Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content.
Original Publication Date: November 18, 2019
According to a recent report, ad spending on Facebook and Instagram combined will increase 22.5% in 2021 and reach nearly $95 billion by the end of the year.
This means that lots of advertisers are doing amazing things and seeing profitable results. It also means, however, that tons of ad buyers are making Facebook advertising mistakes and pouring money down the drain before they get it right.
To help you avoid some of the most costly mistakes, we’ve taken a deep dive into four of the most common errors companies and brands are making on a daily basis.
If any of these mistakes appear in your ads or campaigns, we strongly recommend making adjustments ASAP.
1. Don’t Select the Wrong Ad Objective for your Ads
If you don't want to make Facebook advertising mistakes, you need to establish the “why” behind what you’re doing.
- What is your goal with your Facebook ad campaign?
- Do you want to drive conversions?
- Are you looking for more page likes?
- Do you need to drive app installs?
Selecting the wrong objective leads to money down the drain, a lack of useful data to optimize your ads, and general frustration.
This chart can help you find the right path forward:
2. Don’t Guess at Where Your Online and Call Conversions Are Coming From
Once you’ve got your objective in place and you’re reaching your target audience, it’s vital that you know where your conversions are coming from. Assuming won’t get you anywhere.
As you already know, Facebook Ads Manager has the power to measure online results. You’ll never have to guess how many clicks, impressions, and website conversions you have. When it comes to orders by phone that were generated by your Facebook efforts, though, that's a bit harder to measure.
Unless you invest in a bit of conversion intelligence, that is. There’s a solution called Invoca that can actually tie inbound calls to Facebook ads. And once you've gathered that data, it’s easy to push that data into Facebook Ads Manager for a full data set.
3. Don’t Get Stuck in the Stale Image Rut
Sometimes we all get in an image rut. We don’t test enough and find new/innovative images that will fuel the clicks and conversions you need. But testing your creative, including images, is one of the most important things you can do.
If you find your conversions dwindling and haven’t A/B tested images, it's time to start. Start by testing 3-5 new images — and make sure that you’re only testing one variable at a time.
For example, testing image/headline variations while you also test new copy within an ad should be a no-go. Once you have your images and headlines nailed, you may want to consider tweaking your main ad copy -- or the other way around.
It’s also a great idea to see what competitors in your space are using for images. If you haven’t tried AdBeat to find out what your competitors are doing with image and headline combos, you should definitely give it a whirl.
4. Don’t Make Facebook Advertising Mistakes Based on Hunches
Data, data data! You’ve got to keep drilling that into your head. Hunches should never drive your decisions.
Yes, there are moments when you get a gut feeling and you’re 100% on track, but it’s imperative you back your hunches up with real data.
Facebook’s data tools are becoming more and more robust, but you can definitely trek further into the world of data with the right tools.
For example, Social Bakers is a tool that gives you data on your own efforts and offers insights into what your competitors are up to. And Rival IQ actually lets you know when one of your competitors has changed a single word on their Facebook page text.
The more data and info you have at your fingertips, the more confident you will be you’re spending your money wisely.
The secret to scaling is knowing that your funnels are as airtight as possible. Used correctly, your data will show you where the kinks are. And they can help you optimize everything from your Facebook ad images to copy, landing pages, and pixel placement -- all the way up to the moment a conversion is recorded.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget to Have Some Fun
There’s a fine balance when it comes to success in the world of Facebook advertising.
If you’re reading this post, we’re guessing you’ve got a product you’re proud of and/or services that can add value to your customers’ lives. Find time for your vision and to fuel your creativity. Don’t let the data game get you down -- it’s a fine balance!
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