Facebook Algorithm
Facebook made a significant change in its newsfeed algorithm back in January 2018. The algorithm change is meant to ensure that users see more personal posts (or cat videos and memes) than advertisements.
This also explains why spending more money on Facebook Ads does not guarantee success. And one way to measure Facebook Ad success is by checking your click-through rate or CTR.
You can read more about the ranking signals Facebook is using in 2020.
Computing Your Click-Through Rate
Your CTR is the number of clicks that your ads received versus the number of people who saw it (impressions). You can compute it using this formula:
Facebook CTR = (Total Clicks / Total Impressions) x 100
So if your ad made 100 impressions and 50 of those clicked through, then your Facebook CTR is 50%.
Another thing you should keep in mind is that you should do your own benchmarking. Sure, there are studies showing that the average Facebook CTR across all industries is 0.90%. But that does not mean that it should be your ultimate goal.
Here are two things that we usually advise our clients at Voy Media Marketing Agency NYC:
- Run a Facebook Ad for at least two weeks and compute your average CTR.
- Find ways on how you can improve your Facebook CTR throughout your campaign.
That said, here are eight ways on how you can boost your Facebook Ads’ click-through rate:
1. Refine Your Audience
Generally, you cannot run an effective Facebook Ad campaign if you do not know who your target audience is. Doing so increases the chance that more users will convert through your ad.
Here’s how you can refine your Facebook audience:
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Location: You can target your ads based on your audience’s location. So, if you own a local coffee shop, you might want to target Facebook users who live within and near your area.
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Age and Gender: Aside from location, you can also target your ads based on your audience’s age and gender. For instance, you sell hair and makeup products, and it would make sense that you target female Facebook users who are aged 21 or older.
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Interest and Behaviors: Other than demographic information, you can also target your ads based on your audience’s interests and behavior. For example, a coffee show owner can run Facebook Ads and target users who like brands like Starbucks or Seatle’s Best.
2. Know Where to Place Your Ads
Here’s the thing: Facebook will provide you with CTR data according to ad placements. Some examples of ad placements are Facebook newsfeed, right-sidebar, Messenger, Instagram story, etc.
That said, it is important to know where you should place your ads, as this can make or break your CTR. If you sell beauty products, your Facebook Ads might do well on the newsfeed or via Instagram stories.
In relation to this, knowing your ad placements can help you determine the kind of ad copies and multimedia content that you should use. That’s because every placement has its own image or video dimensions.
3. Make Your Ads Enticing
Now that you know who your audience is, as well as the right parameters to target them, it is now time to make the most enticing Facebook Ad.
Whether you will be using an image or video, what’s important is that (1) you are following Facebook’s guidelines, and (2) your ad copy is engaging.
Here are the ad elements that you should focus on:
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Headline: Make it clear and concise as this is one of the first things that your target audience will notice. Instead of using your business name as the headline, such as “My Coffee Shop,” you might want to say, “Enjoy Your Quick Coffee Break With Us!”
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Ad Copy: You can effectively use the space meant for “status” by highlighting your selling point. As for your coffee shop, it could be your cozy space, affordable coffee, or your fast and free Wi-Fi.
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Multimedia Content: Your image or video can make a difference. Hence, it should be eye-catching. And as mentioned earlier, it should follow Facebook’s guidelines.
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Call-to-Action: Your CTA is what will inform your audience on what to do next. Moreover, this will differ depending on your advertising goals.
The key here is to make your ad so visually appealing to the point that it can compel people to click-through.
4. Communicate With Your Target Audience
One way to make your ads enticing and effective is by communicating directly with your target audience.
How can you do that, you ask? Well, read the following statements:
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Whether you’re alone or with friends, enjoying a cup of coffee should be a relaxing and tranquil experience.
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Be it alone or with friends, enjoying a cup of coffee is a relaxing and tranquil experience.
Which of these two is more engaging?
If you say that it is statement #1, then you know how to create an ad copy that speaks directly with your target audience.
Mind you, ads with engaging copy receive a lot of clicks and comments. And this is something you should aim at if you want to boost your Facebook Ad’s CTR.
5. Ensure Your Multimedia Content Pops
As mentioned earlier, the multimedia content that you will use on your ads should be eye-catching.
One way to do that is to refrain from using bland stock photos. Opt for more natural-looking image ads. Otherwise, your target audience will just ignore your Facebook Ad. After all, they are largely immune to obvious advertisements on their newsfeed.
Say, you sell sneakers with custom art and design. You can opt to use an image of someone wearing one of your products instead. Better yet, make that someone walk along the streets to make your multimedia ad content look and feel natural.
Don’t have the budget to hire a model for your business? Consider asking your friends’ help to model for you in exchange for minimal compensation.
6. Make An Appealing Offer
Knowing who your target audience is, and having an enticing Facebook Ad is not enough. It is important that you also have an appealing offer. Your potential customers would want to know what they can get after clicking your ad.
Simply put, your offer is what would make them click through. And this will depend on your advertising goal.
So, if you want people to visit your coffee shop, you might want to offer a discount to first-time customers. And then match it with a relevant CTA such as “Get Discount.”
This is likely to improve your Facebook Ad’s CTR as it clearly tells what your audience can get from clicking your ads. Not to mention that you were able to make an appealing offer.
7. Create A Sense of Urgency
If you want to make your Facebook Ad to be extra appealing and generating as many clicks as possible, you can do that by creating a sense of urgency.
So make sure to inform your target audience that your offer is only available for a limited time.
Something as simple as “Promo runs until December 31, 2020” is enough to push your audience to take action.
8. Split Test Your Facebook Ads
Another way to improve your Facebook Ads’ CTR is through a split test.
How this works is that you will make and run at least two variations of your ads. Facebook will then randomly serve one version of your ads to your target audience. From there, you will see which of your ad variations was able to generate the most CTR.
Just keep in mind that in order for your A/B test to be effective, you should test one element at a time.
So, for instance, you might want to test your headlines first. See which generates the most CTR: The one that uses “My Coffee Shop” or “Enjoy Your Quick Coffee Break With Us!”?
Once you have the results, use the winning headline and then pair it with at least two variations of your CTA. For example, “Visit Us Today!” versus “Check Our Business Hours.”
Pro Tip: Run your A/B test for at least two weeks so you can gather enough information regarding your campaign.
Conclusion
Your Facebook Ad CTR is one of the best metrics to check in order to understand how your audience is responding to your ads. It is an indicator of whether your ads are engaging enough or if you are targeting the right people.
So, whenever you run a Facebook Ad campaign, it is best to follow the tips above and let it run for at least two weeks. Depending on the results you are seeing, consider what tweaks you should do to boost your Facebook Ads CTR.
The key here is to continuously improve your Facebook Ads until you achieve your marketing goals and generate your desired results.
