How to Create a Compelling Facebook Ad Format

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Facebook Advertising

Today we’re going to discuss again one of our favorite subjects: Facebook Advertising! More specifically, the advertising formats in the ‘Ad Creative’ portion. Below we break down each type of Facebook ad format, their purposes, and tips to get you going!

Ad Formats:

Carousel

Facebook Carousel lets you add up to ten photos or videos within a single ad, each with its own link destination and call to action. Carousel ads are Facebook’s largest ad option, with the most space for marketing and product promotion. Facebook even has an option to optimize your ad by organizing the appearance of each image within the carousel by its performance.

Tips For Carousel Ads:

• Use color-coordinating images
• Give each card its own URL
• Always use a CTA button
• If telling a story by flipping through the cards, make sure you uncheck the “Automatically show best-performing images and links first” box

Best For: Getting a lot of content in a small amount of space.

Slideshow

If you are looking for an easy, quick and effective marketing tactic, Facebook Slideshow is for you. Use existing videos, photos or stock images to create cost-effective Slideshow ads that are stitched together to play like video.

Tips For Slideshow Ads:

• Tell a story or explain the process with a beginning, middle and end and pair it with compelling images to bring your narrative to life
• Start with 3-10 high-resolution images, using the image ratio of 16:9, 1:1 or 2:3. Each image should have a similar image ratio
• If using video, make sure to use either .MOV or .MP4 formats

Best For: Advertisers on a budget or trying to reach an audience with slow connectivity, such as users in another country.

Canvas

Completely customize a targeted Facebook advertisement with Canvas ads. Canvas ads are just as the name implies: a blank slate advertisement ready for you to customize with full-screen text, photos, videos, and CTA buttons. It’s also interactive; viewers can swipe, tilt or zoom in on your ad for an immersive ad experience. And it loads fast too!

Tips For Canvas Ads:

• Canvas produces the best results when you combine several types of media together if you can try to incorporate images, video and text
• Use video thumbnails as opposed to still-images. Facebook automatically adds “tap to open” at the top of your ad so make sure not to add any text where it would be covered, in the lower third of your video
• Engage your audience on the first page; often times the first page is how viewers determine whether or not they’ll continue to click through

Best For: Experienced marketers with several objectives to accomplish.

Collection

Collection Facebook ads are designed to incorporate videos and photos with e-commerce for a more immersive online shopping experience. Pair a video or photo with four product images to appear on prospects’ Facebook News Feeds. Collection ads are exclusively mobile and designed to sell users on your product within the Facebook platform, before sending them to your site.

Tips For Collection Ads:

• Start with your best foot, err, product forward. You have the option to choose the first four products that appear and Facebook chooses the rest for you. Capture the most leads by highlighting the best you have to offer within the first four
• Collection ads require images to be square, so try to size images to 1200 x 1200 pixels. Facebook recommends a 1.91:1 aspect ratio and 1200 x 628 pixels. Facebook suggests 1:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio for videos
• Use a video first to capture your audience’s attention and initiate engagement then link-related products below to get more clicks

Best For: Experienced Facebook marketers focused on improving e-commerce sales.

Single Image:

Facebook Single Image ads are a perfect way to start using Facebook Advertising. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true when advertising on Facebook, where marketers have to compete for attention not only with other businesses but other Facebook users as well. Stand out in a sea of status updates, using Facebook Single Image ads. They’re super easy to create because you can make them right from your Facebook post by publishing and boosting your post.

Tips For Single Image Ads:

• Always use size appropriate, high-resolution images. Find the appropriate dimensions for your ad type using the Facebook Ads Guide
• Make sure you use ad photos that make sense with the text. For example, if you are mentioning a new service, make sure your image properly portrays that service, not just two smiling faces with your logo attached. If an image and copy don’t coincide it will confuse consumers and they’ll be far less likely to click
• Use an image that shows someone benefiting from or using your product. Facebook users are used to seeing images of their family and friends, so using photos with people makes you feel more familiar
• Be careful not to use text in/on your images. This a Facebook no-no, and they will likely not show your ad

Best For: Individuals and Marketers new to Facebook Advertising.

Video:

According to Facebook, its users watch an average of 100 million hours of video every day. Use Facebook Video ads to tell the story of your business and build brand recognition. Turn more leads into conversions and attract the right people by setting up a custom target audience by age, region, likes, and more in your ad set up.

Tips For Video Ads:

• Start with something of value. The average Facebook user judges the worth of watching a video within the first 3 seconds, so make them count
• It is also important to state who you are, or your brand identity early in the video and reinforce it throughout for better brand recognition
• Always include post copy. Make your post text equally as engaging as the video itself

Best For: Individuals and Marketers new to Facebook Advertising.

Are you ready to begin Facebook Advertising? Let us know what you thought of our blog in the comments below, or send an email to [email protected]!