May 9, 2018 6 min read

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Facebook sees over 1.4 billion active users a day, with Mark Zuckerberg himself reporting that users spend approximately 50 minutes a day scrolling through Facebook’s suite of apps (Facebook, Messenger and Instagram). That’s a lot of people.

Related: Not Getting Results With Your Facebook Ads? Here is Everything You Are Doing Wrong.

However, just because people are online and might see your business page doesn’t mean that many people are converting and generating sales for your company. In fact, in order to tap into this enormous audience base, you have to market to them in a way that makes them want to convert.

One great way to do this is to create optimized Facebook ads that target those you want to buy from you. That way, you spend your points-per-click (PPC) budget wisely and generate a positive ROI.

Here are some of the best ways to increase your Facebook ad conversions so you can build up your business and generate more sales than ever.

1. Add social proof.

People don’t want to risk spending their money on something they think might not be worth it. That’s why convincing people that your product or service is worth their money is the key to getting them to convert.

Try using social proof in your Facebook ads to calm people’s fears.

For example, add customer testimonials or mention how many people are already using your service, as Hootsuite does in its ad, below. This will instill a sense of trust in your brand that new viewers may then be willing to take a chance on.

By telling you that 16 million other people use its service, Hootsuite knows you’re more likely to click and convert. After all, 16 million people can’t be wrong, right?

Related: Not Getting Results With Your Facebook Ads? Here is Everything You Are Doing Wrong.

2. Offer an incentive.

People are 57 percent more likely to buy from an unfamiliar brand if they have a coupon. That’s because discounts take the pressure off just in case the purchase doesn’t work out as intended.

Take for instance the 30 percent discount you can receive on tickets to the famous Blue Man Group show in Las Vegas, New York and other cities.

Vegas shows are known for being spectacular, though expensive. However, the hesitation to spend a lot of money on a high-end show that may not be that good disappears when you get a hefty discount.

3. Create a sense of urgency.

The fear of missing out on a great deal is real. And, if you can tap into people’s fears of missing out (FOMO), you’ll see more conversions than ever before.

Take a look at this offer for the Spider-Man titles on Marvel Unlimited. Marvel is giving people a chance to read all titles for free, but there is an expiration date that says “this great deal won’t last forever.”

Make sure you don’t just tell customers to “Buy Now.” Let people know the offer really will go away, and in a short amount of time. That way people who want to give you a try will do so immediately, so they don’t miss out on the deal you’re offering.

Related: Here’s How to Master Facebook Advertising and Why You Must

4. Utilize ad placement A/B tests.

Kissmetrics does a great job of explaining the different Facebook ad-placement positions available. For instance, there is the desktop news feed, the desktop right column position and the mobile-ad position.

By default, your Facebook ads will appear in all three positions. But if you A/B test all three and find that one position works far better than the other two, you can adjust your ads’ position to appear in only one spot.

In fact, the Digital Marketing Institute stated that the desktop news-feed ad placement tends to work best because it includes longer descriptions, is more visible to people scrolling through their Facebook feeds and is usually more engaging.

5. Create a custom audience.

If you want to save money on your advertising efforts, and stop targeting those who have already converted, consider creating a custom audience for your Facebook ads. That way, you won’t spend money advertising to people who are already customers of yours.

You can also do the opposite and target specific audience members based on their demographics and interests, a strategy Social Media Examiner has outlined in detail. Your ads will reach people that are more likely to be interested in your company and will want to convert, without needing a lot of convincing.

6. Be consistent.

There’s nothing worse than being a customer who’s interested in a special deal, clicks on the call to action button and finds no trace of the product or the deal that was advertised.

For instance, Zulilly offers people up to 55 percent off on toddler shoes, which is great. But once you click on the ad, and enter the Zulilly site, the shoe that was featured in the ad is nowhere to be seen.

It’s also not entirely clear whether that 55 percent discount still applies, which is enough to make anyone who’s a little unsure abandon the site right away.

Not only should you use the same branding, color schemes and writing tone when you create Facebook ads, you should feature the product or service that’s mentioned in the ad. And don’t forget to make the discount or deal you’re offering clear, so people know they are getting what you promised.

And, there you have it! Six examples of what to do (and not do) when it comes to your Facebook ads in order to boost conversions and generate more sales.

Related: The Complete Guide to Getting Started With Facebook Ads

Creating Facebook ads is not difficult, as long as you put a little thought into the ad design and target audience. If you do this, you’ll see more click-throughs than ever that can lead to sales because you’ve made sure that you’re targeting the right kind of audience with the right kind of offers.