Any person who uses Facebook today is familiar with the ads they see in their feed. Love them or hate them; they are here to stay. 

And that’s good news if you own a business.

Facebook has been running ads in some form since 2004. The current Facebook Ads format began in 2007. While people initially complained, we soon got used to the, and today we accept that they make Facebook free to the world.

Facebook is always iterating with its design and approach to ads. Over the years, the types of ads they have available for businesses to promote their products have evolved a great deal.

What Kind Of Attention Do You Want?

If you are a business owner wanting to grow your customer base, you need attention from your prospective customers.

One of the huge advantages of Facebook Ads is that over 2.4 Billion people worldwide are on the platform. An astonishing 68% of Americans use Facebook. 74% of users visit the site daily.

So, if you want to get attention, Facebook is the place to find it. But the big question is, what kind of attention do you want for your business?

Most businesses can break down their attention-seeking needs into three categories: Awareness, Consideration, Conversion. For any kind of customer you are seeking, these three categories of attention will help you find them, influence them, and hopefully sell them. Understanding that there are viable customers at every stage in the purchasing funnel, it’s important to set the right objective to best attract your desired audience.

Of course, knowing what kind of attention you want is just the beginning. Next, you must decide what types of Facebook Ads are best for your business.

To help you decide which types of ads work best for which kind of business, here is a quick guide to the five types of Facebook Ads.

1) Lead Generation Ads

In digital marketing, one of the toughest asks is for a customer to give you their contact information. 

People are generally skeptical and don’t want to be sold something they don’t want. Facebook Lead Ads aim to solve this challenge by offering Facebook visitors a safe, smooth method of sharing their contact info with businesses they are interested in. The entire process begins and ends in the Facebook feed, and takes less than a minute for people to complete.

Usually, with Lead Generation Ads, there is a promotion or an incentive being offered by the business. Some companies will offer a sample, a free trial, an ebook or training course, a chance to win something. Basically, they offer something that entices the person to give their information in exchange.

When completing a Lead Generation Ad, people generally know that they will be contacted, so they may not always be responsive after submitting their information. However, if your product or service is enticing to them, Lead Ads can help to make contact and start growing customers.

Key Metric: Lead form submissions
Best for: Services based companies (e.g., realtors, financial advisors, personal trainers)

2) Brand Awareness 

If you want more people to know that your brand exists, then you need to create ads. In a sense, Facebook Ads are like a virtual billboard that people see during their journey. Thanks to the incredible power of Facebook’s data, they can customize the billboard to each person. For this reason, growing brand awareness through Facebook is easier than on Google or Youtube or other platforms.

When it comes to brand awareness, companies will share something interesting or appealing about their product or service, and have a ‘Learn More’ or ‘Sign Up’ call to action button at the bottom.

Key Metric: Impressions
Best for: Introducing your brand to new audiences, getting exposure for a product or service.

3) Shopping Ads

If your company has a lot of different products for sale, then you may benefit most from shopping ads. Facebook shopping ads (also known as Carousel Ads) are great for ecommerce, where you want a person to buy directly from your site. 

You can display a suite of products through a carousel of ads. These are both visually appealing and also interactive for the person who can swipe through the products. Carousel Ads can be a great way to show the variety and options you have available.

If you are running a specific promotion, it can be a great way to grow sales. A clear, concise offer is essential.

Key metric: Clicks and Conversions
Best for: Increasing sales to your ecommerce site.

4) Retargeting Ads

Have you ever looked at something on Amazon only to discover it on your facebook page a few days later? That is no accident or coincidence. It’s a shopping ad specifically targeted to you. 

How does this magic happen? Facebook uses a tool called a pixel, which is code added to an individual website. Once a person clicks on an item, the pixel then knows to retarget the person next time they log in to Facebook. 

For any business that gets a lot of abandoned carts on its website, retargeting ads can be an excellent way to revive the sale. There is an adage that a person needs to see an ad seven times before they want to buy. 

Retargeting ads are an excellent way to increase the number of sales for your products and business. Along with Shopping Ads, they can help capture more of your potential interested market.

Key metric: impressions, clicks, conversions
Best for: Increasing sales to your ecommerce site, reviving missed sales.

5) Existing Customers

One of the big mistakes many advertisers make is not returning to existing customers to offer new products, or to foster the relationship.

Once the initial sale has taken place, advertisers often move on to the next prospect. This mindset can be very expensive. The reality is that acquiring new customers is five times as expensive as keeping an existing customer.

When it comes to Facebook Ads, you can use this to your advantage. If a person has already bought from you in the past, you can target them again with new ads.

A simple yet effective way to do this is to create a ‘thank you’ ad for anyone who has recently purchased from you. It is incredible how much a simple thank you can help grow brand loyalty.

Another option is to offer new products or services or upsells to your existing customers. Once a customer has a great experience with you, they are more likely to buy a second time. By retargeting existing customers with new products, you are likely to gain more sales.

Key metric: impressions, clicks, conversions
Best for: Upselling, growing customer loyalty.

Hopefully, this overview gives an idea of the different types of Facebook Ads, and what they can do for your business. As the Facebook platform continues to evolve, it creates more opportunities for sales and brand awareness, both brands new and old. Choosing a winning strategy for Facebook Ads can be a great way to boost your business in the years ahead.

Want to grow your business through social media marketing? Brandastic is an award-winning digital marketing agency with offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Austin. We specialize in running Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and LinkedIn ads for our clients to grow their reach and sales revenue. Reach out to us today to get started growing your business.