If you think you need to use video in your Facebook ads because they get more engagement’ or simply because it’s what everyone is telling you, here’s a reason why you shouldn’t. And how you can potentially multiply the probability of success of your ads by as much as 50x.
I’m sure you’re always hearing about how video is ‘more engaging than images.’
And it’s true a lot of the time. They do tend to get more ‘engagement.’ But it doesn’t mean they’ll get you a better cost per lead or sale.
Heck, I’ve taken screenshots of my clients’ videos which have outperformed the actual video itself. More often than not, actually.
In the immortal words some random meme on the internet…
“We don’t know why the universe be like it is, but it does.”
Here’s why Facebook ‘be like it is:
This info alone can dramatically increase your CTR’s and conversions as a result
I want you to start looking at the image and the visible text surrounding the image (the ‘Headline’ below and 3 lines above on mobile) as the most important part of the ad.
Not how you set up the campaign, what objectives you used, none of that. That stuff is the easy part.
And none of this nonsense about how the image is “70% the most important part of that ad either.”
The image and the visible text surrounding it are BOTH ‘the most important.’ They both need to be given 100% of their effort – tested, and tweaked to bring in the right prospects.
The image’s job is to stop a prospect in their tracks. That’s it. And on Facebook, I’ve found the best way to do that is by using ‘normal’ looking images. Like images, you took with your phone.
Think about why everyone is there on Facebook in the first place. They’re there looking at pictures of friends and family. Use pictures that fit some extent, but not pictures that scream “look at me, I’m an ad!” Which causes people to keep moving due to banner blindness.
So make sure you test multiple images to find which ones cause prospects to stop scrolling and pay attention to your ad.
Once you have their attention, now you need to give them context.
And that’s what the visible surrounding text does.
This is very important to get your prospects to make a decision whether or not they want to invest more time reading your ad. Hitting them with pain here is usually an easy win. But, remember, this is Facebook, don’t get too crazy with something painful. You can also use the main benefits of your offer as well. Just make sure you test to find what works best for you.
If you get both of those rights the rest of the ad should go much easier. You can read some of my other articles where I go deeper into why you should be using use long copy and how to easily write it.
So…
Here’s why I don’t think you should use video.
Now, the video technically only takes the place of the video, but it actually does BOTH.
It stops the prospect in their tracks AND gives the context.
Perfect.
Now, you also know how important the message is in the ad, right?
The thing is, just because we have a message, doesn’t mean it’s a good one. Even the top copywriters on the planet – ever – the ones that the show Mad Men was based on don’t hit it out of the park every time. Even the best in the world have an 80% failure rate.
Which means we need to test. And we need to test more than they do.
Now if I’m starting a new campaign I’ll pick 10 images and 3 to 5 copy variations to start testing with.
That gives me 30 to 50 different versions of an ad.
Versus a video…
You get one. One chance to get a win.
So, yeah, if you get the right message out of the gate, you have the right background that catches people’s attention, your hair is parted the right way… Your video will probably get more engagement than an image will.
But if you don’t it’s likely to fall flat.
And, personally, if I have less than a 20% chance of being successful at something. I’d much rather have 50 tries than just one.
But, hey, maybe that’s just me.
If you’re looking to get more out of your Facebook Ads I’ve put together a Free Checklist specifically for Coaches and Course Creators wondering why their Facebook Ads aren’t working.
It’s called the “Campaign Balance Checklist”
And it’s a new & different way to quickly and easily multiply your leads, and increase sales from your ads by only monitoring 4 crucial numbers… 2 ff which aren’t even on Facebook!
Source: Chuck Sharpsteen
