Facebook Ads can be a great way to get your eCommerce business in front of potential customers. You can target people based on their interests, demographics, and even what type of device they are using.
With this level of targeting, you can be sure that your ads are being displayed to the people who are most likely to buy from you.
However, it’s not all easy going when it comes to Facebook ads. For the most part, they can be expensive if you’re not setting them up correctly. The wrong targeting strategy can cause you to spend more than you afford on Facebook ads.
That's why in this article, I'm going to show you how to target your Facebook ads for e-commerce. You're also going to learn about some of the pitfalls of Facebook ads and what kinds of things you should avoid. Let's get right into it.
The Basics Of Facebook Ads For eCommerce
When you're advertising on Facebook, it's important to remember that at the end of the day, it is people that will see your ads. These people have varying interests, needs, and desires.
All this means that targeting your ad too broadly will make it less effective and may not get any results at all. Ideally, you want to target your ads as tightly as possible. This means targeting only people who are most likely to buy from you (and ignoring everyone else).
However, if you choose such a narrow audience that only a few people see your ad, you will still not get the results you want from Facebook ads. In the worst-case scenario, Facebook may not even show your ads to anyone because there is no point in offering an ad that seems to deliver no value.
So how do you strike a balance between these two factors? How can you ensure that the right people see your ads while still getting enough impressions for your ad to be effective?
The first step is to understand your target audience. Amongst other things, this means understanding their demographics, interests, desires, problems, and solutions they are looking for.
With all of this in mind, Facebook ads are an excellent option for eCommerce targeting, and many tools are included for getting started.
Once you understand your target audience, you can also use this information to create a custom audience (more on this later) for your Facebook ads. You may also want to consider using different ads targeting different segments of your custom audience. For example, if you're targeting people who live in a particular area, you may want to use a different ad than the one you would use when targeting people who live in another part of the country.
The final step is to track your results. This means looking at the data that tells you how many people saw your ad, how many people clicked on it, and how much money you made from the ads. This information will help you determine whether or not your Facebook ads are adequate and whether or not you should continue using them.
The Pitfalls Of Facebook Ads For eCommerce
As with any advertising, there are some potential pitfalls that you need to avoid when using Facebook ads for eCommerce. Let’s have a look at them.
Facebook Ads Can Be Expensive
The first pitfall is that Facebook ads can be expensive. If you target your ads too narrowly, you may end up spending more money than you need to.
Moreover, you should be aware that Facebook ads might get more expensive depending on your target industry. This means that it's essential to understand your numbers and know what you can spend to get new customers in your eCommerce niche.
You Need To Track Everything
The second pitfall is significant for those that like to do things without having a plan.
You need to track everything when using Facebook ads for eCommerce. This includes things like how many people clicked on your ad, how many people viewed it, and how many of those people ended up buying something from you. It would help if you also considered tracking stats such as the number of days it took people to become customers after seeing your ad.
This information will help you determine whether or not your ad campaign was successful and whether or not you should continue advertising this way. It's also useful for your marketing team to plan long-term. This will allow them to improve their Facebook ads over time to get the best possible results in the future.
You May Not Get Any Conversions
The third pitfall is that you may not get any conversions with your Facebook ads for eCommerce. This is especially true if you have missing pieces to the puzzle - such as your image or description is poor, or you don't target the right people with your ad in the first place.
To avoid this, you need to make sure that everything is on point. Start with ensuring that your image and description are compelling, and then continually split test various ads and ad groups (explained later) to find what works best for you.
It would be best if you also considered narrowing down your targeting options before creating a custom audience. In other words, start by finding the best possible custom audience first and then make an ad specifically targeted towards them.
Facebook Ads Can Be Time-Consuming
The final pitfall is that Facebook ads can be time-consuming. If you're not careful, you can easily get lost in overthinking and end up spending more time creating and targeting your ads than actually testing them out to see what works.
To avoid this, you need to ensure that you know what your primary audience is and what kind of offers they resonate with.
Step By Step Guide To Advertising On Facebook
Now that we've covered the basics of Facebook ads and the pitfalls to avoid when using such ads for e-commerce, let's take a closer look at the steps involved in setting up an ad campaign.
Setting Up Your Facebook Business Manager
To start, you need to sign up for a Facebook ads account. It's effortless and straightforward to do so. All you need is a Facebook Business Manager account.
Image source: https://business.facebook.com/
Once you have your Business Manager set up, you can create your ad campaign.
Installing The Facebook Pixel
Next, it's time to install the Facebook pixel. The purpose of the pixel is to track conversions on your site after someone clicks on one of your ads. It provides more accurate reporting data that can lead to a higher ROI down the road with future campaigns.
Through the Facebook ads manager, you can install the pixel on your site. The process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. All you need to do is copy some code that Facebook gives you and paste it on your site.
Once you've installed the pixel, you need to ensure that it's firing correctly to track conversions. Facebook makes this process straightforward.
Creating Facebook Audiences
Now that your Business Manager account is set up and your Facebook pixel is installed, you can start creating audiences for targeting purposes. When doing so, keep in mind that the more specific your audience is, the better chance they'll convert when reaching out to them with an ad about your eCommerce business.
For example, if Facebook users have already visited your website, you can create a custom audience of those people to target them specifically with ads about your eCommerce business. You can also create a lookalike audience of customers to find more people similar to them who might be interested in your products or services.
When creating Facebook audiences, the possibilities are endless, so make sure you take advantage of this powerful tool.
Creating A Facebook Ads Campaign
Now that you've installed the pixel on your site and created Facebook audiences, it's time to create an ads campaign. When you start an ads campaign, you'll need to choose a goal for it.
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Three of the most common goals are:
The type of goal you choose will determine the kind of results you'll see from your ad campaign. Once you've decided on your goal, it's time to create the ads sets. This process is explained below.
Setting Up Your First Ad Sets
For the sake of this article, we'll focus on the first goal - getting people to visit your website. When creating your campaign, you'll need to provide some basic information, such as:
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After providing this information, you'll then be asked to create an ad set. An ad set contains all of the targeting and bidding information for a given campaign. When creating your ad set, you'll need to provide the following:
This information will be different for each campaign, so be sure to tailor it to your own needs.
Once you've created your ad set, it's time to create the ad itself.
Choosing Your Creative
After specifying all of this information, you'll be asked to create an ad for your campaign. When creating the ad, you'll need to:
When choosing your audience, make sure that they fit within the demographic of people interested in buying from your eCommerce business.
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Dynamic Product Ads
You can also use dynamic product ads to promote your entire catalog. Dynamic ads automatically include the product details and price for any products you've chosen as well as images, descriptions, and other creative assets.
They're a great way to quickly promote lots of different products or variations all at once.
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You can decide to create ads that will show as a carousel or set of images, and you can even use dynamic ads for retargeting people who have already visited your website.
Optimizing Your Facebook Campaigns
Finally, optimizing your campaigns should be a never-ending process.
The best Facebook ads campaigns are continually optimized to get the best results. This means constantly testing and measuring different aspects of your campaign to see what works and what doesn't.
Some things you can test include:
By testing all of these different aspects, you can find what works best for your business and create ads that are more likely to result in sales.
Tips To Successful Facebook Selling
This final section will break down some critical information to keep in mind when creating a successful eCommerce Facebook campaign.
Use Your Past Data To Create Lookalike Audiences
Your Facebook ad account contains a lot of data on past campaigns. This data can be used to create lookalike audiences - that is, audiences similar to those who have already interacted with your business.
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To create a lookalike audience, go to the Audiences section of your Facebook Ads Manager and click on Create Audience > Lookalike Audience. From there, you'll be able to choose the source audience (people who have already interacted with you) and the target country.
Creating lookalike audiences is a great way to find new people who are likely to be interested in your products.
Keep Your Ads Fresh
As I mentioned earlier, it's essential to continuously test and optimize your Facebook ads to get the best results. This means regularly updating your ads with new images, headlines, and descriptions.
If you have a series of ads performing well, try rotating in different products or variations to keep things interesting. And if an ad isn't doing well, try replacing it with a new one.
By keeping your ads fresh, you'll be able to find the ones that work best and get the most out of your advertising budget.
Use The Right Words And Ads To Get People To Act
Your online store is filled with products designed to catch your visitors' attention. But what does it take for people to convert?
The right words can make the difference in getting someone to click on your ad and then complete a purchase. The most successful Facebook ads use words that describe specific benefits or features. For example, instead of using "more affordable," you might say "save 25%."
Put yourself in your customer's shoes and determine which features make them interested for great results. I also recommend running A/B tests to see which versions get better results - this is especially useful if you have multiple variations of an ad.
Carousel ads and collection ads are a great way to show off multiple products at once and can be very effective if used correctly. When creating either of these ads, be sure to highlight the unique selling points of each product and make it easy for people to click through and learn more.
Including prices is also an excellent way to make your ad stand out (especially if you're offering a discount). People are more likely to act when they know how much they can save.
Get People To Join Your Email List
You can also use Facebook ads to get people to subscribe to your email list. This is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and send them special offers and updates.
There are a few different ways to do this. One is to create an ad that offers a freebie or discount for people who sign up. You can also promote your email newsletter in the ad itself or include a link to a landing page where people can sign up.
Whichever method you choose, make sure that the process is quick and easy so that people won't have any trouble subscribing. Be sure to follow up with them after they've subscribed, thanking them for joining and providing them with some helpful information.
Your ad creative is an essential part of your Facebook advertising strategy. By using the right images, headlines, and descriptions, you can create eye-catching and persuasive ads, resulting in more sales for your eCommerce business.
The Importance Of Using Video Ads To Demand AttentionSetting Up Your First Ad Sets
Running Facebook ads for eCommerce is essentially no different than other forms of Facebook ads, the only difference being that your business tells people what they want through promotions to get them interested. Video ads are no different than any other kind; you have to make something worth watching.
Create video ads that are engaging, entertaining, and informative. The more valuable your video is to people, the more likely they are to watch it - which means they'll also be more likely to click through when it's time for them to convert.
To create a video ad for your eCommerce business, choose the audience you'd like to target. Then select "Video" as the type of ad and select Create Video. After that, upload your video and fill out the description.
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Videos are an effective marketing tool because they provide engaging content that's fun to watch, especially when relevant (such as new releases or discounts). Videos can also help by sharing information about using a product or demonstrating its benefits.
Make Sure Facebook Ads Copy Is In Line With Your Business Goals
When creating Facebook ads for e-commerce, don't forget that your Facebook ad copy should not just mention what you're offering but also why.
Your promotional text should provide information about the products or services that will benefit your target audience.
In addition, keep in mind that your business goals will define what you should (and shouldn’t) say in your ad copy. Ensure that you are always consistent with the messaging that you share with potential customers through the ads you create.
Brand Awareness And Image Size
When creating ads for eCommerce businesses, it's essential to use images that reflect your brand and communicate what you do as clearly as possible.
In addition, it’s important to note that according to Facebook’s ad image size guidelines, your images need to vary depending on the type of ads you’re running, so it’s essential to be aware of the kind of images you can use.
Use high-quality photos (or videos) in your advertising material so that people can see exactly what they'll be getting if they click through and make an eCommerce purchase.
Use Live Video When Creating Your Facebook Ads
eCommerce Facebook ads can also be made using Facebook Live. This increases the authenticity and trustworthiness of your business.
Live video is relatively one of the newest forms of social media marketing that allow you to show people exactly what they're getting and provide a human face to your business.
This is a great way to monetize your ads and get people to take action. You can promote offers or discounts you currently have or offer something new and engaging that will get them clicking through by using live videos.
Do Not Forget About Cart Abandonment
While most marketers focus on building custom audiences and bringing in new leads, don’t forget about people who have abandoned their carts.
Cart abandonment is a problem that all eCommerce businesses face, but there are ways to combat it. One of the best ways to do this is by using Facebook ads for retargeting people who have left items in their cart.
Whether you are making affiliate sales or selling your products, this is a great way to reach back out to people who were so close to making a purchase. However, something may have distracted them, and they never had the chance to complete their purchases.Conclusion
Facebook advertising is a great way to reach potential customers and increase sales for your eCommerce business.
Facebook ads allow you to target the right audience with an offer they want (and need) and use the right images, headlines, and descriptions to create eye-catching and persuasive ads. All of this can result in more sales for your eCommerce business.
By keeping in mind the different ways to use Facebook ads for e-commerce needs, you can create an advertising campaign tailored specifically to your business.
There has never been a better time to get started with Facebook ads and see how your business can benefit from them.
