According to Meta, advertisers can reach around 2.11 billion people on its platforms. That’s 1 out of every 4 people on the globe. And Facebook, their biggest platform, gets the biggest share out of this reach.
So, it’s only logical that more and more businesses, both small and big, are investing big money into advertising on Facebook. But as is the case with any platform out there, your ads need to be done and managed properly in order to succeed.
Luckily for you, our focus today is going to be on the anatomy of a Facebook ad. We’ll take a look at the different components that make up an ad. Also, we’ll go through the different steps that you can implement with each component in order to make it work. Keep reading for more.
The anatomy of a Facebook ad
Peek into any dictionary, and the word “anatomy” will usually come up as the study of the structure or internal workings of a thing. And that’s what our goal is. Read on to find out the structure and internal workings of Facebook ads and how they come together to create a functional ad campaign.
1. Primary text
The power of text can extend well outside of the advertising world. It’s also the backbone of every good ad. Also known as the “post text” or “ad copy”, the primary text can be anything from a one-liner, several lines, one or two paragraphs, or even in some cases, a lot more.
The recommended length for this copy by Facebook itself is anything under 125 characters. This is to ensure readability by mobile users, the vast majority of Facebook’s user base. Still, the length that you should go with depends on your needs, the ad type you’re using, and more.
The one true solution to finding your sweet spot is to test, test, and test. Every business has its unique audience. And each of these audience groups is usually comfortable with a specific length range.
Additionally, you should try to get creative with your ad copy. Some advertisers include emojis to put an emphasis on certain points in their copy. Others prefer not to because of their audience preferences. Still, as important as your ad copy is, it should not overshadow other components of your Facebook ad.
2. Anatomy of a Facebook ad: Visuals
It’s widely acknowledged by advertisers that audiences respond better and faster to visual information than text. Your ad can contain the best copy there ever is or was, but it won’t generate as much engagement if you don’t have the right image or video to back it up.
So, your task here is basically to make your creative(s) as appealing as possible without overdoing it. Sure, it’s recommended to put the most eye-catching creative you can afford to get, but you need to consider a lot of factors before doing it.
For starters, think of your audience. Unsurprising, we know! Since your audience is at the core of all of this. Get an idea of what they want to see and what they don’t want to see. Provide them with something that you think will bring value to them. Once you figure this part out, you’re pretty much set.
Now comes the part where you try to ensure that the creative you’re using will be as attention-grabbing as possible. For instance, avoid elements that are blurry, grainy, too dark, or too bright. Try to also adhere to the recommended minimum image size of 1080×1080 pixels.
As for the video, take into consideration of the length and quality of your creativity. And similar to images, try to figure out what specs will suit your ad objectives as well as business objectives. Do you want to use a short video? Or a lengthy one? It all depends on what you’re trying to tell and achieve with your ad.
3. Headline
The third component that makes up the anatomy of your Facebook ad is the headline. In most cases on Facebook, this headline is located below your creative. It also features a bigger and bolder font that will drive focus towards it.
An excellent headline is a combination of creativity, a sense of urgency, and more. You’re going to be investing a lot of time and brainpower into this single sentence. And if that doesn’t speak to its importance, we don’t know what does.
Besides your creative, your headline is how you’re going to catch the attention of people scrolling through Facebook. Plus, whatever value you’re providing with your product or service should be highlighted in this one short line.
A headline, unlike your copy, should be short, catchy and straight to the point. It should also entice a sense of interest and inspiration in your audience. One element that can help with this is emojis. But yet again, if you feel like emojis don’t cut it with your target audience, avoid them.
But always keep in mind that your main aim with a headline is to grab the attention of your audience members. You want them to click on your CTA (call to action button) after reading that headline of yours.
Examples
Here are a few examples of powerful and effective ad headlines that you should definitely mimic:
- For instance, if your Facebook ad links to a blog post, you could go with “How to {pain point} in 7 easy steps”
- Say, for example, you run a clothing business and you’re promoting a new pair of jeans. A good headline would be “Feel good in the {product name}”
- A good headline could also include the price of the product, and enticing phrases such as Free Shipping, Buy 3 Get 1 Free, 30% etc
- Moreover, if you happen to offer a product that is widespread in the market and only you happen to offer it for a lower price, you can emphasise that. Your headline would be something along the lines of “{product type or product name} made affordable”
4. Anatomy of a Facebook ad: Link description
Usually, sitting right under your Facebook ad’s headline is the description. This is where you can tell your audience more about your offer or business as a whole. It’s also your chance to talk about other value you will provide that wasn’t mentioned in your headline.
You can also try to imply why the value you’re proposing with your ad is worth the click on the call-to-action button. Again, what you include in this portion of your ad mainly depends on your advertising objectives.
Moreover, you can cover additional information about your product or service that you deem important in this part. Anything from your products’ best features to pricing can be included in the ad description.
You can also give people an idea of what awaits them after they click on your CTA button since your ad description sits right next to it. What’s great about this approach is the fact that people feel more incentivised to click on your CTA if they have an idea of what they will find.
The fifth and last component in the anatomy of a Facebook ad is the CTA button. This clickable element is the gateway that your audience members take to move to the next step.
And that fact alone makes it extremely important. Now, Facebook lets you choose from a wide variety of different CTAs such as “Learn More”, “Download”, “Sign Up”, “Subscribe”, “Contact Us”, and more. Here is a full list of what Call-to-Action buttons are available in the Ads Manager.
Now, you need to make sure that the CTA you go with gives your clients an idea of what is expected of them once they click on your ad. Is it a simple sign up to turn them into a lead, or is it a purchase? It all depends on the objectives of your ad.
Anatomy of a Facebook ad – Types
Now that we’ve gone through the anatomy of a Facebook Ad let’s take a quick look at the different types of Ads offered by Facebook.
When we say types, we don’t exclusively mean ad formats but also placements.
Ad formats
The five components that make up the anatomy of a Facebook ad will come together in one of these formats:
- (Single) Image ads
- (Single) Video ads
- Instant Experience ads
- Carousel ads
- Collection ads
- Slideshow ads
Each of these ad formats has specific targets and design specs that come with it. If you want a more in-depth look into this, simply check Facebook’s ads guide. There, you’ll find all the information you will need about each format’s objectives, limits, and specifications.
How effective any of these formats are to your campaign solely depends on you. You need to do a lot of testing in order to figure out which ad format or formats work best for your target audience.
Ad placements
Besides ad formats, you will have to also worry about the placement of your ads. This is because a good ad that is misplaced is basically useless. Your ads can be placed anywhere from Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds to Messenger. You can place them as a post, stories, or on the Audience Network. The latter is a collection of sites and apps off-Facebook where you can place your ads.
When starting off with advertising on Facebook, it’s highly recommended to just stick to automatic placements. This AI-powered algorithm will show your ads in places where they’re likely to perform best.
Once you familiarise yourself with ad formats and placements, you’ll be able to get the best results. Indeed, the last thing any advertiser wants is to implement an ad campaign with the wrong format or placement.
We can take it off your hands
If you feel like Facebook Ads are a bit hard to tackle, worry not, as we’re here to help. Book a discovery call with us today, and one of our paid advertising experts will get in touch shortly.
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