Richard Smith — February 17, 2017 Follow @MeRichardsmithFacebook advertisements need to be properly orchestrated, in order to lure customers into making purchases. Be it driving conversions via the social platform or clicking through the landing pages, amplifying sales is of paramount importance and companies must immediately fix the inadequacies associated with the existing advertisement campaigns— especially over Facebook.
To be precise, Facebook Ads can be both rewarding and dangerous at the same time. They can surely help organizations enhance the overall reach but the idea here is to connect on a far deeper scale. That said, Facebook advertisement campaigns, if devised inappropriately— turn into mere money pits— pushing organizations to the brink of withdrawal.
Marketers and entrepreneurs must realize that conventional advertisements aren’t as responsive as before and it requires a creative mind to stir customer emotions. Generic ads have lost their steam and 2017 is an era of personalized advertising. Facebook, fortunately, offers everything necessary for this perfect concoction but it would be appropriate to take a closer look at the lingering mistakes and fixes for the same:
Mundane Images
If reports are to be believed, adverts with images receive higher levels of engagement i.e. 2.3 times higher as compared to the ones without the same. However, one must refrain from using white and blue shades over Facebook due to obvious reasons.
That said, the image type plays a pivotal role when it comes to captivating customer attention. The preferred choices include colorful logos and specific headshots. A marketing campaign, comprising of ads, can only be successful if the company strikes perfect levels of resonance with the customers.
Lastly, working over social media is all about experimenting with the correct tone and image. There are times when organic images turn out to be better bets as compared to the preexisting strategies. This is where split testing comes into the picture and we will be talking about the same, in a subsequent section.
Incorrect Targeting
Despite featuring a compelling image and functional headline, there can be instances when an advertisement fails to stir emotions. Targeting the wrong audience is what kills even the best of marketing campaigns— specifically inclined towards advertisements.
Every marketer must understand that specificity is the driving force behind ad targeting. While broadening the customer base can work at times, carving out a specific niche can yield remarkable results. The entire process comprises of segregating the buyer profile, psychographic attributes and even the demographic attributes in certain cases.
If you, as a marketer, are planning to craft an advert— specific groups of individuals need to be targeted, in order to improve one-to-one conversions.
Lack of Innovation
Innovation is the key determinant when it comes to drafting an advertising campaign. Most marketers are still using the obsolete techniques of influencer marketing and demographic segregation when newer strategies are already being implemented on a larger scale. It is saddening to see that adverts aren’t already relying on streaming services like 123movies, Hotstar and other players— in order to get traction from a larger group of individuals.
Streaming players often come with a massive outreach which can then be redirected towards the Facebook ad campaign, via strong Call to Actions. While proper targeting over Facebook can take a lot of time to perfect, releasing a video centric advert over one of these streaming websites can lead to miraculous results.
Trust Issues
Even if you are working towards perfecting the existing Facebook AD campaign, lack of trust can be a major dampener— especially from the user end. It is no secret that positive reviews have it in them to influence buying decisions. However, many startups fail to afford a proper reviewing schema, leading to plummeting ratings and even sales.
Some of the disastrous reasons which kill the trust factor include unprofessional photographs, iffy testimonials, lack of refund policies, minimal contact information and a missing set of payment symbols. While there are many other determinants, fixing the mentioned ones can show immediate improvements.
Distributed Urgency
Here is a trick to improving sales; put a timer on your product and see the results skyrocket— almost instantly. Most ecommerce firms, posting ads on Facebook fail to push the customers in the desired manner. It is necessary for the marketers to work on the psychological aspects of marketing— showing customers that the offers are limited and might soon run out of stock.
Adding a tag of urgency can be hugely beneficial or customers might seemingly procrastinate the purchase. Some of the preferred techniques include offering limited discounts, free goodies and other associated perks.
Confusing Shipping
If you are working towards a futuristic ecommerce setup, offering perfect shipping options is of paramount importance. Some startups goof-up things by intertwining shipping and product prices— which in turn can get confusing for the prospective buyers. One approach towards mitigating these confusions would be to scale up the product prices and balance out the same via free shipping.
Excessive Jargon
Now when we have already discussed the technical loopholes associated with Facebook adverts, it is time to work on something specific to a company. A business can often destroy its reputation among prospective customers and viewers by opting for excessive jargon i.e. a lot of unnecessary terminologies which might sound irrelevant to the customers.
A company, therefore, must look to keep the advertisement simple and easy on the eye. This is where infographics and images pitch in— as discussed previously.
Only Discussion Sans Benefits
Discussing features within an advertisement is fine but companies must also stress upon the beneficial aspects of the same. Features and attributes will only fit in if they can offer some value to the customers. Apart from that, companies must also visit the emotional aspects which often compel visitors to make the purchase.
Erroneous Market Analysis
Most startups are amateurs when it comes to drafting that path-breaking advertisement. However, some are unwilling to learn and keep on making numerous mistakes. The idea here is to assess the competition and look into the work of other marketers— even if the niche is completely different.
It must be understood that you need not be sophisticated or extravagant with the approach. What matters in the end is the ability to convert and you should look to borrow inspirations from the existing stalwarts.
Mismatched Tone
Every advertisement needs to be different— even at the tonal level. For example, if a company is pitching workout equipment to the customers, the sales tone must differ from a firm selling pet supplies. Approaching the customers is of paramount importance and what matters the most is the speech style— specific to a business.
Uninspiring Headlines
While creating an ad, it is important to choose the headline with utmost care. Most organizations goof-up this aspect of advert creation by going too modern or too classy with the title. Ideally, the headline should offer a sneak peek into the user problems alongside offering a one word/ one line solution. If you have something unique to offer, it should be readily included within the headline— without making the same longer than usual.
You should look to strike the perfect balance between length and utility while creating the perfect headline for your advertisement. Lastly, there should also be a sense of unrelenting motivation.
Minimal Split Testing
Last but certainly not the least, split testing is an underrated approach which has been neglected by most Facebook marketers— at their own peril. Certain aspects of the advertisement need to be checked, beforehand. Be it the landing page or the perfect ad placement, split testing is all about experimenting with some prospective strategies before zeroing in on the perfect one.
Other aspects which come under the radar include the preferred audience, CTAs, body text and even the headline. Each one of these is eligible for split testing. However, the intensity of tests depends on the overall marketing budget. Low cost ads need to be run before finalizing on the perfect form. Apart from these technical aspects, marketers can also split test the audience age which is often the most overlooked aspect of customer targeting.
Lastly, the concept of impulse buyers need to be looked at before strategizing an approach best suited for everybody.
Bottom Line
Facebook ad pitches can go horribly wrong, atleast in these 12 possible ways. However, read the entire post as even the fixes have been enlisted alongside the possible marketing pitfalls. If a more concrete perspective is required, it would be apt for companies to focus on what the prospective customers would like and move further in the same direction.
The best approach is always to simply things rather than opting for a convoluted path to glory.
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