Creating Effective Facebook Advertisements
Almost all American adults have access to a smartphone or other electronic device. Out of these individuals, most of them use their mobile device to access Facebook and other social media platforms on a daily basis. This makes Facebook prime advertising real estate that today’s business owners do not want to miss out on taking advantage of. The following seven strategies are most useful for creating attention-grabbing and effective Facebook advertisements.
* Design for Mobile Viewing
Over 90% of individuals who make regular use of Facebook access their accounts from a mobile device rather than a desktop computer. In order for Facebook ads to be the most effective and target the largest audience, they need to be designed for mobile viewing. The screen on a desktop computer or laptop is much larger than that on a mobile device, which allows for much more verbiage to be used in the ad. This is not the case for ads designed to be viewed on a mobile device. Therefore, the most effective Facebook ads use few words and do most of the talking with powerful visual images. It’s also ideal to design your ad to be viewed in square format versus landscape, as most Facebook viewers prefer the square format.
* Keep Energy High
Facebook is an ever-changing sea of text, pictures, and links. Things most fast online, and social media is no exception to this rule. Business owners have a short time to grab a viewer’s attention and get them interested in what their advertisement has to offer. High energy ads featuring happy, gregarious people provide the most powerful attention grabbing effect. If using video content, keeping the tone light and the message upbeat goes a long toward pulling the audience in and getting them vested in the message behind the advertisement.
* Evoke Strong Emotion
Emotion attracts viewers and pulls them deeper into the underlying message being portrayed by an advertisement. Bold color, relatable characters, and an emotional message can evoke the type of heartfelt response that gets an individual’s attention and ensures that they view the entire ad. Those who are affected emotionally by an advertisement are more likely to take action based on the ad as well. Even if the associated emotional message of an advertisement is overwhelmingly sad, the emotional response triggered in the viewer is what tends to spur them to take action based on the ad.
* Play Without Sound
Many people access Facebook in crowded situations, public areas, restaurants, on public transportation, and in many other areas where they may view their account with the sound turned off. Business owners should ensure that their add has a similar effect with sound as it would without sound, as many of the viewers will likely be viewing it silently.
* Place Highlights in Lower 1/3 of Ad
The rule of thirds within advertising shows that many viewers will focus their eyes naturally on one part or section of an advertisement. Generally speaking, the lower 1/3 of the visual space making up the ad is the place where the viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn to. By placing highlights of the ad in the lower 1/3 section of the advertising space, business owners can grab the attention of more viewers and get them truly vested in the ad itself. A colorful photo at the top with a brief synopsis of the ad in writing making up the lower 1/3 segment of the is an effective way to use a small advertising space.
* Use Effective Captions
Most Facebook users browse and skim the articles and advertisements they come across. Even the best ads that garner the most interest and attention are generally skimmed more than they are read all the way through. Individuals are busy and live a fast-paced life, making it easier and more productive to simply skim through the material. Since Facebook advertisements are already dealing with a much smaller space, it’s vital that the ads use effective captions. Keeping the captions short but using language that excites and evokes deeper emotion are effective ways to keep readers from getting distracted and tuning the ad out.
Images in Facebook Advertisements
Since Facebook ads lack a lot of space, the image used with an advertisement needs to be extremely effective. The following tips can provide insight on how business owners can make use of effective images in their ads.
* Bold Color
Nature is full of bold colors at virtually every turn. Viewers are programmed to be drawn to bright and bold colors, so Facebook ads should make use of them in their designs.
* Real versus Edited
It’s easy to use a variety of editing software today to erase practically any flaw that could exist in an individual. However, today’s viewers are more drawn to ads that feature real people that they can relate to on a personal level. Ads using unedited photos are more successful than those heavily edited.
* Quirky versus Straightlaced
Many business owners may feel it is unprofessional to use quirky, off-the-wall photos in their advertisements. However, research shows that humor is a positive aspect of ads that appeal to a broad audience. Quirky images can be very powerful in advertisements due to their funny nature.
Who is Lori Senecal?
Lori Senecal is a powerful and dedicated business woman focusing on using her creative and talented mind to help business owners learn how to advertise effectively. She currently serves as the CEO of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, a firm dedicated to innovative visual advertising.
Lori Senecal has lent her advertising expertise to a number of large and successful corporations such as Nestle, Sprint, Staples, and Applebee’s. Senecal has been honored with many awards for her outstanding work in the field of advertising through the years. Lori Senecal also takes great pride in mentoring other strong and driven women to reach their professional goals. Lori continues to advance in her advertising, leadership, and mentoring roles and helps both large and small businesses make better use of their advertising dollars, thereby enhancing their bottom line.
