top performers.
You can do this by creating multiple ad sets within the same campaign, each with unique creative, targeting, and a dedicated budget.
Over time, pause the losing variations and reallocate spend to what’s working. This constant system of iteration and optimization is what separates the casual advertisers from the big winners.
Use Facebook’s Secret Pixel Events
Facebook’s advertising ecosystem revolves around tracking pixel events from your website.
While most people only use basic events like Pageviews, Leads, and Purchases, there are a number of powerful advanced pixel events that are hugely valuable for optimizing ads.
For example, “Percent of Scroll Depth” lets you track how far down the page people are scrolling. This data shows you which ad creative is captivating people enough to consume all the content.
“Time on Page/Site” tells you which ads are driving the stickiest traffic.
And niche events like “Players” show you video ads that are being watched all the way through.
These are just a few examples of Facebook’s many event options. I’d recommend exploring all the pixel event options relevant to your business to supercharge your Facebook ads analytics.
Hone Your Offer Messaging and CTAs
The offers and CTAs (calls-to-action) you utilize in your Facebook ads can make or break their success.
Some high-converting CTAs I’ve used include:
• Apply Now
• Sign Up
• Download
• Subscribe
• Get My Free Guide
Notice these all drive some sort of action or next step. They go beyond basic “Buy Now” CTAs.
The offers themselves are equally important. Using scarcity, social proof, and unique value propositions makes your offers tough to pass up. A few examples:
• Limited-Time Discount
• Never Before Seen
• Join 125,000+ People
• What Experts Don’t Want You To Know
The offer CTA combo is what ultimately converts people. It’s worth intense testing and optimization to nail the best combinations for maximum sales or leads.
Embrace Advertising as an Always-On Channel
Most businesses think of advertising as a short-term tactic to be turned on or off. They spend money only when they have a sale or promotion running.
But the most savvy Facebook advertisers operate on a different philosophy…
They understand that building a presence and brand recognition is an ongoing process, not just a one-off campaign. Every business should have an “always-on” advertising strategy running in the background.
Consistently getting your message and offers in front of your target audience is what moves the needle long-term. It takes continuous nurturing to keep funneling in new prospects cost-effectively.
So while you may ramp up spending or reallocate budgets for major pushes, try to avoid the habit of going totally dark when slower periods hit.
When brands disappear entirely, they lose all their hard-earned momentum and basically have to restart from square one when ramping back up.
Don’t make that mistake. Stay top-of-mind for your audience by consistently advertising on Facebook year-round.
Parting Thoughts and Your Next Steps
Wow, that was a content-packed guide full of advanced Facebook advertising strategies!
I covered a ton of ground here, including:
- How Facebook’s ad auction really works behind the scenes
- Tapping into hyper-targeted interest and demographic audiences
- Creating thumb-stopping ads that captivate attention
- Setting up retargeting to close more sales
- The power of lookalike audiences to reach your ideal prospects
- Split testing, measurement tactics, and optimization tips
If you implement even a handful of these tips into your Facebook advertising efforts, you’re going to see huge gains over the competition.
You’ll reach more qualified audiences. Create higher-converting campaigns. And hit aggressive sales and ROI targets.
The key is adopting a systematic, data-driven approach to Facebook advertising. Always be testing, measuring, and iterating. Let the results guide your optimizations rather than just guessing or making assumptions.
With this mindset, you’ll be well on your way to mastering Facebook as an acquisition channel for your business.
So now I want to hear from you…
What was the biggest “aha” moment you had while reading this guide?
Which Facebook ads strategy are you most excited to implement first?
Let me know by dropping a comment and I’ll provide any other feedback to help push your advertising to new heights!
