an older version of this article was originally published on the AdEspresso blog
BetterBack is a company that appeared on the TV show Shark Tank and got an investment offer from Lori Greiner, and before that raised $1.2 million on Kickstarter.
They were doing a great job on many fronts, except their Facebook ads were not profitable.
Then they got in touch with AdEspresso Concierge service, and I was the one on the other side of that phone call (and of the world, for that matter).
After 3 months of managing their ads, their cost per sale decreased to $28.588 while getting 1998 sales, which was profitable for them.
Including many days where they did have the highest number of sales in a single day from Facebook ads.
Here’s how AdEspresso helped BetterBack run profitable campaigns on Facebook.
When Olympic champion in freestyle mogul skiing Jennifer Heil decided to take a year off to build her strength, everybody told her she was making the biggest mistake of her life and jeopardizing her career.
Except her move was the difference between a 4th place during the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and, later, winning five Overall World Cup titles (including 4 gold) as well as two Olympic medals.
Ignoring conventional wisdom and what other did, was the key to her success.
It is also how I helped BetterBack run profitable campaigns on Facebook.
Here are some numbers!
So how did I go against conventional wisdom to achieve such results?
Many say images are everything in Facebook ads, the copy is unimportant.
In a previous article, I shared how Strategyzer got 1866% ROI by improving their ad copy.
Just in case those results were not convincing, this time I’ll show you how a good ad copy can make a huge difference.
I mean like... night and day.
BetterBack and AdEspresso, a match made in... Facebook
During my call with BetterBack founder Katherine Krug, she mentioned that
I remember saying
So we decided to begin the optimization of BetterBack Facebook ads by working on the ad copy.
This is where we started:
And below is an example of a Facebook ad copy that worked and got a great ROI.
BetterBack as see on Shark Tank
The Four Powers of a good Facebook ad
We all know that people aren't on Facebook to buy, they're on Facebook to peep in their contacts life and to look at cute kitten picture. And in between a gossip and a laugh, they also get your ads in their newsfeed.
That's called "interruption marketing", and nobody likes to be interrupted, or do they? To grab Facebook users attention you non stop need to come up with new ad creative to combat ad fatigue.
#1 - The power of a good ad copy
When creating new campaigns for each new Facebook ad copy, we also tested using new images, as well as reusing images that did well in previous campaigns.
For example, after running for a while the ad I shared above, the cost per sale increased.
So we replaced it with a new Facebook ad copy, that helped us keep the average cost per sale down.
Below is a screenshot of the ad, even using the same image just by changing the ad copy BetterBack was able to keep the cost per sale down.
Yet some will still argue that Facebook ad is all about the image, the copy does not matter. Keep reading then.
#2 - The power of Retargeting
Someone who visited your website is someone who raised their hand and showed an interest.
Sometimes they just need a gentle push before they open their wallet. In the world of Facebook ads, this push is called retargeting.
Check the results from a retargeting campaign BareBack ran, bringing sales at $5.547 CPA.
And below is the ad creative they used.
This Facebook ad copy is basically telling the user: we know you are hesitant, let us give you a few reasons why you should come back and buy.
And that is where a tool like AdEspresso proves to be your best marketing tool.
It allowed BareBack to quickly split test multiple retargeting audiences and find the winners.
Just a quick look at the results of their retargeting campaigns (through Adespresso clear and simple analytics), showed that those who raised their hand in the last day or so, were more likely to convert.
#3 - The power of Specificity
I want to tell you a story. Let's pretend I'm selling you tickets to a motivational meeting on how to become self-preneur and live a happier life.
In 2013, the chief of a $2 trillion investment firm resigned, after his daughter handed him a list of milestones he had missed.
Mr. El-Erian will ask her to brush her teeth, but she wasn’t listening. When he asked her why she gave him a list of 22 things he had missed (from her first day at school to Halloween parades).
Notice how the concrete language above, made it easy to understand the story.
What if I'd said:
Mr. El-Erian was a white-collar worker, with a stressful job. One day he quit.
Suddenly the image becomes less clear and interesting.
When writing ads for Facebook don’t assume users who already suffer from attention deficit, will figure out the benefits of your product or service by themselves.
Instead spell them out as clearly and as specific as possible.
Have a specific story that drives the point? Use it. Stories are easy to read and understand.
Our ad did not just say: because of back pain, she needed to take a break from work.
We mentioned how, being on disability, she only got 60% of her pay, forcing her to use the money she saved to take her son to Disney just to get by.
#4 - The Power of Why
The reason why many marketers think that copy is not important on Facebook is that they mimic what works for them when using Adwords.
They write multiple ads that basically say the same thing but with slight variation in the wording.
On Facebook, it's not that easy. Crafting an ad that converts on Facebook, is all about uncovering the different reasons that might push someone to convert.
Let me give you an example.
If I was New York Tourism board, not everyone visits NYC because of the food.
So writing ad1: “We have delicious food”
Ad2: “Enjoy some of the world’s best cuisine”
Those are similar ads.
Some will visit NYC because of the food, other because of the fashion, nature, nightlife, architecture, museums..etc
It is about writing ads for the different hot buttons that might push someone to convert.
Final Thoughts
When the CEO of Air Dining presented a dessert made with the world most expensive coffee to Gama Aviation executives. When he asked if owners of private jets would buy it, the answer was:
Understanding the level of craftsmanship that goes into this dessert, is going to be key to having this in the best menu. Food tastes better when you’ve got the story.”
Facebook ads are no different, cleverly done storytelling beats ads that only say: This is what I offer, please buy it.
Often, when doing either campaign reviews, concierge duties or coaching calls for AdEspresso customers, I start by:
Imagine that there are 456 other companies out there offering something exactly like yours. Why should anyone choose you?
or:
Can you tell me a specific story of a client you helped?
For example during a campaign review for an SEO company I advised to do the following in their Facebook ad copy:
Mention the story of a client you worked with and their niche.
How you helped them and the outcome
According to him, it made a huge difference to his campaign!
Actually, it was the technique that worked same with BetterBack -and it can work with you too
Just by thinking about why should a customer choose you can make a big difference between a boring ad and a Facebook ad copy that will focus users attention on you.
One last takeaway:
Often marketers make a mistake when writing ads: they just describe the service/product, find a nice picture or use the company logo, and then focus all their energies thinking:
How do I target via Facebook ads someone who need what I offer?
Change the mindset! Starting with asking:
How do I clearly explain why my solution/offer is the best option for anybody out there?
It can make a huge difference. Give it a try.