Best Practices for Facebook Advertising in 2018

by Jeremy Banks Evolutesix

Character limits exist for a reason, other than to tell you you’re running your posts too long. While you can use up the character count, there are ideal lengths for your posts per social media platform. For instance, the ideal length of a tweet is somewhere between 120 to 130 characters even though the maximum character count is 280.

Similarly, Facebook has its own ideal practices including character count. Any Facebook advertising company will tell you that to run a successful ad, it has to adhere not only to Facebook’s guidelines (which continues to evolve) but also its best practices. Here are some tips for advertising on Facebook in 2018.

1.Create a CTA (Call to Action) That Pops

Any ad that gets people to click is already fifty per cent successful. The CTA is the ultimate finish of your ad—that which makes your customers think about what course of action to take next. It doesn’t necessarily have to say something like “Buy now” (unless it fits). It does have to complement your ad’s copy though.

Even simple expressions like “Download” or “Learn more” are effective, as long as they convey a course of action to take. Use active verbs to tell people what you want them to do. You can get as specific as you like, depending on your ad. For example, if you’re advertising a local gym, your ad’s CTA could say something like “lose weight now.”

It’s also a plus to give people a sense of urgency or feeling of exclusivity. When you play on people’s general FOMO, you will have more chances of success with your ad. No matter what purpose you have for putting up your ad—generating leads or creating conversions— your CTA button has the power to lead your customers where you intend for them to be.

2.Keep Your Headline at 25 Characters Max

The point of the headline is to grab users’ attention. This is where you have to be straightforward and tell users upfront what your ad is about. So if you’re a clothing company giving a 40 per cent discount on selected items, you can announce that on your headline. Whatever details you may need to explain further should be done on other sections of your ad, as your headline needs to be straight to the point.

Make sure your headline matches the image you’ve chosen for your ad. Your headline needs to set context to the image.

3.Lead Your Customers to a Clear Path

Your CTA should lead your customers to exactly where you need them to be. If you’re a jewelry brand and your CTA says “Shop Now”, you could lead your customers to your site’s shop page instead of your homepage. This makes it convenient for your customers, instead of having them navigate your website for themselves.

If your intention is to get customers to subscribe to your newsletters, lead them to your site’s page where they can sign up for your newsletter. Again, the CTA should lead your customers where you intend for them to be.

The best practices for Facebook advertising may not be obvious to all advertisers, but once you’ve grasped the ideal techniques for your ads, you’re a step closer to getting results. There’s a lot to master, and there’s still more to learn, but don’t fret— you can always consult a Facebook advertising company to assist you with your Facebook ad campaigns.