Look, everybody misses the mark from time to time, but these 8 Facebook Ad mistakes could cost you a bundle. Are you guilty of any of these?

#8 – Setting & Forgetting

We get it, it’s tempting to set up your Campaign and then walk away. Your calendar is full, your to-do list isn’t to-done and your attention is elsewhere. DON’T LET THIS BE YOU. You need to be checking on and optimizing your ads at LEAST every 48-hours. 

If your ad isn’t meeting objectives or if the cost per click is too high – adjust the targeting, the creative, or turn the dang thing off. If you aren’t sure if your ad is performing well, take our quiz to put it to the test.

#7 – Not Testing

You can’t maximize the ROI from your ads if you don’t do a little bit of leg work! The bulk of your testing needs to be done at the beginning of your ad campaign, but ongoing testing through the life of the ad will help you respond to the way your audience is engaging longterm.

We suggest setting aside 10-15% of the ad budget for the month to test with. View it as an investment in the future return for this client and for their ads. Create a new ad set to test with so that you don’t affect an existing ad set’s momentum or make it difficult to track changes to the performance data. Start with testing to see which audience is the most receptive to your ad, from there play with different copy and creative variations to maximize your engagement in that space. 

#6 – Not Using Video

Video posts have almost double the engagement rate of Facebook posts that feature static images and viewers spend an average of 5X longer viewing a video than they do a still post. 

So…why aren’t you using video content again?

#5 – Heavy Copy

You could be writing the next great American novel, but if your text length goes past that fateful ellipses and you haven’t hooked your reader, your ad is dead weight. Keep in mind that the text portion of your ad truncates at different points depending on if your reader is viewing it on a desktop or a mobile device. The best practice is to get your hook in the first 90 characters of your primary text. 

#4 – No Call To Action

Have you ever come across an ad that sounds great but leaves you without a clear next step? Your ad shouldn’t come with a cognitive load. Choose a singular call to action for each ad. Don’t make your audience choose between calling you, clicking to your website, signing up for your seminar, and downloading your free ebook. 

Tell your audience exactly what you’re wanting them to do, and make it simple for them to do it.

#3 – Passive Headlines

In a study by Outbrain, the average click-through rate on headlines with negative superlatives was a staggering 63 percent higher than that of their positive counterparts. On top of that, readers are far more likely to click through headlines that have an emotional appeal or use power words. We’re not talking clickbait, we’re talking take a passive headline like:

“Ad Mistakes To Avoid”

And using a negative superlative to give it more punch:

“Never Make These 8 Facebook Ad Mistakes”

…too meta?

#2 – Confusing Messaging

Sometimes the way brands present themselves is so flowery that people have no idea what they actually do or sell. It may seem on the nose, but clearly state what your product is and why it should matter to your audience. (And do it in the first 90 characters.)

#1 – Sloppy Targeting

The biggest Facebook Ad mistake (read: waste of time and money) is having sloppy targeting. You can put together the BEST copy, the most evocative creative, and it won’t matter even a tiny bit if you don’t get it in front of an audience that cares.

You creative is the meat, but your targeting is the secret sauce. 

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Why did we put this list together? We’re sick of seeing business owners waste money on ads that aren’t working. 

We hope this guide helped you identify some problem areas to address as you move towards having marketing that actually increases your bottom line. If you aren’t sure why your ads still aren’t getting the return you need, don’t worry. We’re always here to help.