8 Tips for Creating Your First Effective Facebook Ads

Published on August 10, 2022

Written by Joey

Filed under Shipping Basics

Read time 5 Minutes

With hundreds of millions of users throughout North America, Facebook is a great platform for reaching your target audience and boosting sales at your online store. Now that you have looked at your marketing objectives, set up your account, and reviewed the types of ads, it’s time to take the next step and put together your first Facebook ad.

Before you get started, Facebook will ask you to create a “campaign” for all your advertising programs, and one or more “ad sets” for targeting specific audiences. That’s a big help in designing your first ad because you already know the viewers you want to engage.

To create that first ad, Facebook offers two powerful tools: Ads Manager, which is a good fit for most stores, and Power Editor, which is designed for larger companies running multiple campaigns. Both tools will help you to streamline the ad creation and production process.

Here are several tips that will help you design your first ad on Facebook:

Determine the type of ad. Will a photo ad, video ad, text ad, carousel ad or some other version be most effective? Remember that Facebook has specific positions for different types of ads including the right column and the news feed where ads appear between posts of Facebook friends. That type of ad will determine the creative content you will need to upload to Ads Manager.
Pick a powerful photo. Many ads are constructed around an eye-catching photo that draws viewers into the text. If you are selling fashionable stiletto shoes, you could run a carousel of product photos, or a photo of a young woman trying on her shoes. While an illustration can be a good alternative for your ad, studies by AdEspresso indicate that photos typically have twice the pulling power of an illustration.

Write an engaging headline. Take your time and come up with the strongest possible headline for your audience. Try to appeal to the viewer’s emotions because fear, greed, joy and humor can be powerful drivers to act now.
Keep text clear and simple. The text for your ad could cover the variety of products in your store or emphasize one specific line. It should also invite the viewer to take the next step toward your desired goal.
Consider testimonials. Many Facebook ads in the newsfeed include the names of friends who have liked that store or product. Adding a celebrity endorsement or other testimonial can enhance the pulling power of your ad as well.
Test different designs. It’s hard to determine in advance what type of photo headline or text will have the most appeal to your audience. So experiment with different content to see what delivers the best result.
Follow Facebook’s technical guidelines. Your ad content must meet specific requirements in terms of size, photo density, video length, website address and other parameters. Ads Manager will guide you through this process.
End with a clear call to action. Invite the viewer to like your page, shop now or sign up to receive discounts or coupons.

Be sure to consider these issues as you create your first Facebook ad, and more tips are available from services like Hubspot and WordStream. Don’t worry if you make a mistake. Learn from your experience, try something different, and before long you will have a great Facebook advertising program that generates results for your store.

I'm Joey, ShipStation's Content & Social Media Coordinator. I spent over a year on ShipStation's Support team which has given me great insight into our product and our customers. Outside of work, you'll find me writing, getting into one of Austin's great microbrews, or relaxing on a trail with my mutt.