There are over 1.45 billion active daily users on Facebook — and winning any of them as customers mean your ads need to cut through the noise of 4+ billion content pieces that display daily.
Advertising on the world’s largest social network is a no-brainer — but it’s also one of the easiest channels to waste your ad spend if you aren’t careful.
Some of today’s most successful ads don’t even feel like ads. They have organic engagement, organic creative, and stand out among the 3 million other advertisers on Facebook.
Here’s a look at what makes a Facebook ad successful, with five high-converting examples from our Social PPC experts.
1. Video Ads
2. Single Image Ads
3. Carousel – Image Ads
4. Carousel – Dynamic Ads
5. The Ingredients of a High-Converting Facebook Ad
Drive Click-Through With Engaging Video Ads
Haircare and beauty products brand Oribe created a simple, yet effective video ad showing their product used in a GIF.
The colors are bright, and the copy even brighter: rich creme with a luxurious blend of oils and shea butter that hydrate and repair.
You can nearly feel and smell this product right from your Newsfeed.
The moving images show an elegant product design and how users get the most out of their hand cream by not wasting any.
“This ad was great because it was both engaging and eye-catching, and showcased the product’s use. The video drove great results in terms of CPC’s and CTR, with a 134% video completion rate. People were seeing the content in their feed & were stopping to engage (watching on repeat), then they were compelled to go to the website and purchase.”
-Brent Villiot, Social Marketing Manager at CPC Strategy
Blink, a DIY home security camera company, gained lots of attention for its simple yet genius video ads: showing what goes on in and around your home while you’re away.
The copy is simple and the call-to-action reassures consumers that the ordinary drawbacks associated with home security (monthly fees, wires, installation) don’t apply.
The video itself is short but comedic: a calm and quiet backyard interrupted by a confused woodpecker repeatedly pecking at the camera.
“This video does very well for CTR and engagement. Look at the likes, comments, and shares — they’re very high for a paid post. It’s a silly concept, but it stops you in the feed and makes you laugh. Blink is a tech brand, but they don’t take themselves too seriously in their marketing which I think people appreciate!”
-Casey Edwards, Senior Social Marketing Strategist at CPC Strategy
Drive Traffic To Your Store With Single Image – Website Card Ads
Single image ads are one of the simplest yet effective ways to showcase your brand and drive traffic to your store.
R+Co has seen excellent results by enticing consumers with a unique value prop: join their exclusive hair stylist network for discounts, tutorials, and inspiration.
In a single image, R+Co showcases a beautiful line of products and invite users to visit their exclusive club. If you’re into haircare and beauty products, why wouldn’t you want to join up?
“One of the reasons this ad has been successful is there is a very clear call to action & value prop for joining the network. The creative is very organic looking and feels more native to your feed, which helps boost engagement. The copy and creative is fun and represent’s R+Co’s brand voice well.”
-Savannah Montgomery, Social Marketing Manager at CPC Strategy
Build Awareness and Branding With Carousel – Image Ads
If you have excellent creative, Carousel ads are an effective way to show it off with multiple images and products.
Moon Juice’s beautiful Carousel ads show their best-selling organic supplement powders added to a daily meal or drink.
This allowed viewers to interact and browse an entire line of products, sign up for their newsletter, and eventually visit their store.
Retarget Your Most Valuable Audiences With Carousel – Dynamic Ads
Carousel DPAs are an effective way to retarget your most qualified audiences using the Pixel. In Oribe’s case, an interactive carousel of products gives the audience more choices — and more reasons to return to their store.
This ad featured:
- a short but sweet headline
- plenty of white space
- engaging product titles
It’s a breath of fresh air from the rest of the chaos of the Newsfeed.
Brent Villiot says,
“We are very specific with our messaging and copy. We have different copy for users who have viewed a product vs. those who have added to cart. By differentiating our copy, we can better tailor our messaging to our most valuable audiences.”
The Ingredients of a High-Converting Facebook Ad
Not all Facebook ads are created equal. Some ads on Facebook don’t even look like ads — they have enough engagement to appear as an organic post.
Some are effective; attracting likes, shares, click through — and ultimately, sales. Others fizzle and die like they never had a chance.
So what makes a Facebook ad successful? Here are five ingredients of a converting ad.
1. Engaging
Successful ads attract likes, comments, and the crème de la crème of engagement — social shares. If an ad is engaging, it signals to Facebook’s algorithm that your message is driving organic, meaningful interactions between users.
When you place ad dollars behind organically engaging content, it means lower-cost CPMs and a potential snowball effect as these engagements show up on the feeds of other users.
2. Visually appealing
Successful ads are visually appealing. Clean and aesthetically pleasing creative puts the eyes of consumers squarely on your brand’s offering.
You’re up against millions of other pieces of content fighting for the attention of your target audience. If your ads look like an eyesore thrown together in MS Paint, you’re doing it wrong.
3. Relevant to your target audience
Images and copy should speak to your target audience, using their language.
Your ads for selling fitness gear to eco-conscious mothers should look and feel very different than selling workout gear to college bros.
4. Copy that sells a value proposition
Words. They’re important. Successful ad copy means clear, concise, and engaging writing that gets the user to complete the call-to-action quickly.
“Depending on your audience, emoji’s can be a very easy and eye-catching addition to copy,” says Brent Villiot. “We also try to highlight incentives that give consumers an extra push, like ‘free shipping’ or ‘15% off’.”
5. Tell a story
Today’s consumers are more sophisticated and demanding than before.
They don’t want to just be sold products — they want to be sold a story.
The right images and words not only tell your unique brand story — but also invite the consumer to become a part of it.
Want to learn more?
Facebook Ads Guide: Setup, Strategies And Tips From The Experts