Some people say Facebook video ads are dead.
But we’ve scaled multiple companies using primarily Meta ads. Yes, you have to make changes since the IOS update in 2021 (more on that later), but we’ve all had plenty of time to adjust.
On the other side, many marketers act like nothing has changed. Uh, what?
In this article, we won’t waste your time. We’ll outline EXACTLY how to create killer Facebook video ads. We’ll show you where to find inspiration. And we won’t hold any punches–we’ll tell you what some advertising agencies don’t want you to hear.
We won’t discuss how to run and optimize Meta ads. We’ll tackle that topic in a future post (so bookmark this blog and check back!).
Is targeting still relevant in 2024?
The short answer? No. Targeting isn’t relevant to Meta ads, except in specific use cases (such as if your market is a super niche).
Why?
Blame it on the 2021 IOS privacy updates. We don’t have time today to get into EXACTLY what they did. But they’ve been around for a while and made targeting on Meta ads irrelevant. If your marketing agency still uses interest-based audiences or lookalikes primarily, it might be time to have a *chat* with them, if you know what I mean. 😉
I know that’s not what you were hoping to hear–and probably not something you’ve read a lot of places, either. No one wants to discuss how the IOS updates have made media buying irrelevant.
Nor do they want to say that you can’t target your ads the same way you used to be able to on Facebook. But the fact that people don’t want to talk about it doesn’t make it less true–and once you accept the TRUTH of what it’s like to advertise on Meta right now, you’ll have a much better chance to run Meta ads that bring you sales.
You don’t need a hack to target your audience in Ads Manager. You need a system for creating ads that get people’s attention and convince them to buy. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.
How do we find customers, then? 😰
Now that IOS has made custom audience targeting obsolete, there’s only one way to target your ad toward your ideal customer: via your Facebook video ad creative and copywriting.
You can’t be lazy about the videos or words you use. You HAVE to write copy and design creative that speaks to your ideal customers and their pain points.
For example, let’s say you sell skincare products. You have products for three types of skin: oily, dry, and a combination of the two. Here’s how you’d target each of these customers using Facebook video ads:
- Customer persona 1 ➡️ Do you have oily, sensitive skin that requires cleansing and moisturizing thrice daily?
- Customer persona 2 ➡️ Do you have dry skin that gets irritated when you spend more than 15 minutes in the sun?
- Customer persona 3 ➡️ Do you have oily skin in your t-zone but dry skin elsewhere? We have the PERFECT solution designed for your mixed skin!
This is just an example. We’re not guaranteeing this ad copy would work if you used it in an ad campaign for your skincare product–we just came up with it off the cuff. But you get the point.
In each case, the words (or copy, if it’s a static ad) cut straight to who the product is for. If you have oily skin that causes issues and see that first ad, you’ll probably stop scrolling. Your ad will be even MORE impactful if you apply this principle to the creative.
Instead of just writing a block of text about oily skin, get a content creator who has oily skin to use your product and talk about it. They might have a hook for the video that’s something like, “Oily skin just like mine? Tired of cleansing and moisturizing three times per day? I found an amazing solution: Your product.”
The idea is that you need the creator to resonate with your ideal audience for that ad. And then, of course, find other creators for the other Facebook video ads you hope to run.
You get the idea–spend some time digesting this information and think about how it applies to your brand (or the brands you manage if you’re a marketeer!).
This is where you want to spend most of your time and energy. Figuring out the Facebook ads' video size is easy. So is finding creators who can help you create content if you know where to look. But figuring out who your ideal audience is and how to reach them–that’s the real work of marketing.
This is how you start creating Facebook video ads that appeal to your target audience. But, once you have the creative and the copy, there’s still work to convert viewers into buyers. Let’s talk about that now.
How do you create high-converting Facebook video ads?
Sure, you can have ad copy and creative that speaks directly to your target customer, but does that mean they’ll actually pay attention to your ad or make a purchase?
There’s no short, neat answer for that. Even with the best ad creative and copy you can find, you must run tests to see what resonates with your audience. The only way to create killer ads is to A/B test different creative options to see what works and what doesn’t, and when you find what works, double down on that.
The same applies to copy: you’d need to test different text variations until you find something killer, and then just keep using that one with different creatives.
Focusing specifically on Facebook video ads for a minute, here are the pieces you’ll want to pay attention to:
- What hooks worked best?
- What features were mentioned in the best-performing videos vs. the others?
- What call to action did the creator use?
Some metrics you can watch here are:
- Hook rate: This refers to how many users watched a video for over 3 seconds. While Facebook doesn't officially call it 'hook rate,' metrics like 3-Second Video Views can indicate if your video's hook is effective. A hook rate of around 20% of total views is a strong benchmark.
- Unique outbound CTR: Also known as the unique click-through rate, this is the number of people who actually click on your ad and visit the website. From our experience, above 1% is good.
Of course, these metrics don’t tell the whole story. You’ll probably be most concerned about the number of conversions and the cost per conversion. But we didn’t include those in this list because those depend on the landing page experience and the product itself (among other things), so you can’t automatically blame your ads if you don’t meet your sales goals.
On top of conversions and cost per conversion, pay attention to metrics just before a conversion: registrations and adds to cart alongside their costs.
Where do you get videos and photos to test in ads?
Okay, so if you’re testing a bunch of different photos and videos in your ads, where do you get creative assets to test? Here are a few ideas:
Clip
Clip is your best option for finding performance-driven UGC videos.
We specialize in high-performance UGC ads, a particularly effective way to connect with audiences. People are much more likely to trust a real person’s experience with your product than an ad a studio produced for you. We coach our creators on trends and how to hook customers, and the results are pretty cool.
The one thing we don’t do well is photos. You can’t get UGC photos on Clip, so let’s talk about other options for sourcing those…
Social Cat
Social Cat is an influencer marketing platform where you can connect with micro and nano influencers. One great thing about influencers is that they KNOW how to sell stuff… But that can also be a detriment if you’re looking for authentic creative–audiences can sniff out a fake a mile away.
So, if you only want to do Facebook video ads, stick with a UGC platform like Clip. But, if you’re looking for custom photos, Social Cat is an amazingly affordable option–they allow you to do “gifted” campaigns with influencers trying to break into the industry, so you can simply send them the product and get some photos back!
Canva
If you’d rather not mess with sourcing images from influencers, that’s okay–Canva has AMAZING templates that you can use to generate images for a few dollars per month. Yes, you’ll have to get scrappy and spend some time tweaking everything to conform to your brand’s image guidelines, but it’s a great way to get some great-looking ad creative for a low price.
Where can I find Facebook video ads examples?
So glad you asked! Here are a few spots we recommend checking:
Facebook Ad Library
The Meta Ad Library is an awesome resource where you can search all the ads currently running on Meta. It’s a great way to see what other brands are trying for their campaigns!
TikTok Creative Center
TikTok’s ad library is called TikTok Creative Center, and it’s slightly different than Facebook’s Ad Library. Instead of allowing you to find ANY ad on their platform–good and bad, like Meta does–TikTok shows you some top ads, what’s trending, and even provides you with an AI assistant to brainstorm ideas.
Even if you’re not planning on running ads on TikTok, this is a great option to check if you’re hoping to appeal to a younger audience.
Case studies
You can also check case studies from UGC companies to see what’s working for their clients–notice how their best videos are structured and how they hook audiences!
Final thoughts
Creating killer Facebook video ads boils down to two things:
Getting a TON of ad creative and testing it relentlessly.
That’s it–that’s the secret to scaling, based on our personal experience of growing brands using Facebook video ads. Of course, other people may have different experiences–it’ll depend on your niche. But, generally speaking, you have to test many different options before creating ads that customers can’t ignore.
Book a demo with our team today if you’re interested in using Clip to get best-in-class ad creative for your Facebook video ads! We’d happily show you around and discuss how Clip can help you scale your brand’s ad creative. 😄
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