At the moment, e-commerce is huge and Facebook e-commerce ads are even huger when it comes to generating revenue and scoring sales.
This is especially true if one thinks how easily Facebook ads can lead conversion dreams into fruition:
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Social media platforms are the first thing a consumer checks out before purchasing something or even before they decide what they’d like to purchase in any given situation.
This means that you’ll need a very strong digital presence when it comes to e-commerce. You’ll manage to craft that by using all tools at your disposal, from social media marketing tools to free email marketing services.
But before you jump into studying all about Facebook ad analytics, perhaps you need to steal some e-commerce ads inspiration for Facebook for 2020.
First Things First
You need to know a thing or two about Facebook ads in general, before going forth with creating your own set of Facebook ads for your e-commerce endeavors.
Facebook’s got a network of apps where one can advertise a business. You can run an ad for your e-commerce store for Instagram and Facebook Messenger as well, but you’ll need to check a few things first:
- How is your audience using each platform? Know how to test audiences on Facebook.
- Where does the majority of your audience’s activity take place?
- What type of content does your audience seem to interact with, more?
In order to answer those questions, you’ll need to make sure you understand your data and your competitors’ moves.
Study their ads first and make sure to identify the key components that make a difference-and make those ads convert, potentially. It could be the copy, it could be the visuals or, it could be the fact that your video ad is lacking something.
There is a general consensus though, that you should keep in mind:
- Facebook ads need to be very well-written with very clear visuals that pop and aren’t “too much”. The principle for 2020 is that less is more when it comes to ads.
- “Popping”, intense colors work best for brands that have a younger audience. Make sure to use hot pinks and neons but bold, simple typography at the same time.
- Investing in social media management tools will be of great help further down the line, as they’ll help you discover relevant content, schedule posts and build your brand-and therefore your brand’s tone, the types of content and ads you want and all that jazz.
- UGC works for anyone and everyone. Using influencer marketing to your advantage may come at a price, but social networks and their users love it. This type of content seems natural, it feels native and it just fits. Not to mention that it seems like anyone can do it.
- Facebook ads are engaging, so long as you use them correctly. Users can interact with your ad, either by liking and commenting on your post or by sharing your ad, allowing you to delve into referral marketing as well.
Pro tip: Top your referral marketing strategy off with a landing page and a discount code and check out more referral program examples for more inspiration!
- Your videos need to have two things: optimal length according to medium and consumer age and, most importantly, subtitles. Most people view videos on mute nowadays, so you’ll need subtitles and visuals that indicate sound wherever needed-if, for example, the video is starring an animal or a small child.
But enough with those. Let’s go see the best Facebook e-commerce ads and check why they converted.
For the Carousel Ads Category: Pura Vida
A carousel ad is one that contains a lot of images and sometimes a video or a GIF will be perfectly and cleverly placed just to keep the ad itself from being monotonous.
A carousel ad is there to demonstrate multiple products as a replacement for an actual video ad, like those one would watch on the television.
Pura Vida Bracelets decided to go with this format on their Facebook ads campaign and they couldn’t have made a better choice. Just take a look:
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According to Facebook itself, this carousel ad was so successful that the brand sold 20 times as many products. But why did this work?
As you can see for yourself, there is nothing “too much” with this carousel ad format. The pictures are simple, the prices are there and everything is clickable. However, what binds it all together is the copy.
It’s socially conscious and it bakes in the brand’s main goal-to do good and to support artisans globally, allowing the user to understand the difference they can make when buying one of their products.
Oh, and of course, I should mention the emojis. Emojis work perfectly for Facebook ads, as posts with emojis generally perform better.
Carousel ads are perfect for all types of e-commerce stores-and, frankly, they’re my favorite out of the Facebook ad category.
They’re great for UGC, great for customer testimonials, and even greater for showing off the wide variety of your products. Thus increasing the likelihood of the consumer finding something they actually love.
For the Plain Image Category: Dollar Shave Club
Single image ads for Facebook e-commerce ads are more or less the oldest trick in the book. They’ve been around forever and sometimes they’re the ones that convert, provided they’re used correctly.
Use them if you’re unsure of how to get started with advertising your e-commerce store on Facebook.
Now, here’s one of the best examples of plain image (aka single image) ads for e-commerce I’ve seen on Facebook:
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All the way from 2016, this is an oldie but goldie, just like Dollar Shave Club’s viral landing page video, released in 2012.
Dollar Shave Club sells razors-a product that is mainly marketed “for men”. But in this ad, we can see something rare that transcends gender marketing and aims towards a more gender-neutral approach, thus doubling the purchasing opportunities.
The fantastic thing about this ad is its simplicity. Moreover, the lack of gender-specific colors is a direct “bashing” at Gillette, whose “Venus” pink razor is marketed as a women-specific product.
The copy, combined with the image, creates a pretty powerful message. Being so inclusive can only work to a brand’s advantage while approaching a slice of the audience’s pie that didn’t seem to be important at first glance.
Studying your data is of utmost importance for this type of ad, as well as creating up-to-date buyer personas.
For the Facebook Messenger Category: Sephora
Facebook Messenger ads are fairly new and pretty effective when it comes to conversion. They come in three categories:
Ads that are on your app’s home screen, ads that are in your inbox as a sponsored message, and lastly, ads on your Facebook homepage that link to a Facebook Messenger chat.
The one I’ve bumped into the most and the one that feels less intrusive is the Click-to-Messenger one. This type of ad is the one found on your Facebook’s homepage. Its CTA is not “See More” or “Buy Now”, as in most cases.
For Click-to-Messenger ads, the CTA you’ll see will be “Send us a Message”, in most cases. And now, let’s talk about my favorite case: Sephora.
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The beauty part of e-commerce is always one step ahead, and that is no lie. Sephora was one of the first ones to utilize Click-to-Messenger ads.
As you can see, the image is simple, the CTA is clear and, to make sure that there is no confusion, the Messenger icon is right there where everyone can see it.
By clicking on the “Book Now” CTA, the prospect was presented with the following message:
You can see that there are three options available. That way, the prospect won’t think twice about what they need. It’s right in front of them, after all!
In this case, this ad worked because of two main reasons:
- The clear copy. No ifs, no buts, book now for a full face. There is no hidden catch.
- The message on Facebook messenger. Very simple, goes straight to the point, and doesn’t tire the prospect with more questions than necessary.
According to Forbes’ interview with Deborah Yeh, SVP of Marketing and Brand at Sephora, this practice brought an 11% increase in bookings-and thus, more conversion.
For the Video Ads Category: MeUndies
Video ads are almost too common nowadays on Facebook and its partner companies-Instagram and Messenger, that is.
Video keeps rising exponentially as a medium and with good reason. Videos are way more likely to capture the actual use, look, and feel of a product. This is why e-commerce product videos are so common and sought after as a tactic.
Facebook allows more long-form videos, while Instagram’s best-performing feature, Instagram Stories, allows 12 seconds, that are more than enough to demonstrate all of the reasons for someone to buy your product.
MeUndies is one of those e-commerce brands that decided to use video to their advantage. Needless to say that they did not regret it.
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This tagline is one of those that can stick around for ages and actually goes well with an ad that shows rapid changes of clothes in a youthful environment. There are products on display right beneath the video for anyone that wants to look into the brand further.
In general, Facebook video ads are perfect for e-commerce, because they can display variety. Whether we’re talking about products or uses, even testimonials for said products. And videos engage, attracting more attention than plain posts and photos.
But back to the point. Apart from being fun and creative while demonstrating the products in the best way possible, MeUndies’ video itself was fast loading and optimized for mobile, converting both mobile and desktop buyers alike-by 40%, no less.
The Takeaway
While creative marketing is fairly easy to happen when it comes to Facebook ads, especially for something as diverse as e-commerce, it’s important to not overdo it.
You’ll need to have some creative but concise copy that your audience can understand. Dynamic CTAs with actionable verbs that pinpoint exactly what the user has to do. Visuals that won’t feel overbearing. Fast-loading ads and videos that won’t tire anyone out.
But the most important thing of all would be to always A/B test and study your data vigorously, ideally using an AI tool. That way, you’ll be able to create personas on a one-on-one basis: one for each customer.
This will allow you to re-evaluate your customer base, your personas and, eventually, create more ads that sell to more people.
