Print on demand has become increasingly popular over the past several years. Thanks to the innovations in production, manufacturing small batches of products is easier and more cost-effective than before. A new tool, however, has made print on demand even more common – Facebook ads. 

They can be used to drive customers to your print on demand website without their email addresses. Here’s what you should know about print on demand Facebook ads and how you can use them in your business.

1. Types of Facebook ads 

There are several types of print on demand Facebook ads:

  • Images ads: Facebook lets you display an image, create a compelling call-to-action button, include a link, and add a brief description. In images ads, the product is clearly visible in the photo. 
  • Collection ads: Collection ads are used when there is a group of products that you want to showcase. The biggest difference between collection ads and product ads is in how they appear in users’ News Feeds.

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  • Video ads: Rather than focusing on just text or images, video ads are also available. In fact, research from Facebook shows that more than 60% of people prefer video over any other type.  However, it’s important to note that video costs significantly more because of their high engagement rates. 
  • Sponsored Story ads: With over 150 million users using Facebook Stories regularly, Sponsored Story ads allow businesses to promote their brand stories in customers’ news feeds. 

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  • Slideshow ads: These ads automatically play a slideshow of photos and/or videos in your ad. On desktop, they’re played in a photo viewer, and on mobile, they’re auto-played. 
  • Carousel ads: Use Carousel ads when you want to show multiple products in a single ad, like a collection of print on demand items. It can include up to 10 images or product variations. If your ad performs well, move up in cost-per-click (CPC) bidding by category and add more images. 

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  • Messenger ads: Messenger ads, along with targeting capabilities that match Facebook News Feed ads, help advertisers get in front of a new audience: people who use Messenger. If you have a product that might be relevant to someone who uses Messenger, this could be a powerful form of advertising. 
  • Instant Experience ads: Instant experience ads are just that. They allow users to have a prompt experience with your brand or product by pulling them into a 360 video. These types of ads also include sound, making them appear even more immersive. The functionality of these ad units will make people want to click and try out.

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There are two purposes of Facebook ads: brand awareness ads and direct response ads. Brand awareness Facebook ads are designed to get your name out there, improve your reputation, and let people know you exist. 

Direct response Facebook ads are usually an offer or some sort of special discount. They often draw people in so they can buy something right away. The goal is to move them quickly from liking your page to clicking Get Offer so they can save some money. If you sell t-shirts, you might choose a brand awareness ad that just features a funny picture of one of your tees with a clever slogan on it.

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2. Benefits of Facebook ads for print on demand 

For print on demand businesses, Facebook ads can be an effective means of driving sales. 

2.1 Reach a wide audience

If you’re looking for a way to get your brand in front of potential customers, it’s tough to beat Facebook ads. The network has nearly 1.8 billion active users each month worldwide. When you run print on demand Facebook ads, your business will be exposed to people who you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise. These people are likely interested in your product because they’ve shown interest by liking a similar page.

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2.2 Improve brand awareness

With every person that interacts with your company, directly or indirectly, brand awareness increases. The more people recognize your company, or logo, the better positioned you are for long-term success. If everyone knows what you do, it’s easier for them to support you in future endeavors.

2.3 Improve Sales

Facebook ads offer incredible targeting options, which helps to boost traffic and sales to your site. They allow you to pinpoint specific demographics (age, location, etc.) which can help you to reach users who are most likely to buy them. 

With these options, you’re able to focus your marketing efforts on people who are likely interested in your business. You can actually increase conversion rates significantly with Facebook ads. 

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3. Step by step to run print on demand Facebook ads 

Step 1: Create a Facebook Ads account

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Step 2: Start creating an ad through Facebook’s Ads Manager

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Step 3: Choose an objective

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Step 4: Choose your audience

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Step 5: Set your budget

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Step 6: Choose the ad type 

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Step 7: Publish your ad

Step 8: Monitor your ad’s performance metrics

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Step 9: Reporting on Facebook ad performance. 

4. Tips to implement print on demand Facebook ads 

4.1 Target the right audiences 

Your print on demand Facebook ads always need to target the right audiences. If you are trying to sell t-shirts, you will likely want to target people who like t-shirts. If you are trying to sell dresses, you might target women’s clothing shoppers. By using a laser-targeted campaign, you can avoid targeting people who aren’t interested in your product. 

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This way, you only waste money when you find a prospect that is actually interested in what you offer. If someone has no interest in what you’re selling, why waste ad spend. It makes much more sense to target people who are already interested in your business. 

4.2 Use Facebook video ads 

There’s one particularly effective way of using Print on Demand Facebook ads, that’s video. There’s no denying that video has an important role when it comes to advertising campaigns. Thus incorporating video into your strategy is an excellent idea. Videos work well for print on demand Facebook ads because they capture attention quickly and have higher click-through rates than images.

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People watch more than 100 million hours of videos every day on Facebook, which makes it a great place for businesses to reach people. If you haven’t already tested video ads in your marketing strategy, it’s time for you to start. 

4.3 Leverage user-generated content 

If you are running a print on demand business, consider using user-generated content when designing your print ads. Rather than posting generic product shots, ask customers to submit photos of themselves wearing your products. This creates a personal connection with potential customers and will help you develop better targeted ads. 

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And you should not forget about hashtags. Use popular ones related to your industry so that when someone finds your posts through an ad, they can easily search for other content related to that keyword.

4.4 Write compelling caption 

If you want your print on demand Facebook ads to actually be read, then take a few minutes and write a compelling caption. The image will be almost always take priority in an ad’s visual hierarchy. But a captivating caption can help drive people to read further. Your copy should be inviting and easy-to-read with a clear call-to-action for people to click through. 

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After all, if no one clicks on it, it won’t do much good. Just remember that printing posters isn’t exactly what you’re selling. You’re selling something more creative than that. And don’t use a copy that doesn’t reflect that fact. Be as descriptive as possible without coming off as promotional or boring.

4.5 Try AB testing

You should also consider AB testing your print on demand Facebook ads. AB testing refers to a way of experimenting with one aspect of your campaign at a time. With AB testing, you make two versions of an ad, and show each version to different people, either by showing different ads for different demographics or locations. 

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By making two versions that are nearly identical except for one variable, you can compare your performance metrics in terms of number of clicks, conversions, cost per click and more to decide which option gets better results for you. If you’re not familiar with A/B testing, check out a great primer by Buffer. 

4.6 Grasp Facebook analytics 

It might sound boring, but understanding how your ads perform is crucial for using print on demand Facebook ads. It’s important to understand how well your campaign performed so that you can optimize for better results in the future. To do that, you need to know which metrics are most important and how they relate to one another. Some primary metrics are: Impressions, click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, and cost per action (CPA). These tell you everything you need to know about your ad performance. 

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Google Analytics is also a valuable tool that can help inform how best to allocate your advertising budget. Do some research and talk with an expert if you are not sure where to start with analytics for print on demand Facebook ads. 

4.7 Utilize campaign budget optimization 

Are you using print on demand Facebook ads but spending too much money? If so, don’t worry. You should probably take advantage of campaign budget optimization. This feature is an automated optimization feature that will optimize your budgets in real time. It ensures that your campaigns stay within your set daily or lifetime budgets while still getting great results. 

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Campaign budget optimization also optimizes spend across multiple ad sets and campaigns, including scheduled campaigns to maximize spend efficiency. So basically, if there are enough active ad sets running in your account when it comes time for one of them to refresh or re-bid against new audiences, they may receive a lower share of available impressions.

4.8 Use Facebook pixel 

A Facebook pixel allows you to collect information from users as they visit your website. If a user visits your facebook page or any of your ads with a pixel tag, it will send some data back to facebook.That allows you to create print on demand Facebook ads with a very specific audience. For example, if someone has purchased from your store before, you can create an ad for them specifically. 

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This will result in a much higher conversion rate of visitors into customers and increase your business income. But it’s important that you only target your existing customers (or new ones who look like them). If not, then everyone will see your ad and may make people feel like they are being stalked by their favorite brands.

4.9 Don’t forget Call to action 

The biggest tip for print on demand Facebook ads is a simple one: use a call to action. It’s easy for readers to scroll through their newsfeed and not even notice your ad. With a call to action, you can encourage them to check out your website or contact you with a single click. 

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Here are a few examples of CTAs: Download our free guide!, Enter your name and email address for more information, Check out our live webinar, Buy Now, Check it out, etc.

4.10 Use an Appropriate Ad Budget

If you’re new to print on demand Facebook ads, start out with a very small budget (around $25 per day) and see how things go. If it’s not providing good ROI, drop your ad budget in increments until you find what works for your business. There’s no rule for an appropriate ad budget, but know that you can always decrease it if your campaign isn’t showing results. And once you do get good results, feel free to scale up. 

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However, you should remember that if your target market is smaller than 50 million people (that’s all US adults), your maximum ad spend per day will be limited by Facebook’s daily limit of $5k/day per advertiser.

5. Final words 

Print on demand Facebook ads can be an effective way to reach your target audience while growing your business, but they’re often used incorrectly. We hope that you have learned the benefits of print on demand Facebook ads, tips to implement them correctly, and step by step instructions on how to run them perfectly.

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