7 Facebook Ads hacks that work in 2020

“Errrrmagerrrd!” Screams every second ad in my Facebook news feed. “I just figured out the secret to Facebook advertising and 10X-ed my email list in a day. All you have to do is give me your email address, your phone number and your tax file number and I’ll tell you all my Facebook Ads hacks.”

If you’re here for that kind of thing, I’m going to tell it to you straight: This blog post isn’t what you’re looking for. Don’t waste the next 10 minutes of your life reading this, because none of these Facebook Ads “hacks” will 10X your email list (unless your email list has 3 people, in which case, it might). Instead of teaching you so-called secrets, these marketers should be handing over a copy of Facebook Advertising For Dummies and sending you on your merry way.

I have a love/hate relationship with the word “hack” because it implies that success is instantly attainable to anyone who possesses knowledge of said hack. And, as anyone who has been in business for more than a year will know, it actually takes a bloody long time to become an overnight success.

7 Facebook Ads hacks that work in 2020

These Facebook Ads hacks are hacks at the moment, simply because the vast majority of people haven’t figured them out yet and therefore they still work. If you all start using them, they might not work anymore. But, I’m willing to take that risk and share my Facebook Ads hacks with you.

Before we dive into my Facebook Ads Hacks, I've put together a free Facebook Ads cheat sheet to help you transform your Facebook Ads. Download it below:

 

 

If you're running Facebook Ads, people will be clicking back to visit your Facebook Page. You need to make sure your Facebook Page is optimised, so that you're putting your best foot forward. I've written about how to optimise your Facebook Page here.

The one thing to do before you start running Facebook Ads…

Install the Facebook Pixel! Not only will it allow you to retarget potential buyers and create lookalike audiences with more people just like them, it also allows you to correctly track and measure the results of your Facebook Ads. That way, you won't waste your money on Facebook Ads that don't work.

If your website is built on WordPress, this plugin makes installing the Facebook Pixel a breeze.

If you're looking to really take your Facebook Ads to the next level, why not do my free Facebook Ads training.

Alright, onto the Facebook Ads hacks…

Facebook Ads Hack #1: Using brackets

This one is so painfully obvious that I wish I’d thought of it years ago. What do I mean by using brackets? I mean this:

[INFLUENCERS ONLY]

Yeah, that would’ve made me look too.

Facebook doesn’t allow you to bold, underline or italicise, so brackets are one way to differentiate your posts and make certain things stand out.

// THIS IS THE OTHER //

>> OR THIS <<

Basically, have fun with punctuation and use it to grab your audience’s attention. But, be wise and only use this Facebook Advertising hack (a) sparingly and (b) if it is appropriate for your audience. If you’re reading this, Mr Lagerfeld, you probably shouldn’t use it for your brand.

Facebook Ads Hack #2: Using emojis

This follows a similar train of thought to the last one. Emojis are another way to make your Facebook ads stand out. But, I’m guessing you didn’t even realise you could use emojis in your Facebook ads. Most people haven't yet, and that is why this still works.

Why does it work so well? Because Facebook is, first and foremost, a social media platform and your audience are there to watch dog videos and stalk their exes. Sprinkling a few emojis through your ad makes it look like the native content it’s meant to be. It makes your ad look a whole lot less like an ad and a whole lot more like a post by crazy Aunt Marge.

Again, use them sparingly and in line with your brand.

(PS. What's the plural form of emoji anyway? Anyone?)

Facebook Ads Hack #3: Not including a CTA

There has been so much written about which CTA button you to choose for Facebook Ads.

“Never use the Sign Up button,” say some. Others claim that “Learn More has the highest click-through rate”.

But, did you know that you can simply choose NO call to action button on your Facebook Ads? Yeah, you don’t have to have one!

Why does it work? Well, it makes your ad look like the native content it’s supposed to be.

Are you seeing a trend here? It seems that the key to successful Facebook ads is to make them look as little like an ad as possible. Groundbreaking.

Facebook Ads Hack #4: FB Messenger ad campaigns

Not really a Facebook Ads hack, but a huge opportunity nonetheless.

I’ve only seen two Facebook Messenger campaigns done well, so far. I don’t know if this is because I’m not in the target audience for those who are running them, or if there just aren’t any people running them yet. But, either way, this is a HUGE opportunity at the moment.

To put it in layman’s terms: You can use Facebook Messenger ads to get people to interact with your brand via Messenger. Then, once they've messaged your page, you can run ads to them that show up as messages in their FB Messenger. It’s a bit like building an email list, but within FB messenger. Shneaky.

Oh, and if you're not convinced yet, FB messages have a higher open rate than emails.

Facebook Ads Hack #5: Spy on your competitors Facebook Ads

Now there's a legit way to spy on your competitors Facebook Ads, without even leaving the Facebook platform. I don't recommend copying your competitor's Facebook Ads, as this will confuse your audience and leave them wondering which brand is which.

Step 1: Go to your competitor's Facebook Page

Step 2: In the sidebar menu on their Facebook Page, click “Info and Ads”

Step 3: Change the region to “Global”

Here are all of your competitors Facebook Ads, for you to draw inspiration from. This is possibly one of my favourite Facebook Ads hacks, and so many people still don't know about it!

Facebook Ads Hack #6: FB Messenger Placement

Not to be confused with Facebook Messenger Ad Campaigns mentioned above!

This is a relatively new option, and if there is one thing we can learn from the past, it’s that new ad placements always perform really well at the start, before everyone starts using them and abusing them.

This placement means your ad will be shown in your audience's Messenger app, below the first few messages. There will only be a few ads shown at a time, so it should make your ad stand out… In theory, at least!

Facebook Ads Hack #7: Stories Ads Placement

Instagram and Facebook Stories Ads are relatively new placements and have been working incredibly well lately. Using Stories Ads for your business is a great idea – simply grab some good video content and voila! If you don't have the time or budget to create video content, simply use a pre-made animated Instagram template, and you're sorted!

Bonus Facebook Ads Hack: Use a pre-made Facebook Ads template

A pre-made template can make your ads stand out from the dull, cluttered images in the newsfeed. I recently did a round-up of the best Facebook Ads templates – and they're all super simple to edit and customise for your own brand look and feel.

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