Advertising on social media can feel like a waste of time if you don’t plan it well. But with some smart planning, Meta ads can help your brand reach the right people.
The ad options on platforms Facebook and Instagram are powerful tools for marketers looking to reach a wide audience. Nevertheless, you’ll need to follow best practices tailored to Meta technologies.
This guide will walk you through the top Meta ads best practices for 2024. In addition, you’ll learn how to hit your target using standard practices, native tools, and third-party solutions like automated data bridges.
What are Meta ads?
Meta ads are advertisements that can be placed on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. The platform lets you choose a variety of formats to build the perfect ad for your offering, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and more.
Needless to say, these user-centric ads are highly customizable in terms of creatives, placements, and even targeting options. You can basically target users based on their demographics, behaviors, interests, and your own CRM data.
Top 5 Meta ads best practices for 2024
Meta can help your content reach the right audience, but that alone won’t keep their attention. To make an impression, your ad needs to stand out.
Use these Meta ads best practices to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to say.
1. Meta ad copy best practices
Having compelling ad copy is a must. It can capture your audience’s attention and even prompt an action, aka conversion.
Here’s what your Meta ad copy should have:
Keep it brief
According to Fors Marsh Group assessments, people spend an average of 1.7 seconds on a piece of content in the Facebook News Feed on mobile, compared to 2.5 seconds on desktop.
With these short attention spans, ads must have a message that’s clear and concise. What’s a good length, you ask? Aim for 125 characters or less.
Sell your idea
Focusing on the benefits of your product or service is key, not just the features. Explain how it solves a problem or improves the user’s life.
Use a strong call-to-action (CTA)
For an ad to actually work, users need to take action. A clear and compelling CTA can help you do that. Use CTAs such as “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” or anything else that matches your offering.
Personalize your message
76% of customers said that personalized messages made them more likely to consider a brand. However, only 32% of marketers actually personalize their digital ads.
Tailor your ad copy to speak directly to your target audience. Use language and references that resonate with them.
Test variations & see what works
Every ad campaign is somewhat unique. Besides the gold standards your ad should uphold, experimenting with different aspects lets you find out what performs best. This could be your headlines, body texts, CTAs and even the written text in your ad’s image.
2. Meta ads creative best practices
The visual elements of your ads are just as important as the copy. Here are some tips for creating effective ad visuals:
Quality matters
Marketers say that original graphics like infographics and illustrations perform the best. This is perhaps because of the value they offer.
Another aspect of quality is aesthetics. Make sure your images are high-resolution and visually attractive. Also, you want to avoid using stock photos that look generic.
Learn how to create a high-performing Facebook ad by taking a look at these inspiring examples here.
Don’t take your branding for granted
Assuming everyone knows your brand is a common and often unconscious mistake. That’s why you should take every opportunity to create brand awareness. For instance, use colors, fonts, and imagery that align with your brand identity.
While consistency helps build brand recognition, this practice gives your content an air of professionalism. Here’s a great example of a branded ad by Typeform:
User-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is posted by real people showing their love for your brand. It’s now a key element in social media marketing, mostly because of its genuine feel.
You can show real customers using your products. This can add authenticity and trust to your ads (and brand).
Test, rinse, and repeat
Experimenting with different ad formats lets you find out what your audience prefers the most. It can be carousel ads, slideshow ads, collection ads, etc.
You could also test various images, videos, and design elements to optimize your ads for the best performance.
3. Meta video ads best practices
Video content is an all time user favorite. Given that it’s done well, your video ad can be engaging enough to boost your ad performance. When it comes to the Meta video ads best practices, your ad should:
- Capture viewers’ attention within the first few seconds.
- Short videos that are 15 seconds or less. Shorter videos tend to have higher completion rates.
- Optimized for sound off. Use captions or text overlays to convey your message, even without audio.
- Use storytelling to connect with your audience on an emotional level. For example, show real-life scenarios or customer testimonials.
- Have a CTA. Just like with text ads, include a clear and compelling CTA in your video.
This ad by Liverpool John Moores University is a great example:
What makes it a good ad? It has several elements that are recommended by Meta video ads best practices:
- Clear CTA: “Learn more” prompts immediate action.
- A relevant message: Targets students with “Beat the rush of Results Day.”
- Engaging visuals: Uses a video thumbnail to capture attention.
- Quick-to-grasp info: Short, easy-to-read text.
- Timely offer: Promotes courses available in September 2024.
4. Keeping up with trends
Staying updated with the latest trends and platform updates is necessary if you want to create content that gets noticed. You can make sure your strategies remain effective by:
- Following blogs and news in your industry to find new trends. Also, regularly read blogs on Meta for the latest updates and tips.
- Attend webinars and training sessions offered by Meta and other industry leaders.
- Join online communities and engage with other marketers in online forums and communities to share insights and learn from peers.
5. Using automation to optimize your advertising
In the best scenario, people see your ads on Facebook and easily end up on your contact list. And then what? If you can give them what they expect, they’ll lose interest.
They need to start getting custom emails and text messages as soon as possible. Third-party integrations make this process so to keep them interested from the moment they see your ad until they decide to buy something.
Additionally, connecting Meta to your CRM (and vice versa) via automated data bridges lets you collect data and keep all the information you have up to date. Then, you can make smarter decisions, tweak things as needed, and hopefully, see your profits increase.
It’s important to use tools that are official Meta Business Partners to avoid any data management complications. Tools like LeadsBridge let you test out these integrations via free-forever plans and free trials to see which one of these connections can help you most.
Check out the plans here to find out more:
Automation tools can significantly improve your ad performance and lead management processes.
Let’s see how LeadsBridge can help boost your Meta marketing when connected with email, SMS, and CRM systems:
Better lead management
Using a lead ads integration makes keeping track of your leads simple. No more messy spreadsheets. Leads are organized and ready to go. This saves you time since you won’t have to manually enter data.
You can read these articles to learn more about how to generate leads using Facebook lead ads and Instagram lead ads.
Improved customer relationships
When someone fills out a lead ad, their info goes straight into your CRM. This makes follow-ups personalized and easy.
Stronger email marketing
As soon as someone submits a lead ad, they’re added to your email list. This lets you send targeted emails that fit what they’re interested in, making your emails much more effective.
Practical SMS marketing
Combining lead ads with SMS to send messages instantly. This direct approach keeps your audience engaged right from their pockets.
Optimized marketing funnels
Integrating your lead data with your marketing apps smooths out the journey for your potential customers. They move from interest to purchase while getting what they expect along the way from you and increasing your chances of making a sale.
Learn how to create a Facebook Ads funnel that converts.
Better audience targeting
Meta is famous for its sharp audience-targeting capabilities. However, you need an interconnected data system between Meta and your CRM to be able to use these features effectively.
- Core audiences allows you to choose who sees your ads based on things like age, interests, and where they live.
- Lookalike Audiences is how you can find new people similar to your best customers.
- Custom audiences help you target ads to people who have already interacted with your business online or offline.
- Conversion leads performance goal takes your targeting a step further by channeling your ads toward the (potentially) most interested users.
Great tracking data
The Conversions API for CRM integrations helps you improve your Meta ads by directly connecting customers marketing data with the platform. It even works better alongside the Facebook Pixel, which tracks user activities on a website.
Final thoughts
Building a campaign, crossing your fingers, and hoping for the best is not enough. Meta Ads Manager offers many great tools that help advertisers get granular about every part of their ads. However, understanding your priorities is important.
These Meta ads best practices will help you create compelling and engaging Meta ads that drive results in 2024.
