The e-commerce world is busy and hectic. There are offers upon offers, limited time promotions and many, many ads of all kinds. There is no wonder that people’s attention span has got smaller and smaller and their interest dulled over time. This is one of the explanations why so many ads pass unnoticed and so many carts are left abandoned.
Advertising for e-commerce has become, thus, more expensive and less effective in constant progression over the years. To stay on top of the game you need one of two: a huge advertising budget or a keen eye for where to advertise and to whom.
If you are still reading, we’ll assume that you do not have a huge advertising budget. Instead, you want to learn smart ways to promote your e-commerce business. In this article, we will focus on Facebook™ ads.
Why Facebook™ Ads Work?
People spend more time on social media than on other types of forums and websites. Facebook™ is the place where they can find all their friends, all their favourite celebrities and all the brands they like, together on the same platform. This is hugely convenient and it helps people save time while socialising, finding out the latest news and Hollywood gossips, and looking for the best deals shared by their preferred brands.
To make things more pleasant and convenient for its users, Facebook™ has imposed ad templates that look like native posts – their format blends with other posts on the newsfeed and is not perceived as disruptive.
Know-How to Take Advantage of Facebook™ Ads
Of course, there is no guarantee of success if you jump into Facebook™ advertising without preparation. You can find several articles on our blog dealing with best practices and do’s and don’ts in Facebook™ advertising.
Here, we will focus on specific tips to create effective Facebook™ ads for e-commerce businesses:
1. Target People Who Viewed Your Product Page
Most people do not make a purchase the first time they browse a product page. They are in the exploration phase, where they seek information and compare offers. Most of these people will forget about your offer if you do not remind them of it.
To do this, you need to have the Facebook™ Pixel (a basic requirement for successful Facebook™ advertising) installed on your website. Using the information provided by the Pixel, create a custom audience consisting of people who viewed a specific product page within the last 24-48 hours. Add a small incentive, such as a limited time 10% discount on your product, and your offer will be the winner in the customers’ options.
2. Use Contrasting Colours to Draw Attention and Force a Choice
Red dress or black dress? Pink sports shoes or black office shoes? Contrasting colours attract the eye and stir interest. This interest will be heightened by the pairing of products. When they see two different images/ products, people feel compelled to make a choice: this or that.
The carousel Facebook™ ad format allows you to promote several products at the same time. Use it wisely to combine contrasting colours and contrasting products. The results are remarkable, compared to ads promoting a single product. The software developer Adobe had a 300% click-through rate (CTR) for carousel ads compared to 50% CTR for single product ad and a 35% decrease in the cost per click.
3. Retarget Cart Abandoners
According to a Wishpond study, 72% of online shoppers abandon the cart before completing the purchase. The same study revealed that, with proper retargeting, 26% of consumers return on the site to finish the transaction, compared to a meagre 8% who remember on their own to complete the shopping session.
The Facebook™ Pixel is your best friend in showing you who abandoned their carts so that your retargeting ads hit home – that is, are displayed exactly to those people who left a cart with products.
4. Use Video Ads to Tell Your Brand Story
When you are planning your Facebook™ ads campaigns, remember that this is a social network. People browse it mainly for entertainment, keeping in touch with friends and getting to know new people – and new brands, as well.
A Facebook™ video ad is the perfect instrument for telling your brand story: how you started out, what mission and values you stand for, what you want to do for your clients. Once the introductions are made, you can move on to product promotions.
5. Give Prospects the Sense of Exclusivity
People love to be “in the know”, to belong to special clubs and receive special offers – available to just a few. This is one of the recipes for success used by many e-commerce brands in their Facebook™ ads. “Just for our fans”, “join our club of happy customers” and other similar phrases make an offer more attractive and will get you more clicks and more sales.