 Introduction: In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, we often find ourselves adapting to new technologies and strategies. Today, I received news that left me feeling a mix of nostalgia and uncertainty. According to one of our trusted meta reps, the Facebook conversion pixel, which has been a staple in our advertising efforts, is set to meet its end. In just three months, it was said that it is likely to be phased out, making way for conversions API and other privacy-enhancing technologies as the new standard for all things web.
The Changing Landscape: This transition has been on the horizon for quite some time, triggered in part by Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) moves and Meta's strategic decisions. Additionally, Google's anticipated changes with Chrome's cookieless future indicate a shift in the digital advertising landscape. These shifts reflect a growing focus on user privacy and data protection, as privacy-enhancing technologies take center stage. Adapting to the Future: While the news might cause some concern, it's important to remember that change is a constant in our industry. We have weathered significant changes before and emerged stronger than ever. As privacy concerns become more prevalent, it's crucial for marketers to adapt their strategies accordingly. Embracing privacy-enhancing technologies like conversions API can help us maintain the performance and efficacy of our advertising campaigns while respecting users' privacy. A Walk Down Memory Lane: As I reflect on the journey we've had with the Facebook conversion pixel, I can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. I remember the day it was released natively by Facebook, transforming our approach to tracking conversions. From its birth to the supposed end, the conversion pixel has been an integral part of our digital advertising toolbox. Looking Ahead: As we bid farewell to the conversion pixel, we must remain optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead. Meta's emphasis on attribution tracking through purchase is a step in the right direction. Moreover, their push for adoption of checkout features in Instagram and Facebook shops shows their commitment to embracing change. A Word of Reassurance: While the conversion pixel's deprecation might seem daunting, it's essential to remember that we are not alone in this. Dedicated client reps and agency representatives are working to provide us with more insights and support during this transition. Together, we can navigate this change and find success in the new era of digital advertising. Conclusion: As we prepare to say our goodbyes to the Facebook conversion pixel, let us cherish the memories it has brought us and embrace the future of digital advertising with optimism. Change is inevitable, and as marketers, our ability to adapt is what sets us apart. By embracing privacy-enhancing technologies and staying informed about industry shifts, we can continue to thrive in this ever-changing landscape. So, let's bid farewell to the conversion pixel, thank it for its service, and welcome the exciting possibilities that await us. Stay tuned, as the journey has only just begun!  My business partner and I have operated a solar installation company for 3.5 years now spending just north of 1mil on digital marketing.
Before establishing this business I have been in the SMMA space for a decade and handle a dozen accounts. This is just a brain dump of lessons I've picked up over the years, hopefully it helps! #1 - Remove emotion Some people that I've worked with and even other marketers, get very emotionally attached to a particular ad or way of doing things that has worked well in the past, but it is no longer working. Every time you advertise your business, the vast majority of your decisions should be rational and logical as to why you're trying something different, or whether you should stop doing something. #2 - Diversify your ad platforms If any of you use Facebook ads, you would know you're only an ad account ban away from totally losing all new customer inquiries. So look for other opportunities to spend your budget in other platforms additionally, like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Google. Just think of these other platforms like having an additional fishing pole in the water – the more fishing poles you have, the better chance you have of catching a fish! 🐟 #3 - Get good at scripting ads With the majority of content being consumed nowadays being predominantly video format, it will help you tremendously to understand scripting. (Hook, body of content/relatability, CTA) And then when you find a good script that works well in generating new customers from your ads, you can use something like Chat GPT to come up with iterations of that script for you. #4 - Get even better at editing ads Whether you're using a platform like Canva to edit images, or a video editor like CapCut, having a basic understanding of how to edit these assets and to do it quickly will enable you to push out an infinite amount of ad variations, as you need them. And you will need them! #5 - Always accept different strategies, 💁🏻 Even if you've tried them in the past. Personally, I have a playbook of all the strategies I've used over my decade of advertising, and let me tell you, I am constantly cycling between these strategies that may not have worked last year, but for whatever reason, possibly a platform update, they start working now! #6 - Simplify your ad campaign structure Back in 2017-2018, the general consensus among marketers was to have quite detailed ad campaign structures. I'm talking about the top of funnel, middle of funnel, bottom of funnel – I'm talking about going really granular with targeting. I'm talking like having 50 different ad targeting things going on at once. These days, for the vast majority of my clients and myself, I have two campaigns running – one is top of funnel or going out to a cold audience who've never heard from the business before, and the second campaign is remarketing people. That's it! #7 - Check in on your ads daily If you really, truly want to understand how your ads are performing and you want to keep your finger on the pulse, then checking in on performance daily will tremendously level up your understanding of them. I check all the accounts I manage at 6:00 am in the morning and 7:00 PM at night. #8 - Test new ideas for no longer than 4 days This does a few things for you: No. 1, you're not waiting weeks to see some form of result. No. 2, you'll likely get enough impressions to make a decision of statistical significance so that the idea you had is being scientifically validated, or invalidated, without your speculation. And this also allows you to optimize a lot faster! That's all!  Alright, mate! It's time to talk about the TikTok sensation sweeping through Australia like a kangaroo on a sugar rush!
If you haven't heard of TikTok yet, you must be living in a koala's pouch! But fear not, because we're here to show you how Aussie businesses are shaking things up Down Under with some hilarious TikTok advertising! TikTok's Aussie Invasion TikTok has taken over like Vegemite on toast – everyone's addicted! From Sydney to Melbourne, Aussies are swiping and tapping their way to non-stop entertainment. And guess what? Our Gen Z and Millennial mates just can't get enough of this bite-sized, laugh-out-loud content! Why TikTok Ads Are More Fun Than a Barbecue
Top-Notch TikTok Strategies, Mate!
Aussie Rules: Ad Compliance Before you go charging in like a bull at a gate, make sure your TikTok ads play by the rules, mate! Follow all the advertising regulations and guidelines so your brand stays as clean as a sandy beach. Time to Throw Another Shrimp on the Barbie TikTok advertising is a fair dinkum ripper way for Aussie businesses to connect with their audience, have a laugh, and create memorable brand moments! Embrace your inner larrikin, get creative, and watch your brand soar higher than a kangaroo on a trampoline. So, don't be a drongo – grab your phone, start creating, and let the TikTok magic happen, mate! Better yet! Book a 30 minute chat with me, and I'll tell you what to do Click here to book!  Advertising on social media platforms is becoming an increasingly popular and effective way for businesses to reach their target audience. Two of the most popular platforms for social media advertising are Facebook and TikTok. While both platforms have a lot of potential for businesses to reach their target audience, there are significant differences between the two platforms in terms of their advertising capabilities, audience demographics, and advertising formats.
One of the biggest differences between Facebook and TikTok is their target audience. Facebook has a much broader audience, with users ranging in age from 13 to over 65. TikTok, on the other hand, is primarily used by younger people, with the majority of its users being under the age of 40. This difference in audience demographics means that the type of advertising that works best on each platform will differ. For example, businesses targeting a younger demographic may find TikTok to be a better platform for their advertising efforts, while businesses targeting an older demographic may find Facebook to be a better option. Another significant difference between the two platforms is their advertising formats. Facebook offers a variety of advertising formats, including image and video ads, carousel ads, and sponsored posts. TikTok, on the other hand, is primarily a video-based platform, with most of its advertising being in the form of short, creative video ads. This difference in advertising formats means that businesses will need to adjust their advertising strategies depending on which platform they choose to advertise on. For example, businesses that want to create video-based ads will likely find TikTok to be a better option, while businesses that prefer image-based advertising may find Facebook to be a better choice. In terms of targeting options, Facebook has a more sophisticated advertising platform, allowing businesses to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviours. TikTok, on the other hand, is still in the early stages of developing its advertising platform and currently has limited targeting options. However, TikTok is working to expand its advertising capabilities and is expected to offer more sophisticated targeting options in the near future. When it comes to advertising costs, both Facebook and TikTok offer a range of advertising options at different price points. However, Facebook tends to be more expensive than TikTok, especially for businesses looking to reach a large audience. This is due in part to the fact that Facebook has a much larger user base, making it more competitive and therefore more expensive to advertise on. TikTok, on the other hand, is still a relatively new platform and has lower advertising costs, making it a more cost-effective option for businesses on a tight budget. Finally, it's important to consider the level of user engagement on each platform. Facebook has a large and highly engaged user base, with users spending a lot of time on the platform and interacting with content. TikTok, on the other hand, has a highly engaged and rapidly growing user base, with users spending a lot of time on the platform and actively engaging with content. This high level of user engagement on TikTok means that businesses have the potential to reach a large and highly engaged audience with their advertising efforts. In conclusion, both Facebook and TikTok offer businesses the opportunity to reach their target audience through social media advertising. However, the differences between the two platforms in terms of their target audience, advertising formats, targeting options, advertising costs, and level of user engagement mean that businesses need to carefully consider which platform is the best fit for their advertising needs. By taking the time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, businesses can make informed decisions about which platform is right for them and maximize the effectiveness of their advertising efforts.  In short, unfortunately not. And I write that with great sadness as I personally would love to just leave Facebook to it's on devices and reap the results! But here is a strategic breakdown as to why your Facebook Ads cannot be "set and forget" You Will Miss Opportunities To ScaleA way to get more out of your Facebook campaign is to spend more on it, assuming it's producing results. On all the accounts we manage, we notice on certain days, usually before 10:00am, that if it's producing exceptional results we will look to scale it for that day. If you aren't looking at your campaigns daily, you will obviously miss these opportunities Conserve Your BudgetOn a similar note as the previous point, if the campaigns are not performing that particular day we will look to conserve budget by reducing the spend for that day. Past performance is taken into account rather than overreacting but generally speaking making the most of your marketing dollars is a good thing. Again, if you're not watching carefully, you will overspend on poor performance. Learning PhasesA lot of the time, if you aren't spending enough or yielding results the campaign will fall into 'learning limited'. This means the campaign isn't getting enough of the desired result to 'exit' the learning phase. It will usually happen around the 3-4 day mark. Similarly to the previous point, daily monitoring is required to eyeball when this happens and make adjustments. Monitoring Creative FatigueBeing on top of your creative production is paramount in today's digital marketing landscape. We see it time and time again where business owners will run one ad for weeks on end and wonder why their results have declined. If you don't have a process to produce new creative as needed or at least once per week, I wouldn't recommend running ads. Or. Hire us! Optimizing Your CampaignsDefinition: make the best or most effective use of (a situation or resource). The resource in this scenario is your marketing dollars. Some optimizations that we commonly make after watching campaigns closely are: Placements - is IG or FB getting better results? Format - are slideshows, carousels or collections yielding better results? Objectives - are certain objectives getting higher quality leads? Retargeting - is our frequency getting higher? Do we need new creative launched here? Facebook ads without a doubt requires a good amount of attention to ensure things are running smoothly.
Sure, you might get lucky and not have to pour as much time into it (lucky you!) but eventually you will likely have to address a decline in performance which could be for various reasons So it's always best to give your Facebook campaigns the attention they require OR reach out to us to see if we can work together! Book a call here  Today I'd Like To Plant A Seed. 🌱 TikTok Ads Whilst you might think TikTok is only full of 13 year old kids dancing and trying to go viral - the advertising platform itself is so wildly underpriced it's insane
Remember when everybody just started to adopt Instagram 4-5 years ago? Prior to this everyone was saying, "Nah Instagram is for kids, they're not looking for my business." Well.. as you well know now, it's one of the best platforms to get new customers from. I started advertising on it as soon as the ad platform became available and man... People talk about the golden days, those were it haha! Cheap leads, cheap online sales - the lot! To date we get 20-30% cheaper results by advertising on Instagram instead of Facebook in some accounts! I believe this to be because (at least here in Perth) most people don't think to test this out. And so I've noticed a similar trend toward TikTok at this point in time. Business owners think their target audience isn't on there.. They've fallen into the same assumption that had them 'miss the boat' on Instagram ads. I'd love to plant a seed for you today - TikTok is your next biggest platform to get new customers from. For my solar business in Queensland, we get 8-10 red hot, qualified leads from TikTok at $45 each - where as Facebook sits around $150+ a lead You may have even seen MY ad on TikTok, promoting my training video for Australian business owners. These leads come in FOUR TIMES cheaper than Facebook at $2.20 a pop If you follow my Instagram, I regularly post updates on new platforms and strategies that are working. Now.. Does this mean you give up on Facebook and move to TikTok? No. It means allocate some budget to test it out yourself - guaranteed you will see 3X to 4X CHEAPER costs to show your ads at the very least! TikTok uses a very similar ad platform to Facebook - create a campaign, target an audience, create an ad. I'm pretty sure it was modelled after Facebook anyhow! That's all for today - if you would like to chat about this some more, feel free to book a call with me below! Book A Strategy Call Here  There's no shortage of volatility on Facebook nowadays with iOS14 updates and major platform changes being deployed. As with most things in life, if we're slow to adapt OR adopt, we can be left behind in a wake of other people's success. Today I'm sharing 3 strategies that I've had to redevelop in order to adapt to the current landscape of Facebook advertising, to push our budget and ad spend even further. So buckle up, slip into a nice pocket of stillness and focus, and let's begin. Strategy One: Identify Top Performing PlacementsDid you know that your Facebook ads don't just show on the newsfeed? There's a good amount of 'placements' from which you can have you ads shown (pictured below)
Strategy Two: Use All Creative Formats In Your AdsMost of us are guilty of simply slapping up and image that we think will work well and letting it run. But there is so much potential opportunity in using the other creative formats that are available to us. I recently consulted with a client and identified that although they had spent quite a bit of time producing a video that they used in an ad, their Instagram (IG) story ad, which was a simple image, delivered the best results for them. You will see on the ad level the opportunity to edit specific placements and how they will show your ads. Pictured below.
Similar to strategy one, this will give you valuable insight into which creative formats deliver the best results for your brand. Just be aware that if you are using videos in your ads, you will have to edit the length accordingly to fit certain formats. i.e. IG feed - max 60 secs, IG reel - max 30 secs, FB feed - 10mins, IG story - 15 secs. Strategy Three: Run Your Ads On Instagram OnlyRemember when everyone was saying, "Only kids use Instagram" (Side note: People are saying the same about TikTok right now, let that sink in) Well, not only are those people eating their own words, but Instagram is largely a platform that adopted online shopping seamlessly. If you run a service-based business don't worry, this is still very relevant to you. We're finding it 20-30% cheaper to run ours and our client's ads on Instagram, this could be for many reasons.. It seems less competitive, especially for local businesses. It has a lower negative feedback score, and ultimately CPMs (cost per 1000 impressions) is lower across IG.
With these 3 strategies in your arsenal you should notice a significant difference in the results you get from your next Facebook campaign
As the platform and advertising protocols evolve, it goes without saying, staying up to date and adopting new strategies is your 'silver bullet' for growing your business on Facebook. Feel free to book a strategy call with me if you want more results from your ads! Click Here To Book A Strategy Call With Revel  Australians plan to do 90% more online Christmas shopping this year compared to previous years. 2-in-5 Australians say they’ll shop online early to have gifts delivered in time - a study conducted by PayPal reported It's a common speculation we encounter as digital marketers. Some business owners speculate that people may have limited funds due to it 'being xmas time' or people being away on holidays (well maybe not this year lol) But here are some helpful insights on the paid marketing end:  So what does this mean for your business?
The trending up of CPMs shown in the graph suggests that advertisers/business owners are spending more and more leading into the holiday season. Which means higher advertising costs and more competition. So it would seem if you are considering to launch your xmas/holiday campaigns, you should probably do it soon to make the most of the lower competition! PayPal’s research reveals the amount of online Christmas shopping in Australia is expected to almost double (48%) compared to previous years (25%): a year-on-year increase of 90%. Shopping in-store is set to decrease, with respondents saying they plan to do only half (52%) their Christmas shopping in-store: a 30% year-on-year decrease from 75% of Christmas shopping being done in-store previously. What about the dreaded WEEK IN BETWEEN? (27th Dec to 2nd Jan) Even more reason to make the most of the time-on-screen! With people more likely to be taking time-off and having more 'screen-time'. You could be putting your brand's products or services in front of them with exactly the right timing Consider promoting your paid Facebook Ads to your retargeting (custom audiences) audiences who have already had a first impression with your brand, as the likelihood that they will convert is significantly higher! From personal experience and being blessed to work with so many different businesses, this period of time has always offered a unique opportunity to set up the year to come. No one has ever purchased from a business they've never heard of. So if nothing else, use this time to tell everyone about your awesome biz!  Facebook has begun rolling out a new update from which you will be able to message friends, family or co-workers across the messenger family of apps seamlessly.
Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger at Facebook, said in a recent post, "We’ve been working on this for a while, so I’m excited to share that we’ll soon be bringing a new Messenger experience to Instagram. We’re starting to roll it out in select markets today and it will be coming to the rest of the world soon. This new experience will make it easier for you to connect with the people you care about. With this update to Instagram DMs, people will get many new features including the ability to communicate with friends and family across both Messenger and Instagram without downloading a new app, watch IGTV videos or TV shows together, create selfie stickers, and enable vanish mode so your messages disappear after they’re seen." So what does this mean for you? The business owner? Well if you use BOTs like Manychat, you'd best be poppin' bottles 🍾 because this update likely means that you will be able to deploy your BOTs into Instagram as well! So as well as being able to deliver a more personalized experience on the Facebook platform and let your customers know about your products and services, you will soon be able to do the same on Instagram Personally I think this is a sensational move. Having run several Messenger Objective tests to the "instagram direct" location, the option to now run a Manychat Automated Flow will save us and other business owners a lot time answering FAQs and giving customers direction on the spot What do you think? Are you excited for this?!  Your offer is what entices people (humans) to reach out and either enquire about your services or buy your product The "Perceived Value" of your offer is largely what drives successful campaigns on Facebook. If a large portion of people see an immense amount of value in your offer, there's a high likelihood the whole campaign will be a raging success! Comparitively, if your offer is lacking in the value department, you will have a hard time with it on Facebook and your campaign will seldom deliver any result Now you might be thinking, "I don't want to give discounts or lower my value with offers" and I'll tell you right now, you don't have to. An "offer" is not just a discount.  Here are a few examples:
and so on.. As you can see, in the top two offers above, I've simply added value to my offers at a low expense In the others, I've simply conveyed the value of solving a problem There are no limitations, only a lack of creativity How could you improve your current offer or construct a new one? Can you add more perceived value at a low expense? Can you restructure the words/copy you are using to convey more value?
There's nothing wrong with crafting several offers for your business in an effort to see which works best That's where a well-constructed Facebook campaign can be helpful When it comes to testing these offers on Facebook, you'll want to be thinking about how to deliver it Here are some ideas:
Those are the more common ways we deliver offers when setting up new campaigns for clients The most common question we get asked at this point is, "Great, I've got a few offers to test, how much should I spend?" We test on a 4 day cycle. We take an assumption, craft a vehicle (campaign) to test it, let it run for 4 days and then assess our results. Simple. As an example, say I want to test my two new offers.. I craft 3-4 ads for each offer in Ads manager, whilst targeting the same audience. I then leave the campaign running at my preferred budget for four full days After four days has past I then see that offer #1 is working the best so I leave it running, and switch off the other offer The 4 Day Cycle is a simple test and measure structure At this point you might look to see which offer generated the most leads or sales (by at least 50% to be statistically significant) and then switch off the under performing offers Now to answer the question of "How much?", I would recommend setting your budget to whatever you can comfortably afford over the 4 days of your testing cycle, with a minimum spend of $10 per day As this is all generalised information, if you are unsure about how to make it work for your business, feel free to book a Free Facebook Chat to set your strategy In conclusion, your offer is one of the quickest ways to more successful Facebook Campaigns, as they only take a bit of brainstorming, a touch of creativity and a solid structure to test them with I hope you found this helpful! |
AuthorRevel Loughlin Archives
July 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed
28/7/2023
2 Comments