If you’re looking to sell a product or service on Facebook and drive more users to your website, you may be wondering how you can maximise the effectiveness of your ads. Choosing an ad type on Facebook isn’t that easy – given that there is such a diversity of ad types.
So how can you customise your ads, choose the right ad type for your goals, and drive user clicks and conversions to your website?
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the various types of Facebook ads,
Types of Facebook Ads
Post Engagement Ads
One of the simplest types of ads is a “post engagement ad.” In this type of ad, you simply create a Facebook post like you normally would using your business Facebook page – then, you can pay to promote it and put it in front of a larger audience. This results in driving visitors to your business Facebook page – and in turn, this can result in more “likes,” and a larger organic audience for your business.
Instant Experience Ads
Instant experience ads are tailored for mobile users, and provide a unique, full-screen experience when a user clicks the ad. Formerly known as “Canvas,” these ads support photos and video, carousels, tilt-to-pan, and a number of other unique features. You can learn more about them here.
Video Ads
Facebook video ads are a great way to bring in more customers. They can be anywhere from 1 second to 240 minutes – but Facebook says that video ads between 6-15 seconds tend to have the best conversion rates. You can choose any aspect ratio between 16:9 and 9:16 for your video.
Video ads are great if you want to show off a product, tell a story about your brand, or bring in customers with eye-catching graphics. You can learn more about them here.
Event Response Ads
In this type of ad, you create an event and you promote it to customers in order to drive them to come to a particular event, and you can incorporate calls to action (CTA) buttons like “Interested,” “Get Tickets,” and more. By advertising exclusively to local audiences near the event location, you can maximise the impact and ROI of event response ads. You can learn more about how to make event ads here.
Offer Ads
Facebook “offer ads” let you provide a specific type of off-site offer, such as a coupon or a free eBook, directly through your Facebook ad. Users who have clicked on the ad will be sent to your website’s landing page, where they can complete the action that was advertised to them.
For example, you could offer a 20% discount code for Facebook users who click your link and sign up for your eCommerce store’s email newsletter. These offers are best when they’re limited in time and scope, and feel exclusive – this will help maximise conversion rates.
Lead Generation Ads
A Facebook lead ad is typically used to convert a potentially-interested customer into a lead, and move them further down the “sales funnel” toward purchasing your products or services.
For example, you could use a “Learn More” call-to-action to advertise your company’s roof replacement services, and advertise these services to homeowners in the area of your business.
Then, a Facebook user can click the ad and fill out a contact form without leaving Facebook to get more information, and become a qualified lead.
Page “Like” Ads
If you would like to reach more customers organically and get more “likes” for your business Facebook page, “Like” ads are a good option.
In this type of ad, you can write a little bit about your business, and share your business Facebook page, promoting it to potential customers or current customers so that they can “like” it and increase your page’s reach.
This type of ad usually uses a “Like Page” CTA, and is best for companies that are very active and post frequently on Facebook, and have strong user engagement metrics.
Carousel Ads
Carousel ads let you show up to 10 images or videos in a single ad – they’re commonly used to show off multiple products, product demos, specifications about a particular product, or customer experiences with your brand.
They are also very versatile. Carousel ads can be shown on Facebook, as well as on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and Facebook’s Audience Network, meaning you’ll have even more options for your ads.
Slideshow Ads
Facebook Slideshow ads are sort of an “in-between” ad that fit perfectly between carousel ads and video ads. Like carousel ads, they use multiple images to boost user interest and engagement – but unlike carousel ads, they do not require users to swipe to see more photos.
And, like video ads, slideshow ads have an eye-catching appearance, featuring multiple images that show in quick succession. They can even incorporate music and sound, but are much cheaper to produce compared to true video ads.
They use less data than video, so are great for reaching those with poor connections, and they also are great for ads that show a step-by-step process or a more complex narrative, so they offer a lot of unique options for Facebook advertisers.
Product Collection Ads
If you run an online store, product collection ads may be right for you. You can link up to four different products from your online store with images and information about each one, and customers can click your ad to shop right away – without leaving the Facebook platform.
Image Ads
Image ads are about as simple as it gets – and they’re also one of the most versatile types of ads. All you have to do is upload a single image to Facebook, and accompany it with a headline and descriptive copy about your company, products, or services.
App Engagement Ads
App engagement ads are used to advertise your app to people who have installed them – encouraging them to open up the app and take a particular action, like playing a game, checking out new content added to the app, or making an in-app purchase.
Tips For Choosing The Right Ad Type For Your Goals
That’s a dizzying array of ads – so how can you know which ones are right for your ad campaign? Here are a few top tips from Australian Internet Advertising.
1. Determine your ad campaign goals
You can’t know the best ad types for your company if you do not have a clear goal for your social media ad campaign. So first, ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Do you want to gain qualified leads? Sell products? Advertise an event? Get more people to like your Facebook page? Once you know your goals, you’ll be able to pick the right types of ads.
2. Consider all relevant types of ads
Once you’ve determined the goal for your Facebook ads campaign, take a look through all of the above options and think about which
For example, if you want to build brand buzz, post engagement ads and page “Like” ads can be a great way to get more people to interact with your brand, and boost brand awareness.
3. Create several ads for your campaign
Facebook makes it quick and easy to create ads and get them in front of Facebook users, so we highly recommend using several different ad types for your campaign, such as image ads, video ads, and carousel ads. Feel free to use whichever ads will help you meet your campaign goals.
4. Target the right audience
It’s very important to target the right audience with your Facebook ads. For example, if you’re promoting a hardware store in Sydney, you don’t want to spend money placing an ad in front of a Facebook user in Melbourne.
So make sure to spend plenty of time creating custom audiences on Facebook, and using the demographic filters on the Facebook Ads platform to put your ads in front of the right customers at the right time.
5. Measure results for better future outcomes
Once your ad campaign is running, keep track of how each ad is performing. This helps you measure the current success of your campaign – and also improve your ads in the future.
For example, if you notice that a video ad is getting much higher engagement than a slideshow ad, you can consider investing in more video ads in the future.
Need Expert Help With Facebook Ads?
At Australian Internet Advertising, we’re experts in social media marketing and Facebook ads – and if you need help navigating the complexities of advertising on Facebook, we’re the best choice in Australia.
To learn more and get a free consultation with our team of marketing experts, just contact us online or give us a call at 1300 304 640 – we’re always here to help Australian business owners succeed in the world of digital advertising.
