Facebook is one of the largest and most effective advertising platforms in the world, offering businesses of all sizes the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers by developing a well-planned and targeted Facebook ad strategy that incorporates different types of ads, such as images, videos, carousels, instant experiences, and collections can help businesses effectively leverage the platform’s advertising capabilities to achieve their desired marketing objectives. With so many ad types available and campaign objectives to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or boost sales, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and insights to help you make informed decisions about the best ad type to create successful Facebook campaigns.
Recent Changes to Facebook’s Ads Manager Objectives
Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses to advertise their products and services, and Facebook’s simplified ad objectives provide a clear path for businesses to achieve their advertising goals on the platform.
In the past, Facebook offered 11 ad objectives, but with the latest version, they have simplified their campaign objectives into 6 categories. The new objectives are designed to provide a clearer, more focused path for businesses to achieve their advertising goals. The new objectives include Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion, and Sales.
New Campaign Objectives Layout
The new campaign objectives are closely aligned with the various stages of the customer journey and provide a clearer understanding of what businesses can achieve with each type of ad. It has also been updated to increase user efficiency and improve targeting.
“What is the best campaign objective for Facebook ads?” is a common question among businesses looking to advertise on the platform, and the answer will depend on their specific marketing goals and the stage of the customer journey they are targeting.
Developing a well-informed and effective Facebook ads targeting strategy based on the updated campaign objectives and improved targeting capabilities can help businesses effectively reach and engage with their target audience throughout the customer journey. Facebook shopping campaigns are one of the best ways for e-commerce businesses to showcase their products, reach new customers, and drive sales on the platform, using updated campaign objectives and improved targeting capabilities.
The campaign objectives are segmented into 6 categories, each having a different end goal. If you have previously created a campaign using an outdated objective, you can recreate it by using the table provided and choosing a new objective that closely aligns with the old one. Note that campaigns that have been running using the old objectives will not be automatically updated to the new objectives. They will continue to run as they were previously set up.
Adopting the best Facebook ad strategy for your business, which takes into account the new segmented campaign objectives and involves periodically updating outdated campaigns with more closely aligned objectives, can help ensure ongoing campaign success and optimize your advertising spend.
| Objective | Goal |
|---|---|
| Awareness | Boost brand recognition and reach a large audience. |
| Traffic | Increase traffic to a designated landing page. Focus on website visits or link clicks. |
| Engagement | Reach out to those who are likely to engage with your post or page by commenting, liking, sharing, or sending a message. |
| Leads | Generate leads and collect contact information. |
| App Promotion | People who are more likely to install your app. |
| Sales | Aim to drive online sales. People are more likely to make a purchase. |
Previous Campaign Objectives Layout
In the past, campaign objectives were divided into 3 stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. These stages were further categorized as top-of-funnel (TOF), middle-of-funnel (MOF), and bottom-of-funnel (BOF), to represent a customer’s journey. Each stage had objectives specific to the end goal.
To effectively utilize Facebook ads and achieve optimal results, businesses can develop the best strategy for Facebook ads by carefully considering the customer journey and leveraging the platform’s segmented campaign objectives, which are designed to align with each stage of the funnel and maximize campaign success.
The table below illustrates the different stages in the customer journey, their respective goals, and the objectives that fall under each stage.
| Stages of the Customer Journey | Goal | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Boost brand recognition and reach a large audience. | Brand Awareness Reach |
| Consideration | Targets individuals interested in a product or service. | Traffic Engagement App Installs Video Views Lead Generation Messages |
| Conversion | Focuses on driving sales or desired actions, such as purchases. | Conversions Catalog Sales Store Traffic |
Over time, the platform has evolved to simplify the experience for advertisers. The objectives have been combined to make it easier for advertisers to navigate the platform. This has helped streamline the ad creation process and make it more efficient. By understanding the different Facebook ads types of campaigns and their respective objectives, advertisers can create targeted and effective campaigns that reach their desired audience and achieve their marketing goals.
Similarities Between Both Layouts
While the new version of Facebook Ads Manager has fewer objectives compared to the previous version, the basic features and functionality of the platform remain similar. Advertisers can still use the platform to create and manage their ad campaigns and are still provided with various targeting and optimization options to reach their ideal audience.
| New Meta Ads Objectives | New Meta Ads Objectives |
|---|---|
| Awareness | Brand Awareness Reach Video Views Store Traffic |
| Traffic | Traffic |
| Engagement | Engagement Video Views Messages Conversions |
| Leads | Lead Generation Conversions Messages |
| App Promotion | App Installs |
| Sales | Conversions Catalog Sales |
How to Choose an Objective for your Business
Choosing the correct objective for your Facebook Ads campaign is an important step in determining the success of your advertising efforts. Your objective should align with your overall business goals to make sure that you are reaching out to your ideal audience. Before selecting an objective, consider the type of action you want people to take and what outcomes you are looking forward to. By choosing the correct objective, you can optimize your ad spend and achieve better results.
Set SMART Goals for your Business
The SMART method is a great guide for setting campaign goals. When setting goals, it is important to keep them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This ensures that the goal aligns with your business objectives and outlines a clear path to focus on.
When optimizing for conversion rate, it is crucial to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals using the SMART method.
| Specific | Clear and concise. The goal has to be defined. |
| Measurable | Results can be measured using metrics or other parameters |
| Achievable | The goal has to be in-reach. Attainable. |
| Relevant | The goal has to be aligned with your overall business strategy. |
| Time-Bound | Have a clear deadline. Know your start and end date. |
For example, if your business already has a strong presence online, you can set up your goal to be 100 purchases in the next two weeks by running a sales campaign. This goal can be measured by examining the results metric in Ads Manager. However, this does not apply to businesses that are just starting out because they have yet to establish an online presence.
Setting SMART goals is just the first step. Other factors to consider when setting up a campaign include budget, target audience, and competitors. Advertisers have to make sure that their goals are tailored to the overall business strategy.
Types of Facebook Ads
There are 5 main ad formats that an advertiser can use when setting up their creativity in a campaign. This includes Images, Videos, Carousels, Instant Experiences, and Collections. It is important to note that creatives are essential for user engagement. The more appealing a post is, the more likely it is that the user will take the desired action.
Familiarizing yourself with the different types of Facebook ads available and testing ad creatives is crucial for advertisers to find the most effective format for each campaign and maximize user engagement.
Keep in mind that different formats may work better for different campaigns. It is always best to test ad creatives to determine the most effective for a particular campaign.
Images
Images are the most common format used by advertisers for Facebook campaigns since they are very simple and can be created easily. A single image is often used to promote a particular product or service. Images can also be paired with compelling text and eye-catching graphics to make the advertisement post more engaging. Overall, the simplicity of an image makes it the preferred format for many advertisers.
To create a highly engaging and effective Facebook ad campaign, businesses may consider using the best campaign objective for Facebook ads, which aligns with the simplicity and visual impact of the image format and effectively showcases their product or service.
Videos
Videos are considered to be the most engaging ad format because people are less likely to scroll over the ad. Videos should be kept short, on average 15 seconds. People are less likely to view videos longer than the average time. It is important to ensure that the videos meet Facebook’s specifications for optimal performance and engagement. By leveraging Facebook’s engaging video ad format and carefully considering the platform’s specifications and requirements, businesses can effectively achieve their desired Facebook ad campaign objectives and increase user engagement with their content.
Carousel
Carousel format is also a type of video advertisement that allows marketers to showcase multiple videos or images in a single ad. This format provides an interactive and engaging viewing experience for users as they can swipe through each card. Each card can have its own distinct message and call-to-action, making it a versatile format for promoting products, and services, or telling a story in multiple parts. To effectively showcase products or services and increase user engagement, businesses may choose the best type of Facebook ads, such as the carousel format, which allows for the display of multiple images or videos within a single ad, providing an engaging and interactive experience for users.
Instant Experience
Instant Experience allows users to start watching a video instantly, without having to click on it first to capture attention. The use of sound is optional but preferred. If enabled, the sound will start playing automatically when the post is shown on the user’s News Feed. The instant format is an excellent choice for marketers looking to grab the user’s attention and increase the impact of their ad. This format allows marketers to create interactive experiences without needing to navigate an external website. Marketers can use the Instant Experience ad format to grab users’ attention and increase the impact of their ad by starting a video instantly, with or without sound, and creating interactive experiences that do not require the user to navigate to an external website, making it one of the top Facebook ad hacks.
Collection
The collection format is an instant experience advertisement that allows users to view and purchase products on Facebook. This format provides a fast and convenient way for users to discover and shop for products, as it eliminates the need to navigate to an external website. It consists of a cover video or image that showcases the products and a grid of product images that users can scroll through. Marketers can include product information, pricing, and calls to action within the ad. The collection format is an excellent choice for e-commerce businesses and retail brands looking to drive sales and increase customer engagement on Facebook.
Final Thoughts
Facebook continues to be one of the most effective advertising platforms for businesses. The recent changes to Facebook’s Ads Manager have simplified the process of creating campaigns. When choosing an objective for your campaign, it is important to set business goals. Advertisers should also consider their budget, target audience, and competitors when setting up their campaigns and test different ad creatives to determine the most effective for a particular campaign.
You can also read social media trends in 2022 for useful information
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