How to Increase Sales via Facebook Ads (Part 1 of 2)

Facebook Ads for Direct Sales

Facebook advertising isn’t just an instant, money-making strategy. Many beginners view Facebook ads as simple to create and run, with the expectation that the money will just come pouring in. The reality is very different; Facebook e-commerce ads take time, strategy, planning, effort and precision to work.

Although advertising a business on Facebook has worked for many owners, many still don’t realise how much potential ads have. If they are consistent, and implemented the right way, to connect with the right type of customers, e-commerce sales will improve.

If you are looking to increase sales with Facebook ads, then you have come to the right place. Here at Digital Marketing Engine, we are an experienced Facebook advertising agency, and have worked with numerous e-commerce businesses to run impactful and money-making Facebook ad campaigns. We’ve compiled a list of small ways in which you can help improve Facebook ad conversions, and we can help run them for you.

Generate More E-Commerce Sales with Facebook Ads
 

1.   Create a digital ‘store window’ – Facebook is a great social media app for ‘window shopping’. If customers are browsing products online, it makes sense that you know how to create Facebook ads that make your business appealing to potential buyers. Prospective customers are looking for inspiration, and there are numerous types of Facebook ads that you can use to display your products.

• Facebook Carousel ads – you can use these ads to simultaneously feature multiple products, through several cards that users can scroll through. You can include up to 10 images and videos in one Carousel ad.
• Facebook Instant Experience ads – these ads let you create a full-screen, immersive experience by using video and imagery. Users can swipe up, left, right and down, and zoom in and out to follow the narrative of the ad.
• Facebook Collection ads – you can include multiple products directly below an image, video or slideshow. When clicked, users will be taken to a landing page to purchase directly.
  What’s great about these Facebook ad examples is that you can create custom CTA buttons to go with them.

2.   Store traffic objectives – Facebook advertising offers excellent possibilities with online sales, but they can also help you increase offline sales. By using the store traffic objective, you can reach nearby customers who are likely to be interested in your business. Create Facebook ads that are customised to each of your store locations, and adjust the distance that you want to target. Ads can contain directions, opening hours and contact details.

3.   Stick to your goals – without defining clear business objectives and goals, you can’t run Facebook advertising campaigns and expect an instant ROI. It pays dividends to know the goals you want your campaign to achieve. For increasing e-commerce sales, you want to have conversion goals. Choosing the right Facebook ad objectives is important because you can optimise your ads to reach your goals.

Some common objectives are:

Conversion goals
Lead generation (see our previous blog on Facebook lead generation ads)
Traffic
Engagement
Brand awareness
Store traffic
Once you’ve chosen your objectives to measure, it can be easier to determine your target Facebook ad audience, set a realistic budget, and run your ad campaign.

4.   A/B test – this allows you to determine what’s working and how you can improve Facebook ads. A/B testing ads is the process of experimenting; take two elements from your ad and test them against each other. The version that performs the best will give you a clearer indication of what’s your best Facebook ad to run. Test various elements such as ad copy, images, audience targeting and CTA buttons.

5.   Install Facebook Pixel – this is a useful measurement tool which tracks customer activity on your site. It’s just a piece of JavaScript code which can be pasted within the header of your website back end. This makes it easier to measure, optimise and build an audience for your campaign, as well as monitor Facebook ad conversions.

E-Commerce Facebook Ads Sales Funnel

You can see that there are numerous benefits of Facebook advertising if you are running an e-commerce business. One other thing to consider is to ensure you have a clear, structured Facebook sales funnel. This will ensure your ideal customer journey is well-defined, and you can ensure your ads are fulfilling that journey. If not, Digital Marketing Engine can help you figure that out.

We understand that running your business takes up the majority of your time, and it isn’t easy to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of effective Facebook advertising yourself.

We are an experienced Facebook ad agency that can take the stress away. Get in touch today to see how we can help.