Facebook advertising provides 15 objectives and 1,300+ targeting options, making it complex and overwhelming to most business owners. That does not include the six different ad types to choose from. That is why it is highly recommended to hire a professional experience in Facebook advertising to help set up and run your campaign. Facebook ad managers will have the knowledge and skills needed to create an effective strategy.
In this article, we will explain the different types of Facebook ads available, so you have an idea of which method works best for you. We will cover the types of Facebook ads and break them down to explain the format and objectives, how to use them, and ways to improve your results.
Ad Format vs. Ad Objectives
This is among the most common mistakes business owners make, combining, or confusing these two areas. They are very different from each other, and you should know the difference.
Facebook Ad Format: This is the way your ad will appear to your targeted audience.
Facebook Ad Objective: This is your end goal, such as increase site traffic, build followers, etc.
The reason these two areas are important to know is that Facebook will show your ad to users, which are more likely to fulfill your end goal. Therefore, if you’re aiming to build your follower count, they will show it to those more likely to hit like/follow. If you want more traffic to your website, they will show it to users that often visit a company website.
Facebook has three main ad objectives to choose from, each with a different goal:
- Conversions
- Consideration
- Awareness
In case you did not notice, each of these three areas targets a different part of a sales funnel system. This allows businesses to target users based on the exact moment of the buyer cycle, making them very targeted and less expensive in the long-run.
To begin creating a strategy, you need to know which part of your sales funnel to target. The three main objectives have 15 micro-objectives to choose from to fine-tune your ad to meet your goals.
15 Facebook Ad Objectives
Awareness Ads
There are more than 1.8 billion Facebook users logging in each month. Most of those people likely do not know about your company, or that it exists. Awareness is at the top of a sales funnel, without people being aware of something, how can you convert them?
This allows you to target new people, get them interested in your product or service, and introduce yourself. Create engagement by sharing your company story and connecting with potential customers.
Awareness ads include:
- Reach: Get your ad viewed by most users possible.
- Local Awareness: Get your ad seen by local users. There are limited targeting options based on the area.
- Brand Awareness: Help encourage users to learn more about your company.
How To Use Facebook Awareness Ads
The purpose of awareness ads is to increase brand awareness. When used properly, they can do more than build awareness, they can build a following. It is worth investing in creative and high-quality photos during the awareness phase. For example, short 15-second videos, infographics, and random facts are just some of the popular methods that perform well. However, it has to be a memorable ad to be successful.
Tip: Test to see if your ad is memorable by showing it to a few employees that fit your target audience. Then, an hour later, ask them to describe the ad. This only works if they are unaware they will be questioned later.
Consideration Ads
The consideration ad objectives help get people to consider looking further into your product or service. It targets those in the top to the middle of the sales funnel. This type of advertising is useful for in-app or on-site content, including coupons, how-to articles, blog posts, video testimonials, and newsletters.
Consideration ads include:
- Engagement: Increase engagement between people and your company.
- Traffic: Increase traffic to your website.
- Video Views: Generate more video views.
- App Installs: Get more people to install your app.
- Messenger Ads: Directly advertise to targeted users through Messenger.
- Lead Generation: Obtain more leads through a form that users fill out.
How To Use Facebook Consideration Ads:
It is recommended that you first identify what your top content is, then direct people to that content with your sales funnel. Include an infographic with your content to encourage leads, even create promotional content that people won’t be able to resist. However, keep it realistic as people will catch on if you’re offering a $999 product for $9.99.
Tip: If you have a poor quality ad, no one will click on it. It is worth the time and effort to have a high-quality photo or infographic. Otherwise, it will simply be a waste. Also, ensure that the page you direct people to loads quickly. Slow loading pages are a leading cause of page abandonment.
Conversion Ads
The purpose of a conversion ad is to encourage people to take action and/or buy your service or product. This is done by targeting people in the bottom part of the sales funnel, which helps increase your bottom line. Because of this, these types of ads are also the simplest to analyze but are more expensive than the other types of ads.
Some forms of conversion ads include directly sending people to your contact page or product page, asking them to complete registrations, or getting people to visit your store.
Facebook Conversion Ads include:
- Store Visits: Get more foot traffic to a brick and mortar location.
- Product Catalog Sales: Increase product sales.
- Conversions: Encourage users to take action on your website.
How To Use Facebook Conversion Ads:
Facebook Pixel and conversion ads are used together. Facebook Pixel is a small piece of code that tracks user actions over the web and allows you to remarket to visitors later. Also, you can track user behavior on your website. We highly recommend placing conversion codes on specific pages, such as a thank you page or another relevant page to help track goals.
When you run a Facebook conversion ad, you will have some choices to where the ads are shown, and the format. We will cover the various types of Facebook ad formats next.
Tip: If you have never used conversion ads before, you may want to have a slightly broader target audience than usual. This allows Facebook to help do the work on finding the people most likely to convert. Once you have finished with the ad campaign, gather all the data, and use it to set up the next campaign.
Types Of Facebook Ad Formats
The next thing you will need to know after the different types of objectives is formats. Below we will explain the different types of formats you can choose from.
Choosing The Images or Media Used
According to researchers, it only takes the human brain 13ms to process an image, and more than 6 newspapers full of data is processed daily. Because of this, you have a very small window to gain attention and create interest in your service or product. The best way to do this is to create an amazing first impression. Because of this fun fact, the format you use for Facebook ads will be important.
The Facebook Ad Formats
There are several types of Facebook ad formats, and each one presents your ad differently. Each of the objectives talked about above will present a different set of formats to choose from. Not all of the formats will be available across all the objective types because not all formats are effective at different stages of the sales funnel.
Available Ad Formats:
- Canvas Ads
- Photo Ads
- Video Ads
- Carousel Ads
- Dynamic Product Ads
- Slideshow Ads
Let’s go over these in more detail.
Video Ads
This should not be mixed up with Video Views from the objective list. This type of ad format is simple to understand, they are advertisements shown as videos. A video ad will be best suited for consideration or brand awareness campaigns.
Video ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- Video Views
- App Installs
- Conversions
- Lead Generation
- Engagement
- Local Awareness
- Brand Awareness
- Traffic
- Reach
Tip: When you upload videos directly through Facebook, you get 30% more views on average compared to linking from another source, such as YouTube.
Photo Ads
This is by far the simplest ad format available. They simply contain a single photo, a direct call to action, and a link.
Photo ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- Product Catalog Sales
- Engagement
- Conversions
- Traffic
- Lead Generation
- Local Awareness
- Brand Awareness
- Reach
Tip: Use a strong and high-quality image in your ad. Your image should be realistic, and tell people a story, create an impression that lasts after getting their attention. It is recommended to invest in quality digital design for social media marketing strategies, or find a free photo tool like Canva to create professional-looking imagery.
Slideshow Ads
When you want to show several images or create a story using multiple photos, a slideshow ad could be the best option. You may create slideshow ads on your own, use a slideshow creation tool, or upload from a video. When it comes to slideshow ads, Facebook offers a free slideshow tool to help businesses, and they offer various extras like text overlays, music, and branded formats.
Slideshow ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- App Installs
- Lead Generation
- Video Views
- Engagement
- Conversions
- Local Awareness
- Brand Awareness
- Traffic
- Reach
Tip: You should use high-quality images for slideshow ads, just like any other ad format. However, use the most captivating first to capture attention. Focus on the thumbnail, which is the image that’s shown before users click play. The thumbnail is arguably the most significant image because it creates that first impression and encourages action.
Carousel Ads
The carousel ad format presents various ‘cards’ to the viewer. Each of these cards shows a different image, and you can link them to various locations. These are helpful when you want to market several related products or services, then link directly to their pages.
Carousel ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- App Installs
- Lead Generation
- Product Catalog Sales
- Conversions
- Local Awareness
- Brand Awareness
- Reach
Tip: In addition to a product catalog sale, this type of ad format is useful for generating brand awareness through the use of multiple product images. It can also be used to encourage consideration by providing people with various links to check out.
Canvas Ads
Facebook refers to these ads as being ‘full-screen’ ad experiences. They are the ads that show up on mobile devices and cover the screen, useful for bringing attention to your products. They can be interactive, encouraging users to engage with them, and they are fully-immersive and do not require people to navigate away for more information.
You can use a mix of text, videos, photos, GIFs, and CTA buttons to provide an ad that feels more like a micro-website experience. Users can swipe, scroll, click, or tap directly in the Facebook app to learn more.
Canvas ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- Traffic
- Brand Awareness
Tip: This is one ad format that helps if you get out the scissors, paper, and create a physical mockup to determine how it should play out. Ask yourself, does it flow? Is it cohesive? By creating a laid out mockup, you can see how it will look better on screen.
Dynamic Product Ads
Using Dynamic Product ads will automatically promote your services or products to those that have interacted or shown an interest in your app, website, or in some other way. Simply upload a product catalog, set up the campaign, and it will do the rest.
Dynamic Product Ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- Product Catalog Sales
Tip: You will want to provide high-quality images and ensure the product catalog design has a clean layout. A dynamic ad will constantly auto-populate your products, including outdated products, broken links, and incorrect prices if they are not updated.
Lead Form Ads
This is another self-explanatory ad format. When users click on your ad, it directs them to a form to fill out on your website or landing page. This form will usually be used to collect emails or other information. Facebook also offers a template to speed things up.
Lead Form ads are available in the following ad objectives:
- Lead Forms
Tip: We recommend businesses use this ad format to help build email lists for a newsletter. Email marketing has become one of the most effective and cheapest ways to maintain brand awareness, get leads, and create long-term sales.
Facebook Ad Key Formats
Knowing which ad format to use at each stage of your sales funnel is important. Each type offers different uses, specs, and best practices to get the results you want. If you do not have the experience needed to make this happen, call Sage Marketing.
