Facebook recently introduced changes to its platform, making things a little different for businesses; so it is important to understand how to effectively engage on Facebook with your growing follower base. Facebook ads and crafting attention-grabbing headlines are a great place to start! While Facebook’s targeting options make things easier for small businesses to create ads and show them to those who count, it still comes down to how much hard work you put into writing the ad in the first place. Time to start paying attention to the all-important details…
You require your Facebook ads to be eye-catching, engaging, and clear. To help you get there and begin brainstorming some ideas, we’ve put together another handy little list: “How to Create Great Facebook Ad Headlines”.
Step 1: Customise
To make your ad more engaging and personal, simply customise the headline. When it comes to Facebook ads, the headline is usually the last thing users read and remember. So make it pop! Ensure the message is clear and the wording is simple and actionable.
Step 2: Make It Clear
Over 3 million posts are made to Facebook every minute. That’s why it is so important for your ad to stand out from the digital crowd. Striving for a level of headline clarity that is still enticing, takes a lot of practice. For example, if Chilli created a Facebook ad to promote our “Social Media Beginners Guide”, we would simply state the purpose of the eBook and the intent of the reader: “Social Media Beginners Guide [Learn More]”, then link users through to our website for more information.
Step 3: Make It Concise
Again emphasising clarity, you want your Facebook headlines to be short, sweet and snappy! Facebook recommends keeping the headlines between 25 and 40 characters in length to maximise engagement prospects. Ensuring the headline and its purpose are easily understood is a great starting point.
Step 4: Ask A Question
Asking questions of your users is a great way to get them engaged and involved, ready for actionable follow-through. It’s attention grabbing and draws them in to get the answer. If you understand your target audience, and what kind of questions would grab their attention, use those questions to encourage advertising engagement. For example, Chilli utilise remarketing Facebook ads. You may have seen them if you visited our website then jumped onto Facebook. We simply pose the question, “Have You Heard Of Remarketing? Here’s How We Did It [Learn More]”. Clever, isn’t it?!
Step 5: Give A Command
Using commands in headlines can be very effective, provided you employ a strong verb to inspire interest. Utilising additional ad elements like images and descriptions can aid in building upon the command request. This method effectively makes the ad clear, concise, and actionable.
Step 6: List A Benefit
People are naturally self-absorbed – they want to know, “what’s in it for me”. So list a benefit. Use your Facebook ad to clearly tell users how your offer will benefit them.
Step 7: Inspire Curiosity
Headlines are purposely designed to make you want to learn more, continue reading, or click for more information. Take advantage of the ‘curiosity gap’, the gap between what we already know and what we want to find out. Let your followers in on the secret, and choose headlines that tease your content and entice interest. Teasing with a benefit proposition can act as a highly effective combination!
Step 8: Leverage Lists
Who doesn’t love a good list? Even the Chilli team has employed this tactic with our recent blog “15 Inspiring Instagram Creative”. Known as ‘listicles’ these list-based articles have become a popular content medium, as they are easy to read and digest information from. Listicle headlines creatively tease your content, while using positive connotations to spark interest in the ad.
Now it’s time to get writing! You may need to create a few drafts first before you find the perfect combination of intrigue and clarity, but these 8 steps should channel your thinking into the right direction. For more information on setting up Facebook ads, check out our recent blog, “Your Guide To Social Media Marketing”.
