How Do I: Write Compelling Facebook Ad Copy?

Jason Obenhaus — March 2, 2017 Follow @JObenthehaus

You’re probably used to hearing about the importance of leveraging Facebook in your digital marketing. Your customers are already using Facebook to connect with friends and family, so why not use it to connect with them through your business? It makes sense considering people spend about an hour per day on the social media giant. But how can we use Facebook ads to reach our potential customers?

Users read and click on what interests them on Facebook. Most of this engagement consists of friends’ life events, funny videos, amusing statuses, and content related to hobbies. This is your main competition when trying to reach potential customers on Facebook. Getting your ads to stand out may not be easy, but by writing compelling ad text, also commonly referred to as copy, you can attract potential customers and turn Facebook users into leads for your business.

Here’s how you can write more compelling Facebook ad copy for your campaigns.

Write to Complement Your Ad’s Image, Not Compete with It

Facebook is a largely visual medium. We’re often seeing pictures or videos of our friends that pull us into their stories. With that said, we have to understand that images take the lead in grabbing the attention of potential customers, and ad copy follows. Create your ads to attract your audience visually and complete the circle with your copy. If your potential customers like what they see, they’ll read your ad. If what they read entices them, they’re more likely to take action.

It’s important not to create a message that conflicts with the image or is likely to confuse potential customers. If you were running a dating site, you wouldn’t pair an image of a happy couple in casual clothes with a statistic on the frequency of people getting married who found each other using your site. You may want to write copy that highlights the experience of being in a happy relationship that can start by using the dating service.

Speak to Where Your Audience is in Their Buying Cycle

Depending on what objectives you outline for your campaign, you will want to identify where your potential customers are in relation to connecting with your brand. If you’re a relatively new business or launching a new product, you may focus your ad campaign and copy on raising awareness and educating future potential customers. If you’re already established and looking to drive sales, your copy should be more oriented towards creating a sense of urgency and encouraging users to take action.

You also want to consider what needs your potential customers are fulfilling with your product or service. Are they looking for a practical fix, or do they need time to research and learn more about what you’re offering? If you’re a moving company focused on booking more moves, your copy should include enticing offers that get customers to take action. On the other hand, a home remodeling company may require Facebook ad copy that connects on both a practical and emotional level. Homeowners are going to do their due diligence in researching before making a decision. This is where you want to get their attention by offering an opportunity to learn more.

Focus on a Single Benefit for Your Customers

While you’re getting more revenue, what is your new customer getting out of this transaction? Are they fulfilling a practical need that has to be addressed for comfort or security? Or perhaps they’re satisfying an emotional need with long-standing memories to be gained. It’s easy to list off the multiple ways you help your customers, but you only need to focus on one benefit per ad. This will help your ad’s message convey more clearly.

Facebook is a great medium for testing out different ads. You may have two overarching and equally important benefits you know your customers will connect with. Create separate ads for each benefit and see how your online audience responds over time. Give them a chance to tell you what they think is more important.

Say More with Fewer Words & Greater Purpose

It’s important to relay your ad’s message in the most succinct way possible. Don’t try to elaborate or make your point with long, flowing text. If what you’re trying to say in 10 words can be reduced to five and still make sense, cut it down and stick to the bare essentials. Use your copy to direct them from the headline to the call to action.

You don’t have to view your Facebook ad as the window for telling your brand’s entire story. Leave some room for mystery. Your ad’s job is convincing potential customers to take that first step. Have purpose, and make them care. Then let your landing page do the heavy lifting by going more in-depth. The expressions “Less is more” and “Work smarter, not harder” definitely apply when writing Facebook ad copy.

Make the Most of Your Facebook Ads

While there are guidelines and requirements to abide by in order to advertise on Facebook, you want to do more than just be shown. You want your ads to have a true impact on your campaign’s goals while driving revenue for your business. By keeping your Facebook ad copy simple, relevant, and compelling, you can help make the most out of your social media advertising strategy.

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