10 Essential Tips to Get More Sales From Facebook Ads for Your eCommerce Website

We are living in a world that the business marketplace is more fecund than ever before. It becomes more harshly discriminating. 

And only those who can control the market's complexity will receive the rewards. 

So, where is the way out for businesses to become a game-changer and stand out from the countless competitors? 

The key is social media. Moreover, today's post will center on Facebook Ads - the most popular social media used by global marketers these days. 

Want to know more about Facebook advertising benefits and how to get the most out of this lucrative tool. Read on to explore the 10 most useful tips that can make you become a profitable business.

Without further ado! Let’s get started.

How can Facebook ads help eCommerce websites to get more sales?

Reach a Wide Audience 

No doubt, with over 2.7 billion users worldwide, Facebook is attacking people like crazy, and we don't have any sign that its popularity will stop. 

Look at the top list of social media platforms used by marketers around the world.

Source: Statista

It's not over exaggerating to praise Facebook as the king in the world of social networking. It is no longer a simple entertainment platform but turns into an irreplaceable place where people connect with each other under any circumstance. 

Modern Internet users are more and more addicted to Facebook, which can be proved via its significant user numbers. Of course, there are still lots of people who don't use Facebook. 

However, let us remind you that Facebook owns both Messenger and Instagram - 2 mobile apps in the top list of most popular social networks worldwide. 

And both of them are accessible to Facebook advertisers via its ads platform. Your website itself could not suddenly appear in front of customers, but Facebook can help you do that.

Think about the number of audiences you can reach on this platform and bring them into your sales funnel.

Powerful Targeting Options

Have you ever wondered about how Facebook makes money? The answer is advertisements.

Facebook's founders understand their customers so much that they know how to go from an unknown into a multi-billion dollar company. Their profitability comes from the money that global advertisers pay for them to get to their target audience. 

Users' footprints on Facebook and Instagram are all recorded to become an in-depth source of user information. And Facebook owns everything.

That's why its targeting options are so powerful and precise that today's advertisers can reach their ideal audience via Facebook with ease via a long list of the users' interests, behaviors, demographics, traits, and so on. 

So do you! The only matter is whether you can make use of it and become the winner among lots of competitors (which I will mention more below).

Brand Awareness Generation

Not only does Facebook increase the touchpoints with your audience, but it also helps you ramp up your business awareness and contribute to sales in the future.

The more people join the Facebook community, the more influential it becomes to both users and businesses. 

Most businesses tend to create themselves an official page to connect with their followers on social media (not only on Facebook but also on Twitter, Instagram, etc.). Why?

The reason is apparent! As most Internet users have accounts on Facebook and use it on a regular basis, Facebook is a great place to make more people aware of your business. 

The more familiar people are with your brand, the higher chance they will come to your business when it comes to making purchase decisions. 

10 tips to get more eCommerce sales with your Facebook ads campaign

Facebook ads provide an enormous potential to grow traffic and sales. But knowing how to create ads that get results isn't easy. 

Many businesses fail to boost social traffic because they don't know how to create ads that grab attention. Let's dive into 10 ways you can use to increase sales using Facebook ads.

1. Use video ads for customers' attention  

For those who don't know, video content is more prioritized by Facebook's algorithm rather than text content. 

It's quite reasonable if Facebook wants to hold its number one position in the customers' minds; the user experience is considered the most important. 

According to Wordstream, social videos can generate 12 times more than text and images content. That's why a video advertisement can be beneficial in increasing the chances of your post appearance on people's feed. 

Here is what you should do: 

• Make a video about your products or services with great content 
• Then upload it to Facebook 
• Finally, use Facebook Ads to drive your video reach rate  

This will be one of the most competitive keys to capturing customers' attention via Facebook ads. An example of RXBAR when using video for ads.

2. Create scrolling images ads

Another high-converting format you could use for Facebook ads is scrolling type. Facebook allows advertisers to display multiple ads on the same screen.

By doing that, you can promote more products but still raise the viewers' curiosity about the next products you are going to show them. 

This feature of Facebook ads called "Carousel Format", which enables you to show up to 10 images and videos with its most essential information, including:

• Headlines
• Short description for each image or video
• Links or call to action button right under a single ad unit 

Viewers can scroll through each image or video by swiping on mobile devices or clicking the left-right arrows on desktop. This is how your ad looks like when using the Carousel Format.

Tips to make use of "Carousel Format":

• Prompt multiple products or services that link to different post-click landing pages 
• Try to showcase the most notable things of your products via a compelling and short description 
• Make your ads content unique by creating a single long image with the Carousel Ad, as well as deliver your brand's story more naturally and interestingly 
• Make sure all the images or videos used in your campaign have a similar style (composition, color, etc.)

3. Optimize your image for ads

How many advertisements do you see on Facebook in one day? Needless to say, the number is countless. There are so many exciting things on Facebook to distract their attention from your advertisement. 

If your ads fail in capturing the prospects' attention within a few seconds, you only throw the money through the window, nothing more. 

Choosing the right images for your ads is one way to increase the effectiveness of your ads, therefore, driving conversion rates. 

To optimize images for ads, you should:

• Refer bright and eye-catching pictures to run ads
• Include social proof to your images, which show your customers' happiness when experiencing your products or services
• Choose the image resonates with your target audience and refer specifically to real image or people (one factor affects your click rate)
• Check whether your image is the right size for the ad type you selected
• Your copy and ad image need to tell a story related directly to your ideal customer
• Use location-specific images in your ads and to make people take notice of your brand

Some design tips for performance improvements in your images:

• The thirds rule - divide your image into 9 equal boxes (with 2 lines horizontally and 2 vertically). Place your image's main subject in the cross-sections of the drawn lines to create a feeling of balance for your pic and focus looks on the subjects
• Choose contrasting colors for the image to make your ad stand out
• Include less than 20% text overlay on the images
• Use numbers to get your point across

4. Strengthen your brand identity instead of selling

Sometimes, Facebook ads could be used in strengthening a brand identity rather than sales. In fact, most people choose to ignore adverts online automatically. And on Facebook, they can do that with a twitch.  

The truth is social is a place where people go to connect with their friends and networks, not to look for things to buy. 

One solution is to advertise without actually selling anything and replacing promotional content with things that focus on brand storytelling and identity. 

To do this kind of advertising, it's essential to set up your content plan beforehand with a list of the most engaging content related to your brand, but not for selling. This kind of ad will help you build a strong customer base and strengthen their brand loyalty in the long-run.

5. Create customer CTA button 

If, in the past, we only had the simple box format, Facebook now allows us to create a personal call-to-action (CTA), which helps a lot in creating CTR (click-through-rate) of Facebook ads.  

When people see your ads and feel interested in the offers, the CTA button will tell them what to do next. You could choose some options for the CTA content on Facebook like "shop now," "learn more," or even enter your own custom one. 

This is really useful for promotional ads that actively drive your customer to click and increase your potential conversion. 

6. Use social proof for your advertising post

Nielsen's survey said that 82% of Americans search for recommendations from their friends and family before purchasing anything. The number doesn't lie. 

The influence of social proof on customer decision making is really huge. And if you could make use of this point, the result you get back can be unbelievable. 

What you could try is to use product reviews of top-rated to attract first-time visitors with specific items. For example, look at one Facebook ad of the Nations Photo Lab to promote their product via a 5-star review.

7. Promote referral programs using Facebook ads

One of the most significant stresses of most businesses is looking for a reliable customer acquisition channel, or basically, bringing in new customers. 

Facebook ads are one of the getaways for that problem. Not every customer cares about your referral program. Some even don't know about it. 

That's why using Facebook ads to promote your referral programs will be a way to announce to all your customers about those programs. Businesses can offer their existing customers to share your brand on Facebook with the forms of video or text.

The greatest thing about using Facebook ads for your referral program is it has an entry popup that can prompt visitors to Like your page via straightforward action. 

Last but not least, an essential determinant of effective referral programs depends on how compelling your awards are to your audiences. 

Some things you could do to make your prize more profitable and higher conversion:

• Make the awards relevant to your business (discount, gift cards, free service, etc.)
• Find things that compelling enough to entice people to enter and refer their friends (based on your customers' personas)
• Build a clear base prize from the start (recommend discounts from 15 - 25% Off)

8. Optimize your ad content 

Content is the soul of every single digital marketing strategy. Especially when it comes to capturing audiences' attention and even converting them into sales, content is the emotional connection between brand and customers.  

And when you decide to run a Facebook ad, the content you choose needs to get your money's worth as you only have a few seconds to grab customers' sight among several posts.  

Our advice to you is to create content for every stage in your sales funnel and try to make it as specific as possible. Based on the customers' buying journey, you can promote different content to the right audience using Facebook Ads. 

Furthermore, you can learn about the 5 W’s & the H in content marketing to write such content that engages and converts customers.

Once you know who your content is for, then you have to ensure it's attractive enough to push customers towards a purchase. Some tips for you to try:

• Use words that trigger clicks (such as “don't miss out”, “limited time only”, “executive offer”, “last chance”, “buy now”)
• Use catchy ad words and well-structured content, including the headline, text above the image, and the bottom description 
• Keep your ad content short that showcases its biggest selling point 
• Make sure the ad voice matches your brand's image and message

The ad below is an excellent example of writing ad copy short but still comprehensive, making it easier for readers to instantly grab the brand's message. 

9. Use white background 

The white background is proven by thousands of advertising experts about its effectiveness on more click-through generation. Why?

Simply, the whole color tends to draw our eyes more than others. When putting any subject in the white space, it really stands out. Moreover, it also makes your ad look clean and beautiful on almost every screen. 

The image below is a great illustration of using a white background for Facebook advertising. 

The total view is incredibly clean and futuristic. Most importantly, the white space makes us draw our eyes towards the smartwatch and its offer in the green block. 

10. Optimize your targeting options 

Apparently, Facebook offers global businesses a unique tool for niche advertising. Its system records and collects most of Facebook's users from demographics to interests, hobbies.

As e-commerce owners, those are super useful in helping them reach their target audience on the Facebook platform among thousands of users. 

Below are some ideas to consider when using this most potent system of Facebook:

• Target your web visitors: With "Facebook pixel," you can target to those familiar with your brand on Facebook ads 

To activate it, go to Events Manager -> choose “Connect Data Sources -> select Web -> click Facebook Pixels -> Connect -> place the Facebook pixel to your web

• Target cart abandonment: 70% of buyers abandon their shopping cart before checking out. You can create an ad targeting those who not only visited your page via Facebook pixel but also added items to their cart without buying

Examples of successful eCommerce Facebook ads campaign

CSU San Marcos

What can we learn from this Facebook ecommerce ad:

• The headline is short but still get to its right point 
• The image describes a young and well-dressed woman with her laptop, which reflects their brand's target audience and the ad's message
• The body copy is able to emphasize the most crucial selling point of the offer 

What it could take to become better:

• The headline conveys the whole meaning of the offer but is a bit vague. We could try it with a different headline like: "Learn From Experts"
• Avoid using too long body text that can make it be cut off when displaying in ad form
• The text in the image and headline are quite repetitive. It would help if you considered using 2 different content for them but still convey the offer's benefits

Outbrain

What can we learn from this Facebook ecommerce ad:

• Putting a question with orange color on the left corner that can really draw people in
• The question on top of the image also directly addresses their brand's audience on this ad - Affiliate Marketers? 
• The colors of the text are noticeable - Orange and white in the blue background
• The biggest text on the image convey clearly the benefit of using Outbrain's product - Drive Revenue with Native Ads
• The model is gazing toward the headline, that leads viewers toward the text on the left

What it could take to become better:

• The colors they used for the image could be brighter and more colorful for better visual performance as well as related to the offer
• Social proof on this ad needs to be more powerful to prevent users from scrolling down

Conclusion

We should never underestimate the power of Facebook ads has on fueling your business' growth. Facebook can indeed increase your sales, but advertising requires a more conscious plan to be successful.

And running Facebook ads and having high-converting ads are 2 different stories. Have smart investments on things that are worth your money. 

It's time for you to go forth and conquer this legendary platform!

Author bio

Binh is a content executive at Mageplaza.com, she understands the value of content marketing lies in the engagement between the customers and companies. Her wish is to bring a unique voice, different perspectives, and new light for every audience. She's also a cat-lover and local conservationist.