How to create the best Facebook ads for your e-commerce business

Are you a business owner and want to boost your sales with social media advertising? Perhaps you want to start creating Instagram or Facebook ads but have no idea about what would work for your brand? In this step-by-step guide, I share how to create the best Facebook ads for your e-commerce business.
1. Write engaging ad copy that inspires your prospective customers
​The words you choose for your Facebook ad have the potential to make or break the success of your ad campaign. But what makes for engaging, inspiring copy? Let's look at this example from Boden.

You'll notice that the ad copy is short, concise, and to the point. When it comes to e-commerce and buying products from the internet, people aren't interested in reading long text.
Truth is, they're on social media (Facebook or Instagram, for example) to connect with friends and family, check what else is going on in the world, or generally looking for entertainment and inspiration. So when crafting your copy, bear this in mind and aim to create something short and snappy.
You want your ad copy to be entertaining, engaging, and inspiring. But how exactly do you achieve that?
First thing first, include a 'hook' and an offer. The 'hook' is that initial section of your copy that stops the reader in their tracks. Your job here is to grab your prospective customers' attention, make them stop scrolling, and look at your ad instead. 
In order to do that, you may need to get a bit creative. Contrary to what a lot of e-commerce business owners might believe, your ad copy isn't the place to list all your product features. Because let's face it - that doesn't make for the most dazzling or interesting read, does it?
Instead, aim to inspire people.

• What will it feel like if they buy this product?
  
• How will their life get better if they solve a particular problem your product offers the solution to?
  

Let's look at this ad from Next, for example. The copy "Spread a little festive cheer with must-have gifts that'll make them smile" is super-short and focused. In just a few words, this ad tells you everything you need to know about these "must-have gifts" - they'll help you "spread a little festive cheer" and "make them [your loved ones] smile." And isn't this exactly what gifts are for?

What do you include in your ad copy?If you're looking for some ideas or inspiration around what to include in your ad copy, try with:

• Testimonials. A short and to-the-point testimonial from a real-life customer helps you build trust with your audience.
• Words and phrases your customers use. A sure and quick way to build trust, establish rapport, and being able to relate to your prospective customers is to use vocabulary they use. So pay attention to the words and phrases your prospective customers choose to describe the problem you solve with your product. How do they talk about what you sell? Those are the words and phrases you want in your copy.
• Mention features like Free Deliveries or Free Returns. What can you do to reduce that element of anxiety and apprehension we all feel when buying online? Think about it - as consumers, we constantly worry. A thousand scenarios play in our minds, suggesting all sorts of things that could go wrong. What if it doesn't fit? What if it's faulty? And what if I never even receive it? So use your ad copy to put your customers' minds at ease. Mention Free Delivery, Free Returns, Free/Extended Warranty, etc.
• Make them an offer they can't refuse. Why should your customers buy now? What are you giving them to entice them to buy from you right now, while they're on social media for entirely different reasons? In order to create a sense of scarcity and urgency, give them an offer, and make it clear that it's a good one! Think along the lines of "10% off until stock lasts" or "this weekend only." Again, get a bit creative and test a few different options to see what works.

Pay attention to the wording using in your ad copy
Using words and phrases your customers use isn't the only thing to think about when deciding how to craft your ad copy, especially because the wrong choices could make all the difference between your ad being approved or rejected by Facebook. Let's look at the example below from one of my clients, Laura De Zordo Jewellery.

• Emojis. As you can see from this ad, we used emojis instead of bullet points. Emojis make the text easier on the eye, friendlier, and more engaging. Just be mindful when using emojis as Facebook might reject your ad if you include too many (they consider that spammy) or if you add any that aren't allowed in ad copy. Emojis can also be used alongside your product descriptions, just like we did in this ad below the image.
  
• Positive words and phrases only. Facebook discourages the use of negative words and phrases that have the potential to make their readers feel bad. So make sure you focus on positivity. Instead of "Do you feel tired and deflated" (pain copy), opt for "Do you want to wake up and feel energetic and on top of the world?" (desire copy). This is particularly important, as, once again, Facebook may reject your ad if your wording has negative connotations attached to it.
  

2. Choose striking visualsThe next key component of a high-performing Facebook ad is the visual element. When structuring your ad on Facebook Business Manager, under 'Format', you have a range of options to choose from:

• A single image or video.
  
• A collection ad.
  
• Or a carousel of images or videos
  

What may be right and working for your product may be different from someone else's, so don't be afraid to experiment with a few combinations of ad copy and different visuals to see what works best for you and your brand.
Generally speaking, when you're selling a product, multiple images tend to do a better job at showcasing your product than one single picture will. Within Facebook's Business Manager, you can also combine multiple photos together to create a slideshow video, so that's yet another option for you to test out in your ads.
As for what type of photos you should include, professional photoshoots of your product aren't the only option. Sometimes lifestyle and more 'native' shots that show your product in use or 'in action' can contribute to making it look more appealing and within reach. More than anything, it looks less like an ad and more like a friend recommending something they bought, so try a combination of both.
3. Include a strong Call To Action (CTA)It goes without saying that the best Facebook ads for your e-commerce business should also contain a strong Call To Action (CTA). Think along the lines of:

• "Shop now"
  
• "Get offer"
  
• or "Learn more".
  

If you're an emerging brand or business, and you're at the stage where you're building brand awareness, an ad that contains an explainer video accompanied by the "Learn more" button might be the way to go. This would then lead your prospective customers to your website, where they can learn more about your products and buy from there.
When thinking about your CTA, it's important to be clear and direct. Also, never give your customers too much choice, because, as they say, "a confused mind never buys". So be absolutely clear and focused on what you want your customers to do next - give them one thing to do and make sure that translates into the text of your CTA buttons.
4. Decide on the best ad placementThe decision around where to publish your ad (i.e. which social media platforms) depends on where your ideal customers tend to be the most active. Within the Facebook Business Manager, you can select the platforms you want to push your ad onto:

• Instagram
  
• Facebook
  
• Audience network
  

I recommend you pick 'Automatic Placement' as this allows Facebook to publish the ad where the majority of your ideal customers are. After all, they have a mountain of data on their users that you - the business owner - don't have access to. So it makes sense to leave this decision to Facebook. They have plenty of reasons to help you succeed with your ad campaigns because the more Facebook ads work as a strategy to boost your sales, the more you'll be prepared to invest. In other words, they're on your side!
If you do opt for the 'Automatic Placement' option, do check that the visuals you have included in your ad work for Instagram too. The last thing you want is for a video to be cut off or for your product to sit at an odd position within the ad. So before hitting the publish button, do make use of the Ad Preview feature and check that your creatives work.
Would you like some help to create the best Facebook ads for your e-commerce business?When it comes to best practice and recommendations around creating high-performing ads, rules change frequently. If you're an established e-commerce business looking to get better results from your Facebook or Instagram ads, get in touch. I offer FREE 30-minute strategy calls that are perfect if you need help with your Facebook Ads Management, would like an audit of your Facebook Ad Account, or need support with Shopify.