Top 15 Facebook Ads Mistakes That You Should Avoid

As the world’s most popular social network, Facebook has become an indispensable tool in many companies’ marketing campaigns. Therefore, it’s natural that businesses would want to use Facebook advertising to boost their reach. 

However, even among companies with plenty of experience in Facebook advertising, there are plenty of common mistakes that occur over and over again. Bearing that in mind, below are the most typical Facebook ads mistakes you should avoid whenever you want your ads booming! 

1. Why Should Run Facebook Ads Campaigns? 

People might know that Facebook ads campaigns are a great way to drive traffic and expand brand awareness but don’t realize how powerful they can be. In fact, if your company is not currently using Facebook as a marketing tool, it’s essential to assess whether you should be. Here are four reasons why Facebook ads could provide value to your business: 

1.1 You can target highly qualified leads 

There is no more outstanding technique to reach qualified buyers than through highly-targeted Facebook ads. Once you set up a campaign, you will have an opportunity to choose from several demographic options – for example, gender, location, and job title. That allows you to promote a product or service that appeals directly to those who find it valuable.

1.2 It’s cost-effective

Facebook ads are cost-effective because of targeted ad delivery. When you run traditional advertising, your ad is shown randomly throughout different media outlets. Whereas when running Facebook ads, your advertisement is offered only to those most likely to buy from you. It helps to cut down wasted time and also money. 

1.3 Build stronger relationships 

For instance, rather than showing ads to random individuals who may or may not purchase your products/services at some point in time (and again), Facebook Ads make it possible for you to interact directly with your followers. 

Every interaction increases trustworthiness, quality content generates more engagement, and these positive interactions foster deeper relationships between you and your audience. 

1.4 Increase sales 

Facebook ads campaigns can increase revenue and sales in two ways: by convincing people to purchase a product or service and bringing new people into your store. Market research shows that Facebook users are more likely to buy products than non-users. 

Marketers believe Facebook makes it easier for users to purchase online because of its social features like likes, comments, and reviews. 

2. How do Facebook ads work?

Before diving into Facebook ads mistakes, you should know how it works. Facebook uses an auction model to charge businesses based on how many potential customers are willing to pay for their ads. The more people are interested in your product or service, the more Facebook will charge you. It’s necessary to recognize that while Facebook is one of several channels you can use to promote your business, it doesn’t always convert well. 

Only invest time and money into Facebook advertising if you have a detailed plan for how your ad will work alongside other customer acquisition strategies. More often than not, businesses see more tremendous success when they combine Facebook with other paid channels like Google AdWords or LinkedIn.

3. Top 15 Facebook Ads Mistakes to avoid 

Here is the list of top Facebook Ads mistakes that people made the most. 

3.1 Lack of clear objectives 

Without a clear objective, it’s challenging to evaluate whether or not a campaign is a success. Without a goal, there’s no reason to run an ad. Like in a traditional marketing plan, a successful Facebook ad campaign starts with a clear set of objectives. What is your goal for running ads on Facebook? It could get more likes on your page, generate more interest in your product or service, etc. 

Make sure you’re able to clearly articulate your goals from day one and continually revisit them as you develop new ad campaigns. Remember that objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound. 

3.2 Poor audience targeting 

One of the most common Facebook ads mistakes that brands make is targeting their audience incorrectly. You have a huge number of targeting options with Facebook ads, so it’s easy to go overboard. However, if you’re not cautious, you could waste money by bidding on audiences that don’t fit your target demographic well. 

That’s why you should never create multiple campaigns for different interests. Instead, you want to make sure all of your campaigns target exactly who you want them to target. The most uncomplicated way to do that is to combine all of your interests into one campaign. Start there, and then expand into other interest categories only if necessary.

3.3 Using the wrong Facebook ad type

Facebook offers four ad types to appeal to different kinds of users. At a basic level, they are: Page Post Engagement, Page Likes, Video Views and App Installs. They serve various purposes in terms of what you’re trying to accomplish with your ad campaign. Choosing only one or two could help cut down on wasted spending and get more bang for your buck.

For example, if you’re looking for organic growth in terms of page likes, you might go with Facebook Page Post Engagement ads. But if you want people to download an app, you might choose App Installs as your best option. 

3.4 Guessing, not testing

Among the biggest Facebook ads mistakes, people usually guess but not test. Or, even worse, they ask someone else who also doesn’t know what works. The best way to know what will or won’t work with your audience is to test it. It may be scary to create multiple ads without knowing which one will perform best. 

But it’s better than not taking action at all because you think you already know how your audience behaves. So before you launch an ad campaign, make sure to A/B test everything – including your ad copy, images, and audience targeting – to ensure that what you think will work actually does.

3.5 Don’t use Facebook Pixels 

Facebook pixels allow advertisers to track how users interact with their ad campaigns. For example, if you have a goal for your campaign, such as clicks to your website, you can set it up so that when users who come through Facebook complete that goal, they are tagged in Facebook’s system. It allows you to see which ads were responsible for which results down the road.

Every Facebook user who interacts with your ads has an associated pixel ID number. So any time someone converts after clicking on an ad or visiting a website, you can attribute that conversion back to that person who saw and interacted.

3.6 Lack of a clear value proposition 

Lack of a clear value proposition is one of those Facebook ads mistakes you should avoid at all costs. Because it leads to wasting money on ads that no one will click, which translates into poor results for your business. 

You have to clearly express your product or service and what people will get out of it. Without a clear value proposition, your ad can come across as vague and unhelpful – or even misleading. The more straightforward you are with your value proposition, the easier it will be for people to know why they should purchase from you (and not someone else). 

3.7 Don’t understand budget control

One of the most significant Facebook ads mistakes people make is creating a low-budget campaign and running a ton of ads. It can derail your entire campaign. Avoid it by having a clear budget and sticking to it. Also: Make sure you keep an eye on your average cost per click (CPC) and conversion rate (CVR). 

If you see they’re increasing, adjust your bid amount downward. If they drop off suddenly, pump more cash into your ad. If you can’t make these adjustments without overshooting or undershooting your budget, something might be wrong with your budget itself.

3.8 Too Much Text on the Ad Image

As a rule of thumb, images should be about 10% text to make them appealing to users. However, more text on your ad image means less room for users to see what you’re selling. In other words, if you don’t come with a clear and compelling image that will get attention from potential customers, then there’s no point in having a lengthy description that no one will read. 

If you desire people to click on your ad or come to your page, then shorten it up! Focus on a few key points and use easy language for people to understand without sounding too casual. 

3.9 Careless Copywriting & not include CTAs 

The most common Facebook ads mistakes made by advertisers are simple ones, but they can also be costly. One of those is careless copywriting. Copywriting is extremely important to Facebook ads. If you don’t craft effective copy, your ad won’t convert nearly as well as possible. Unfortunately, not everyone takes copywriting seriously enough or makes sure that their ads are written carefully to maximize conversion rates. 

Even worse, some businesses skip over creating a call-to-action at all – or even worse, they craft something vaguely like subscribe! or visit! Be sure to include clear and compelling CTAs in every one of your Facebook ad campaigns.

3.10 Not Tracking Conversions

There’s more to Facebook than clicks and impressions. Conversions – the number of purchases made or actions taken – are one of several metrics marketers can look at when evaluating ads’ performance. Not tracking conversions is among the worst Facebook ads mistakes, because it can lead you to believe that your ads are performing well when they actually aren’t. 

For example, if you compare click-through rates on Facebook with those on Google, you might think your Facebook campaigns are more effective simply because they get more clicks. But if you aren’t measuring conversions on Facebook (purchases, signups), then you don’t know whether clicks and impressions translate into success.

3.11 Bad Choice of Ad Placement

In the list of Facebook ads mistakes, bad choice of ad placement is worth noticing. It is important to choose an ad placement that suits your business well. The best way to start is by checking out different types of ad placements. Click on each ad placement option on Facebook, and take note of how they appear to you. 

Some ad placements will not suit your business well, while others will be perfect for it. Using specific ad placements can enhance the user experience by keeping people engaged with your ads and driving them towards your website or landing page through interest. 

3.12 Poor Landing Page UX

A landing page is a crucial element of any Facebook ad campaign. It’s what you see when you click on a Facebook ad, and many ads link directly to their own unique landing pages. 

A bad landing page – Facebook ads mistakes – doesn’t just hurt conversions. It also negatively impacts your brand and your ability to acquire new customers. And with paid social, you only get one chance to make a first impression! If they don’t take action on their first visit, you’ll lose them forever, so it’s vital that you consider every step of their customer journey from ad through the landing page and even further if possible.

3.13 Not Using Auto-Optimization

Facebook’s optimization algorithm is incredibly smart. It is continuously running to figure out how to get people to engage more with your content. When you’re creating an ad, Facebook asks you a series of questions about who you are targeting, how much they are likely to spend, etc. 

That way it can figure out what your audience is interested in based on past actions they have taken when viewing similar ads. Optimization is one of Facebook’s most powerful features. And it’s completely free! Making sure that you’re taking advantage of it will save you time and money in getting new leads on Facebook.

3.14 Leaving Ads Unattended

One of the most common Facebook ads mistakes people make is leaving them unattended. This means you simply set up your campaign and stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, leaving ads unattended is wasting money on campaigns that don’t convert. 

As your competition tightens and new features and updates come out, you need to be on top of your game to win that market share. Instead of blindly going with a strategy that isn’t working, constantly monitor your ads and change things if necessary. It takes a few minutes at most to check on your campaigns each day and it can save you thousands in wasted spending. 

3.15 Forgetting to Optimize For All Devices

The number of Facebook users accessing their newsfeeds through their mobile phones has risen to 81 percent. That’s nearly half of all Facebook users worldwide! If you’re not optimizing your ad for smartphones and tablets, you are losing out on a huge segment of potential customers. This one is definitely on the list of worst Facebook ads mistakes. 

Be sure to run a quick check on your ads and optimize them for any device that fits into your target market. You can even use Facebook’s pixel to segment audiences by devices so that each ad has its own audience based on what type of device they used when they clicked.

4. Wrapping Up

Facebook Ads can help you reach the right people at the right time and potentially save you thousands of dollars over other advertising mediums. However, as with anything, if you don’t know what you’re doing, your marketing efforts can backfire and cost you more money than they make you in the long run. 

Hopefully, with our list of the most common Facebook Ads mistakes, you can keep your campaign as efficient as possible and get the most out of your ad dollars. Wish your business all the best!