Why Are My Facebook Ads Not Performing?

With over 2 billion daily active users, it’s no surprise that Facebook sees one of the highest conversion rates of any advertising platform. But, Facebook can be a complex place, especially when it comes to creating successful Facebook Ads. If your ad campaign isn’t performing, the natural solution is to increase spending, but in many cases, this isn’t your best bet. 

Here we break down some of the reasons why your Facebook Ads aren’t performing as well as they should be and what you can do to turn them around, without increasing your ad spend. 

4 reasons why your Facebook ads may not be performing are:

1. You’re not targeting the correct audience
2. You're not producing high quality, engaging content
3. There us a lack of call-to-action
4. You're not monitoring feedback

1. You're Not Targeting The Correct Audience

Poor targeting is one of the main reasons why Facebook ads fail. If you’re not targeting the correct audience, your ads are pretty pointless. Even the most high quality, engaging ads won’t perform well if they’re not seen by the right people. 

Clearly establishing your target audience and understanding what they find interesting and engaging is key to making the most out of your Facebook ad campaigns. One of the main benefits of using Facebook to advertise is that the platform actually allows you to target your ads so that they’re only shown to a very specific audience who will have an interest in your business. 

To set out the traits and characteristics of your ideal customer, it’s a good idea to create a buyer persona (an avatar based on the demographics of your ideal customer). Some of the information you’ll want to establish in this persona are:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• interests/hobbies
• Language 

You’ll also want to find out information around their preferences, such as:

• What social media platforms your target audience use the most
• What form of content your target audience engage with the most (images, video etc)
• What type of communication your target audience relies on 

Additionally, Facebook’s Audience Insights tool can help you gain a better understanding of your audience. 

2. You’re Not Producing High Quality, Engaging Content

If you’re targeting the right people but still not receiving the results you anticipated from your Facebook ads, you might need to re-evaluate the quality of the ads and how they look. 

Is your ad engaging? Does it capture your attention within the first few seconds of looking at it? Does the ad entice you to click on the call-to-active? These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself. 

One of the best ways to figure out what works and what doesn’t work is to simply keep testing different variations of visuals. By this we mean changing the images, headlines, colours, font, emojis etc. until you find a combination that works. 

Another reason why your ads may not be performing well is because you’re only using one type of media, i.e image ads or written ads. But did you know that with approximately 4 billion video views on Facebook every day, video-based ads are one of the best creative practices you can follow. 

For a successful video ad, ensure that your video has high-quality visuals that are clear and well-lit. It’s worth investing in professional equipment or hiring a professional videographer to ensure your visuals are of the highest quality. Better yet, you may want to take the weight off your shoulders by outsourcing to an ecommerce video ad agency, who will create high quality, engaging video content for you. 

3. There Is a Lack of Call-To-Action

If everything above is all well and good, you might need to revisit the call-to-action (CTA) in the ad. A CTA is a statement in your ad that prompts your customer what to do next. A clear CTA is one of the most powerful things you can do to make your interested audience turn into actual paying customers. 

The more you ask your viewers to take action and do something, the more likely they are to do it. A good example of CTA’s include:

• Shop Here - great for encouraging viewers to visit your website and make a purchase.
• Learn More - this CTA will encourage viewers to learn more about your product or service, or your business in general.
• Contact Us/Sign Up - if you're promoting a service that requires a consultation or sign up, this CTA could encourage viewers to get in touch with you directly.

Just like other aspects of your Facebook ad, try testing out different variations of your CTA. For example, if you can’t get someone to click on your current call-to-action button, try changing the button to something that is more inviting. 

This might even mean changing the wording slightly. It’s all about trial and error! 

4. You’re Not Monitoring Feedback

Another great thing about Facebook ads is that viewers can engage with the ad via likes and comments. The benefit of this is, of course, if people share their positive views in the comments, it can positively influence others' purchasing decisions. The downside is that you can’t avoid negative comments, and people may decide to express their negative feelings in the comments. If this does happen, all you can do is monitor people’s pain points and come up with solutions to ensure these issues don’t reoccur. 

Remember, constructive criticism is not a bad thing. Without feedback, how can you improve?

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We are Aura Ads, an ecommerce ad service designed for D2C eCommerce brands. We help clients sell more online and grow at scale with our bespoke video and static creative delivered on a monthly basis. For more tips and tricks from our experts, head over to our blog page.

Written by Kate Jones for Aura Ads.