How do you test Facebook advertising and make sure it’ll get you results?
So. Much. Testing.
Have you ever been overwhelmed by all the testing opportunities and data to interpret from Facebook?
While endless testing options may sound appealing at first, I consistently see the result is analysis paralysis and always wondering if a successful campaign is just one button click or age group test away.
If you’ve ever been in this situation I have GREAT news!
A button test won’t make or break your campaign.
Neither will targeting people 25-64 vs. 22-64.
When you’re just getting started, thinking you need to test every element Facebook offers is a great way to burn your budget up front.
Here’s a simple system I follow when launching a new campaign to make sure you’re testing the most important pieces FIRST, before moving on to other elements and advanced feature.
Before You Begin: Establish Initial Offering
I’ve rarely sold a bad product with good marketing….
But I’ve often sold excellent products with less refined funnels and hooks.
The chances are, if you’ve been in business for a while, you already know your best offering.
Gym owner that offers 30 days all access pass?
Car Wash with a 2 week introductory offer?
Webinar with a 45 minute free training?
The temptation is to make up something completely new for Facebook – but remember, Facebook is simply a channel to feature your show, continue to use what works!
Test One: Headlines and Hooks
The bold lettering just below the image in your Facebook Ad is called the headline or hook.
This is by far the most important element of your Facebook Advertising. How do I know this? Because the headline is also the most important piece of ALL advertising.
A strong headline will make or break your offer far before testing audiences, ages, or interests.
Test 3 completely different ways of promoting your offer.
For example, when testing our ads to generate leads for a client selling solar panels, we tested three unique features of going solar:
1 “Don’t Miss Out On The 30% Tax Credit By Going Solar!”
2 “Save 30K On Your Electric Bill By Going Solar!”
3 “Trust Delaware’s Number 1 Solar Team For Your Installation!”
Three completely different benefits for the exact same product.
While the actual image takes up far more space than the headline, the headline is what consistently brings in the right audience.
Test Two: Creative Elements
Now that you have the hook, it’s time to test your images.
Again, try testing two to three elements that are very different from one another.
Instead of testing 3 different residential homes with solar panels, we tested one residential home with panels on the roof, one commercial property with panels on the roof, and one free standing set of panels in a field.
We wanted to know who would be most interested, business owners, homeowners, or those with a larger plot of land.
Once we determined that the residential property provided the most leads at the best cost, we used other images of homes just to keep the ads fresh.
Test Three: The Audience
Once you have your Headline and Creative elements, it’s finally time to test your audiences.
Again, I like to keep things simple here:
-All of Delaware
-Homeowners in Delaware
-Solar Panel Interests (I found about ten that made a decent sized audience)
-Environmental Interests (Again, about 10 interests that made a decent sized audience)
-1% Lookalike of people who visited the contact form
As time goes on I will continue to refine, optimize, and scale these audiences but for now, keeping things broad allows us to truly identify our strongest assets within the campaign.
