The guide to creating a landing page that converts

Content has become one of the most important elements on Facebook Ads. You may have successfully targeted, but if your visuals and texts aren't engaging, your ad won't work. In this article, we share with you our best practices for creating a Facebook ad that converts: format, image, copywriting. Follow the guide.

In a previous article, we saw how create an effective Facebook Ads campaign.

To succeed in your campaigns, two elements must be taken into account:

Targeting. An ad shown to the wrong people won't work. If you hate fruit, you won't click on a greengrocer's ad. That goes without saying.

The content. Target the right audiences yes, but your ads still need to be attractive and convincing. They need to arouse interest and make you want to click. And that's where the difficulty lies: on Facebook, you only have 2 seconds to capture the attention of Internet users. It's very very short.

Over more than 3 years of supporting businesses on Facebook Ads, we have learned a number of winning practices that we will share with you in this guide 😉

In summary:

• What advertising format should I choose on Facebook Ads?
• Our best practices for creating attractive visuals
• Copywriting: our tips for writing ads that convert
• Be inspired by competitors to do better
• The advertising rules on Facebook Ads

Create a Facebook ad that converts: ad formats

Facebook offers several advertising formats:

• Image
• Carousel
• Video
• Collection
• Instant Experience
• Stories

Let's detail each of its advertising formats.

The “Image” format is the most used on the platform. And for good reason, it is the easiest to create: a single image. This classic format still works very well today, and will certainly remain so in 2022.

The Carousel format allows you to display three to ten images and/or videos in a single ad, each with its own title, description, link and CTA (Call-to-Action). Users can scroll through the images from left to right. Carousel ads are great for presenting different products or offers.

Carousels also allow you to play with images to create a kind of “storytelling”. On this ad, Spotify arouses the curiosity of Internet users “It's here” and encourages them to click on the right to find out what it is about.

With this format, it is also possible to put so-called panoramic visuals: an image divided into several images. Here is an example with the American company BarkBox.

The video is, as its name suggests, a video. This is Facebook's preferred format, which increasingly wants to offer TikTok-style content. The video makes it possible to attract the attention of Internet users.

Instant Experience is an immersive format. It consists of images, videos, carousels. It's a mini-site in a way. This format requires a lot of work in terms of graphics. It is currently very little used by businesses, as it is considered too complex to create.

The advertising collection include a cover image or video with multiple products shown underneath When a user clicks on the ad, an Instant Experience opens. This format is more dedicated to e-commerce. It requires the import of its catalog and a connection between its Business Manager and its Shopify or Prestashop.

The stories are for their part dedicated to... stories.

What advertising format should I choose on Facebook Ads?

There is no bad format. If Facebook offers them, it's because they all work. If a format does not get results, the authority will delete it fairly quickly.

At Growth Room, we test almost all of them for our customers.

The “Image” ads are obviously the most used because they are the easiest to create.

The carousels are preferred for detailing its products or its various offers.

The video is, as mentioned above, Facebook's preferred format. In addition to attracting the attention of Internet users, videos can also allow you to retarget more accurately afterwards. It is in fact possible then to create a personalized audience made up of the people who watched your video for 5 or 20 seconds. The longer it is watched, the more interested the user is in your products or services 😉

The advertising collection are ideal for getting your brand discovered.

As for Instant Experience, they will make you stand out in the jungle of ads on Facebook. On the other hand, they are difficult to create. If you don't have a graphic designer or motion designer on your team, we don't recommend them.

It's up to you to choose.

But be careful!

Always use multiple formats on Facebook Ads

Whatever your preference, Don't rely on a single format in your ad sets. Mix them (image + video) to increase your conversions.

In your audiences, some people will prefer to see images and others to watch videos. And remember, Facebook only shows what people want to see. If you only have one format, the Facebook algorithm will only broadcast your ad to a segment of your target audience and not to your entire target audience. Keep that in mind!

According to A study conducted by Facebook, “on average, brands using both fixed ads and video ads had a 17% higher conversion rate than brands using only fixed ads.”

Creating a Facebook ad that converts: our tips for attractive visuals

After this (long) introduction to Facebook Ads advertising formats, let's get to the heart of the matter.

In addition to targeting, content is the most important.

By content, we mean the visual (image and video) and the text (hook, title). We are going to start with the visual. This is what Internet users see first. They then read your texts. The first objective will be for Internet users to stop scrolling and then take an interest in your advertising.

How to do it?

Over more than 3 years of supporting businesses on Facebook Ads, we have identified some best practices for creating captivating ads.

Best practices for creating an attractive Facebook ad

Use a square or vertical format

These formats take up more space in the Facebook feed. You will therefore have a better chance of being seen by Internet users. The landscape format blends more into the mass.

Example here with Quonto and the Dynamo sports club.

Adopt a style that's all your own

Your ads will be shown multiple times. Internet users will need to recognize you quickly.

Create visuals for Facebook dark mode

Watch out for dark mode! It is more and more popular with Internet users. If you create visuals with light mode in mind only, the CTR of your ads could take a hit. The colors appear differently. When dark mode is activated, contrasting ads that were originally created for light mode may indeed blend in. So consider designing your visuals for dark mode!

Also, consider using colors that send messages to stand out in the news feed and attract the attention of Internet users. Of course, use a color from your brand. Do not use purple if your graphic chart does not contain it.

Be consistent

Your advertising should reflect your website or landing page. If it has nothing to do, graphically speaking, with your site, you will be penalized. Let's say you click on an ad and land on a page that doesn't look like the ad. What are you doing? Well you're leaving. You think that's weird. For Facebook, it's a negative signal. It will therefore put less emphasis on your advertising.

Be explicit and simple

Do you sell dog accessories? Put on dogs. Do you offer gift cards? Show your gift card. In short, don't go through four paths. Get right to the point. Use a visual that relates to your product or service. Do not choose a landscape if you are a bank for example. It makes no sense.

Simplicity is also king on Facebook Ads.

Adapt the visual to your target

For a cold audience (people who don't know you), prefer images with people on them (branding objective). Example for a clothing brand, put images of the shooting, of a model wearing the clothes. And for a slightly warmer audience, highlight your unworn products (conversion objective).

Put text in your image

At Growth Room, we tested visuals with text and without text. Our results all proved the visuals with text right.

Concrete example here. CTR increased from 0.87 to 2.26%.

Put on a dose of humor

Facebook is first and foremost a social network. Internet users connect to be entertained. So do not hesitate to put a little lightness into your ads (if your company allows it of course).

However, be careful not to overdo it. You are likely to have bad clicks. If you put a funny dog, some people will like or click just because they liked the dog, not because they liked your offer. It's the big trap of wanting to be a little humorous. So be vigilant.

Highlight testimonies

They make it possible to capture the attention of Internet users and above all to arouse their curiosity! Example below for the Ziggy brand of pasties and kibble for cats:

And for the videos?

Two tips:

👉 Deliver the message or show your product in the first 5 seconds of the video

👉 Subtitle your video. Many Internet users have deactivated the sound of the videos by default and watch them without the sound.

Writing a Facebook ad that converts: the art of copywriting

After the visual, it's time for the text.

On a Facebook ad, you have a catchphrase or main text, a title, a description, and a Call-To-Action (CTA).

Because a simple image is not enough, we will also have to do everything possible on the texts. And that's where copywriting comes in.

What is copywriting? It's the art of selling/convincing with words. We already told you about it on the blog in this article dedicated to Copywriting 😉

The main text or catchphrase is the most important part. After viewing your image or video, the user will read this section.

Before going any further, take note of this: an advertisement = a message.

A.I.D.A and P.A.S, two techniques in copywriting

A.I.D.A

AIDA is an acronym for:

• AAttention. Attention is your image, but also the first sentence of your text.

• IInterest. To generate interest, use facts and statements, for example, from the very first lines of your advertising text. What also works well is the question. Example: Tired of the subway? Tired of people who stick to you from 8 am? ” Here, we project ourselves. It can also be “Do you want brighter skin when you wake up? ” Here, we are talking about the envy of many women (and men too). These questions are arousing interest.

• Ddesire. Instill desire by explaining why your product or offering is the right one. For this, you can use reinsurance elements. Example: “Over 50,000 businesses trust Quonto”

• AAction. Finally, push the user to take action.

P.A.S

PAS is the acronym for:

• PRoblem. Here you describe the problem.

• Agiggle. You're twisting the knife in the wound. You emphasize the problem again by talking about the consequences. Don't talk about your solution yet.

• SSolution. Present your solution. Convince the user that your product/service is for them.

Example with this ad that does the job well 👇

We have the cover image and a woman who seems to be sleeping soundly thanks to the cover.

The text hooks directly to us “Do you sometimes feel exhausted when you wake up in the morning while sleeping at night? ”. If you have sleep problems, you can only be concerned by this question and want to know more! And hey, we click on the ad to find out more!

Facebook Ads copywriting: the important points

To write a Facebook ad that converts, you need to:

Highlighting the benefits

What is the difference between the benefit and the characteristic of a product?

The benefit is what the product actually brings. Feature is functionality, what the product is made of.

Example for a food processor:

“This food processor has 15 automatic programs and a professional 1800 W motor.” Here, we are talking about characteristics.

“This super powerful food processor allows you to cook everything, from appetizers to desserts. Guaranteed time savings! ”. Here, it is the benefits that are highlighted. You can imagine cooking good meals with a single appliance.

Remember, lBuying decisions are based on profits. and not on features. In your content, therefore, talk about the benefits.

Of course, you can also mention the characteristics, but that will be for a slightly warmer audience, who knows you, has already seen you.

At Growth Room, we broadcast “profit” advertising for prospecting and “Characteristic” advertising in general for retargeting 😉

Use social proof

The human being is made like this, he wants to do what everyone else does. So do not hesitate to highlight social proof such as “More than X customers trust us” or your Truspilot or Google rating.

Addressing your target

Use “You” or “You.” If you use “We” too much, your target audience won't feel concerned.

Insert emojis

In your ads, you cannot put your text in bold (hook). To attract the attention of Internet users, then put emojis. Obviously, don't overdo it. Too many emojis kill the emoji.

Note in passing that this ad is shown in retargeting. Here, the brand details the characteristics of its offer.

Test different visuals and texts

Obviously, one of the golden rules is to test, test and test, whether in terms of your texts, visuals and videos.

At the “advertising” level of your campaign, you can test several combinations of titles, descriptions, and images.

To do this, click on the “Add options” button.

Creating a Facebook ad that converts: spying on the competition

To create effective Facebook ads, don't hesitate to also spy on your competitors for inspiration AND to stand out.

To do this, you have a magic and totally free tool made in Facebook: Facebook Ad Library.

This library allows you to consult all the advertisements broadcast on Facebook applications and services, in France and abroad.

You can find inspiration (copywriting, creation) and especially look at the activity of your competitor (s).

A gold mine!

The only catch: Facebook Ad Library doesn't say which ads work best. Yes, that would be so nice.

To find out, there is a very simple tip:

• Visit your competitor's site
• Go to your Facebook and Instagram account
• And let the magic of retargeting work

“The most engaging retargeting ads are probably the ones with the highest ad spend, maximized. This means that they are the most efficient,” explains Julian Boulinguez, an expert at Growth Room.

Also note that if an ad has been active for a few months, it's because it's working well 😉

In addition to Facebook Library, you can use Ad Creative Bank

Depending on the theme chosen, this site offers you a selection of the most creative ads of the moment.

Nice as everything 👍

Facebook Ads advertising rules

We couldn't finish this article without talking about the famous advertising rules.

On Facebook, you obviously cannot broadcast anything (unlike specific posts hum hum). The agency has a very strict advertising policy on ads.

You cannot:

• Talk about illegal products or services
• Write statements or insinuations about personal attributes (ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc.)
• To be offensive
• Promote health-related products (not directly).
• Integrate features that do not exist. Example: an image with a fake play button.

And so much more!

Find all the rules in This document to prevent your ads from being rejected.

You now have all the keys in hand to create a Facebook ad that converts.

If necessary, our experts are there to support you on Facebook Ads and exceed your goals. Do not hesitate to contact Bastien our Head of Growth.

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