Facebook Ads for E-commerce - Tips and Hacks

Anyone that has tried their hand at Facebook ads knows there is so much more than meets the eye. Most new advertisers give it shot, spend their ad budget get no sales then run for the hills, proclaiming that it doesn't work!  

And who can blame them?! It can appear that way, if you don't understand the platform and don't know what you are doing. It is confusing and you do need to take the time to understand it if you want any chance of success (that isn't a fluke!) 

That said, when you do understand the platform, have a strategy in place and a system to follow you can use Facebook to scale your business to levels you hadn't even imagined. 

Here are some of our top tips!

1. Look at the bigger picture. Don't just use Facebook ads as a short term tactic to convert cold traffic into immediate sales. It doesn't work like this - especially when targeting cold traffic. Most people need a certain number of touch points (7-10) before they make a purchase - this means you need to keep showing up and reminding them that you are there. With the right message, in the right way, at the right time. 
2. Use the power of retargeting. This is where Facebook has struck gold; advertisers can use the power of retargeting through the Facebook Pixel. You can target your audience at different stages of the journey and based on different actions they have taken. For example, for people that saw your ad but didn't click, you can retarget them to encourage them to do so next time. For those that clicked the link but didn't buy, you can show them another ad with an incentive to go back and purchase. For those that started check out but didn't complete the purchase, you can show yet another ad with another incentive to complete the purchase. 
3. Use social proof. By social proof, we mean likes, comments and shares for the ad. You can run engagement campaigns to your advert, encouraging Facebook users to like, comment and share your post. The more interaction you have on your ad, the more reassured your audience will feel that 1) you are genuine (and not a scam) and 2) that the product you are promoting will solve their problem. If you don't have any social proof on your ad, link clicks will be low and conversions probably non-existent. 
4. Don't blindly follow the latest Guru's tactic. Different things work for different people and your time is better spent understanding your goals, strategy and audience than flitting from one method to another in the vain hope that something will work. 
5. Test, test and test some more. Facebook ads is all about testing. You need to test different audiences, different copy and different images to see which works best. You also get ad fatigue, so you need to continually monitor performance and refine your campaigns to make sure you are getting the results that you want. 
6. Targeting is everything! You can have the best ad, creative and copy - but if you show it to the wrong audience, you won't get anything back from it. You won't get any sales, clicks or engagement.  That's why taking the time to get know your Customer Avatar is so important. 
7. Find Audiences that already want your product. The beauty of Facebook is the vast amount of data it holds on.... umm... everyone (yes - even you!). For an advertiser this means that you can target audiences with particular interests and can even narrow this done to people who  like pages related to the niche or product that you are offering. You can find people that already want your product and then create ads that engage with the conversations that are already going on in your customers mind. 
8. You need to be prepared to and welcome the idea of spending money on ads. As I've already touched on, Facebook ads should be used throughout the whole customer journey. Not just as a quick win to get a sale. You will be using it to create audiences of people that you can keep showing ads and reaching with different products and promotions. It's an investment. And so in the beginning it will require money upfront! But with consistency and focus you will get that back - and so much more. You just need to be patient and ok with that.
9. The money is in the follow up. As I've just said (but its really worth reinforcing this message as it took me a while to get my head around it!) this is not a quick win - but it is about getting people into your ecosystem. This is about building a list of prospects and customers and an audience that wants a relationship with you. By building and nurturing this relationship with your audience you will create an army of loyal fans who want to buy from you again and again. Because you have paid upfront to have them on your list - the next time you sell to them (through email marketing) there is no cost! And when you sell through a funnel you have the option to increase your average cart value, offer multiple promotions and increase the lifetime value of your customer. So STOP chasing the money and start building your LIST!
10. Leverage Facebook to do as much of the work for you as possible. All you really need to focus on is the audience, the copy and the image. The rest - Facebook can do. When you have campaigns up and running, Facebook will use the data being collected through your pixel to target audiences that are more likely to convert, based on the data points of those that have either purchased or subscribed.  Facebook can even show dynamic product ads to different people depending on their behaviour. For example, if someone bought a particular product on your website - you can use Facebook ads to retarget them showing them complementary products that they might also be interested in. 
11. Install your pixel EVERYWHERE.  The more data Facebook has, the more accurately it can target new audiences that are likely to buy your products. Speed this process up by making sure you have your Pixel everywhere. Have it on your website, your landing pages, funnel and even your blog. This will allow you to build a variety of new audiences and will help Facebook get better at targeting cold traffic. 

I could go on... but I think 11 tips is enough to digest for now. I hope this helps. Facebook really is a beast - but because of this it holds so much possibility and opportunity for you! And it's definitely a strategy you should be considering! 

Any questions - please feel free to comment below! Would love to hear from you. 

Good Luck - and as usual, have an Amazing Day!  😃

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