Marketing analytics & reporting

Facebook Ads Not Converting? Here is Why

Facebook is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels for any company looking to increase sales volume. With the right Facebook ad strategy, you can quickly increase your sales, regardless of your budget. We'll give you specific examples of companies that executed flawless ad campaigns, as well as advice on how to improve your Facebook ad game.

Whatagraph marketing reporting tool
Dominyka Vaičiūnaitė

Aug 16 2021 9 min read

Facebook Ads Not Converting? Here is Why

Table of Contents

  • Why Facebook ads don’t convert: most common reasons
  • What do people think about ads in general?
  • How to improve your ads: copy popular brands
  • What’s next?

Why Facebook ads don’t convert: most common reasons

Reconsider your targeting

Check your ad-creation process again. You open Ads Manager, fill in the details targeting box, add a lot of objectives and habits, and your mind immediately goes to new customers - people you've never met but who fit the profile of the ideal persona. This method of targeting has been taught to all marketers.

However, because this is a cold audience, you are not targeting people who are actually interested in your brand. Consider your current customers, people who have clicked on your Facebook ads or watched your videos, your mailing list, and so on. With your ad copy, you might want to try to focus on your Facebook fans.

You don’t put much thought into your Facebook ad copy

You probably picture a large image or a high-definition video that looks like a movie when you think of an advertisement. In the vast majority of cases, this is absolutely correct. But don't forget to include a copy that instructs people on how to proceed. Good ad copywriting can persuade people to visit your website by pointing them in the right direction. Great advertising copy has the ability to both excite and entertain.

You aren't focusing your attention on your client's needs if you aren't writing effective copy. If you don't tell people what to do, your ads won't convert. We'll go over this in more detail later to show you how to address this problem.

You are not structuring your campaign correctly

One of the many reasons to learn how to structure your campaigns correctly is that later optimization and adjustment will be easier.

The most common mistakes marketers make are:

  • creating too many generic campaigns
  • not trusting Facebook's algorithms for targeting and optimization
  • not emphasizing the importance of good ad creatives

PPC advertisers also overlook the fact that they should not use the same campaign structure for Facebook ads as they do for Google ads. It's simply ineffective.

What do people think about ads in general?

According to the survey, marketers expect to spend 89% more on social media by 2022, accounting for 18.5% of their total budget. However, it seems that social media users think that ads are repetitive and irrelevant:

  • Nearly 3 out of every 4 users believe there are too many ads.
  • 44% of users don’t find the ads relevant to their needs and wants.

How to be more likable?

Display advertisements with people of different races and sexual orientations. It’s all about inclusion and diversity these days. It's worth noting that 56% value ad diversity.

Learn all about Facebook engagement ads and put the knowledge to work.

You should also consider the user's experience. Increase the frequency, relevance, and variety of your ads. You'll be more likely to improve ad performance as well as the brand's long-term reputation if you do this.

How to improve your ads: copy popular brands

#1 Use unique engaging questions

The purpose of the ad copy is to position the brand in such a way that people will feel compelled to click on your offer. Some marketers do this by asking engaging questions. It appears that capturing the attention of an audience with a simple "yes" or "no" question is easier because the question makes your brand appear honest and engaging.

This Airbnb Facebook ad begins with a question about whether the viewer owns a second home or is planning a vacation. Following that, it proposes renting out the apartment while they are not using it. In advertisements, questions are one of several rhetorical devices that are frequently used.

Using a question as an engagement device in your ad creative will grab the attention of your target audience. If they answer "yes" in their mind, it's very likely that they'll read the rest of the ad copy.

Key Takeaway: To get people's attention and increase the engagement rate of your ad, pose a question in the image.

Example of Facebook Ad by Airbnb

Tip: Don’t ask complex questions. The question should be concise and to the point. If you ask a complicated question, you risk distracting them from the copy and CTA.

#2 Grab the audience's attention with colorful illustrations

Illustrations are used to visualize advertising campaigns, which add artistic distinction and style to the ads. They have the ability to depict ideas that photos can’t do. Because advertising's goal is to attract customers to a company, grabbing their attention is crucial.

One of the most important characteristics of illustrations is that they are able to connect with the emotions of the audience.

For years, Spotify has used colorful illustrations in its ad visuals. They could even be considered pioneers in this field. Even if they aren't focusing on CPA, they use catchy messages that appeal to the human eye to create and promote brand awareness among audiences.

With the help of illustrations, Spotify usually tells a story to give you an idea of what it's like to use Spotify's product.

Example of Facebook Ad by Spotify

Key takeaway: Use illustrations to draw customers' attention and give them a sense of what it would be like to use your product.

#3 Come up with a catchy headline

Great ad headlines are similar to those eye-catching displays found in store windows. You see it, you like it, and you begin to envision yourself owning or using certain products or services. Even though people look at the image first, the copy is what tells them what to do next, so your PPC ad has a significant impact on the overall success of the campaign.

You have 40 characters to come up with a catchy headline. You should concentrate on reducing purchase friction. Take, for example, Allbirds. They advertise free shipping, free returns, and a simple return policy in every ad. It tells the customer right away how they differ from the competition.

Example of Facebook Ad by Allbirds

Key takeaways: Offer a feed scroll-stopping deal to set yourself apart from the competition.

#4 Focus on direct and clear CTA

You should try out and focus on simplicity, attractive design, and an easy-to-understand story that explains the benefits of using your product in your next Facebook ad.

CoSchedule is a project management software. Their advertisement is an excellent example of focusing on simple graphics, clearly stating the benefits of using their products, and including a Call-To-Action to direct customers to the next step.

Example of Facebook Ad by CoSchedule

Key takeaways: Straightforward messaging and simple graphics streamline the ad’s message to two simple facts: what the brand is saying and what they are selling.

#5 Offer discounts

Nike, a well-known brand, is focusing on simplicity in the same way that CoSchedule is. What's interesting about this case is that a major brand like Nike does the same thing as any other brand by offering a discount.

They clearly wanted to say that they are having a 50% off sale with this Facebook ad, so they didn't use any design. It could be argued that they didn't use any design because everyone knows Nike, or that because people love discounts, you want to make clear advertisements to increase your revenue.

Because you want to try everything with your ads, it's a good idea to start with a discount to boost revenue, brand awareness, and sales. Customers will come back and buy your products even if you don't have any sales if what they get with the discount is beneficial to them.

Example of Facebook Ad by Nike

Key takeaway: When experimenting with ads, try running ‘discounted' ones to attract new customers and show them that your service or product is valuable and worth the money.

#6 Implement joy and cheerfulness

Brands are the equivalent of potential friends. You get to pick the people who make you happy. So, you select the products, or, to be more precise, you invest in brands that make you happy. Ads with a sense of humor make products more relatable. You have a better chance of attracting new customers and retaining existing ones if you focus on how users will feel after using your product and show them an image of what experience they will have.

Slack is a company that creates visually stunning content. In this advertisement, they claim that using their service will make your work life easier and more enjoyable. Slack depicts happiness of having and working with them through the experience they provide with the visual choice.

Ads that are fun to look at can help you increase engagement, sales, and click-through rates. If you're not sure how to boost CTR, learn more about it here and improve your Facebook marketing strategy.

Example of Facebook Ad by Slack

Key takeaway: This ad shows how you can promote your work-focused communication tool in a social media environment. Even the most practical product can be made to appear more "fun," so don't be afraid to play around with imagery. It can assist you in improving your conversion rate.

What’s next?

The growing use of social media by consumers, as well as the influence of ads on purchasing behavior, has fueled marketers' enthusiasm for social ads. So, whether ads are seen as a daily annoyance or a valuable resource for assisting consumers in finding what they need, it seems like ads will stay here for a little longer.

Published on Aug 16 2021

Whatagraph marketing reporting tool

WRITTEN BY

Dominyka Vaičiūnaitė

Dominyka is a copywriter at Whatagraph with a background in product marketing and customer success. Her degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies helps her to use simple words to explain complex ideas. In addition to adding value to our landing pages, you can find her name behind numerous product releases, in-app notifications, and guides in our help center.