Are Your Facebook Ads Not Converting? Here’s Why (And How to Fix Them)

facebook ads not converting

According to Facebook’s Q3 2019 report, 1.59 billion people use Facebook every day. Think about that for a minute. That’s roughly 23% of the global population available to advertise to every day. The possibilities for your brand are endless. However, just because these users visit the site doesn’t mean you can – or should – reach all of them. Many brands will complain about Facebook ads not converting as optimally as they expected.

If that resonates with you, here’s a guide detailing mistakes people do with Facebook ads and how you can fix them for better results.

1. Lack of a Clear Campaign Objective

Facebook ad objectives are essential as they direct the tactics you will take to execute a campaign. If you aren’t generating as many clicks as you’d wish, then maybe your objective is to blame.

The ad-group settings in the Ads Manager are where you specify your objectives. If you select an objective that does not line up with your targeted audience, your campaign won’t gain traction. There can only be one objective per Facebook ad campaign if you’re to generate optimal results.

For example, let’s imagine you are a soap brand rolling out a new product. Do you orient your Facebook ad for reach or traffic? Do you know the difference?

If you want to tell potential consumers why your new soap is a better option, then your objective should be reach. However, if you want your Facebook ad to result in sales, then your objective should be traffic.

You have to understand where your target audience lies in the buying journey if you are to pick the right objective. Doing so will ensure you generate better engagement, which has higher odds of delivering more of the results you need.

2. Not Understanding Your Audience

Facebook ads hold great promise for your business. But that potential can only be realized if you target the right audience. When the wrong people see your ad, it will be a dud.

For example, if you are a car repair business and your Facebook ad targets new car buyers, you won’t get as many clicks. Why? That audience is looking for another car, not someone to fix the car they may or may not have.

When setting your ad up, it may be tempting to opt for a broad target market. The issue with that is you’ll likely end up showing your ads to many people who are not interested in it.

A better way to approach this is to define your audience at a more granular level.

For example, if you have several physical locations, running Facebook ads that target the geographical locations near your business is wiser. The chances that you will present your ad to a lead that can actually visit your business are higher.

Another vital way to refine your ad targeting for better results is through age and gender. Such a lens ensures your Facebook ad gets seen by an audience that has a higher probability of being interested in your offering.

In terms of the target audience size, a rule of thumb is to go for 500,000 to 1 million people. At that level, you have a better ad view to budget distribution balance.

If you realize you don’t quite understand your customers, you can run surveys on social media for more insight. The more detailed your buyer persona, the better advertising outcome you’ll get.

3. Right Audience but No Meaningful Message

Once you have the right buyer persona, the journey does not end there. You still have to investigate your ad to figure out if your offer is relevant to the audience.

For example, in our previous example, once you identify your target audience is new car buyers, you need to make your ad matter to them. Deploying a Facebook ad pitching a sedan to a target audience primarily interred in an SUV is bound to deliver underwhelming returns.

Before you run an ad, you should analyze its relevance using Facebook’s Relevance Score. The tool will help you estimate how deeply your ads might resonate with the target audience.

The lower the score, the weaker the relevance is for your ad. Any Facebook ad that runs with a low relevance score will have a hard time making inroads with clicks and cost more. A higher relevance score (between seven and ten) lifts the probability your ad will be served and at a better cost.

For example, if you are a women’s fashion retailer, defining the gender and age of your target audience is not a bad start. However, if you dig deeper and define the audience’s location and interest on top of that, your ad will be highly relevant.

Running ads at the time when visibility is highest with your target audience boosts your relevance. If you want to uncover such high visibility times, check the insights tab on your Facebook business page.

4. Using the Wrong Call-To-Action

It’s possible for you to use the right objective, target the right audience, make the ad relevant, and still get a low click volume. Why? Because your ad does not tell anyone who checks it out what action they should take.

A clear and easily understood call-to-action (CTA) is critical in realizing the fruits of your efforts.

A CTA is something you add in the final stages of preparing to serve your ad. It brings all elements together and harnesses your ad’s power to direct leads to take the action you want them to.

Facebook will offer you 14 CTAs to choose from. While ‘Sign Up’ is a tried-and-tested option, using a CTA that ties more closely to your goal is the key. For example, if your objective is to raise brand awareness, ‘learn more’ is the CTA that best fits your needs.

A neat trick to ensure the audience understands what to do in response to your ad is to incorporate the CTA in the image you use.

Are Your Facebook Ads Not Converting?

Facebook ads are among the highest performing digital advertising channels. However, crafting and serving an ad is only the start. You have to dig deeper and gain more valuable and actionable insights to avoid experiencing Facebook ads not converting to your liking. The more granular your efforts, the more optimal your results will be.

Cloud Clicks offers digital ad management services that can net you five to ten times your sales. Book a free strategy session today to find out how Facebook ads can grow your sales and cash flow.

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