Facebook Ads allow any dropshipping business to advertise products to a targeted audience on all Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
In this article, we will discuss our top Facebook Ad tips to improve the performance of your paid marketing campaigns!
11 Facebook Ad tips for dropshipping stores
We know you're eager to start, so let's jump right into it.
1. Use eye-catching visuals
Our first Facebook Ads tip for dropshipping stores is to use eye-catching images or videos.
This way, you can attract attention.
Ensure your ads are:
- Directly relevant to the target audience and product.
- Optimized for mobile viewing (most Facebook users use mobile devices).
- Concise, and the images have relevant information.
- Simple to understand. Ideally, use ad content that doesn't require your target audience to read the text to understand your product or the action they should take.
- Optimized using the recommended ad sizing. The algorithm prioritizes well-formatted ads because its primary objective is to keep users engaged.
The screenshot below shows Facebook's recommended design, text, and technical requirements for image ads:
The Meta Ads Manager suite also has size and design recommendations for video, carousel, and collection ads, as shown below:
The better you format your ad, the higher your chances of the algorithm pushing it up the feed.
Use videos and gifs in your ads to show your target audience your products in action, and remember that short and relatable videos are better for sales conversions.
In 2022, Facebook announced it was adding a Feeds tab:
This means the algorithm will significantly push portrait or TikTok-like videos or reels.
That is why you must use the recommended video ad format.
Note. If you're completely new to using Facebook Ads for ecommerce, read our handy Facebook Ads for Beginners Guide.
It covers everything you need to know about Facebook Ads, including how the system works and how to get started.
2. Optimize your Facebook Ads for mobile devices
Mobile device optimization is vital when creating Facebook Ads because most users access the platform on their smartphones.
According to 2022 Statista data, 97.4% of all users in the United States access Facebook on a mobile phone.
Here are three things Facebook recommends to optimize your ads for mobile viewing:
- Create slideshow/carousel ads. For example, you can use a compilation of images to create mobile-optimized ads that can work well even with slow internet.
- Shorten your videos to ten to fifteen seconds. Facebook says shorter videos are eligible for in-stream placement.
- Adopt the reel/vertical content format because it's how we interact with content on our mobile phones.
3. Take advantage of Facebook and Instagram shops
No matter which ecommerce platform you have used for your dropshipping store, set up a Facebook and Instagram shop, preferably before you start running Facebook ad campaigns.
There are several advantages to doing this.
- Setting up a Facebook or Instagram shop before running Facebook Ads for your ecommerce or dropshipping business can give you more exposure and reach, according to Facebook.
- You can also use Facebook Shops to target lookalike audiences (more on this later).
- Setting up a Facebook and Instagram shop also ensures your target audience can interact with and purchase your products without leaving the social media platforms.
Another key benefit of setting up shop on Facebook is the dynamic ads that lower the CPC (cost-per-conversion).
Dynamic ads use intent signals to show catalog items that may interest viewers in real time.
They use similar ad formats, such as carousels, single images, and collections, but are better because you can advertise entire catalogs across Meta platforms without creating individual product ads.
The best news is that creating Facebook and Instagram shops is easy through Meta's Commerce Manager.
Facebook has a handy guide detailing the ins and outs of using the Commerce Manager to create shops. You can read that here:
The key thing to remember is that it pays to work with the algorithm by creating well-formatted, targeted ads for products featured in Facebook shops.
If you want inspiration as you set up your Facebook shop, we've covered 15 best Facebook shop examples in three niches: pet, home, and fashion.
4. Offer a special promotion or discount to incentivize clicks
Everyone appreciates the opportunity to save money.
Running Facebook Ads for special promotions and discounts is a surefire way of guaranteeing ad clicks and conversions.
Using incentives like free items, discounts, loyalty points, and other promotions is a time-tested idea known to increase exposure and sales.
Add a sense of urgency or scarcity to your incentives ad copy because, according to Search Engine Journal, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) can increase conversion.
One clever way to use this tip is to limit the products on offer or countdown the offer.
Another great incentive is pre-releasing a limited product to a select few before the official launch. You should also experiment with various discount types.
For example, you can experiment with percentage-based discounts, fixed amount discounts, "Buy One, Get One," or free shipping offers.
5. Use niche or audience targeting to increase relevancy
Do not spray and pray!
Spraying and praying is where you advertise your entire catalog and pray that something works.
Although this marketing approach was very popular in the early days of email marketing, it's the fastest way to lose money and one of the worst mistakes you can make when running Facebook Ads for your dropshipping business.
Here is why:
First, spray and pray marketing is like firing many bullets (spraying) without first ensuring you have the target in the crosshairs, and then praying to shoot something.
Some shots might land on target, but many won't because there's no targeting.
Secondly, the ineffectiveness of this advertising method makes it a costly Facebook Ads mistake that will undoubtedly lead to poor conversion, clickthrough rate, and wasted ad spending.
Instead of spraying and praying, use niche, audience, and interest targeting to increase the relevancy of your Facebook Ads.
Tip: Ensure your ad targeting settings exclude interests like 'AliExpress,' 'Dropshipping,' and 'Shopify' to avoid targeting other dropshippers or people already familiar with the dropshipping business model, who might be less likely to convert.
We have previously discussed how to use Facebook Ads interest targeting to your advantage and also how to use Facebook Ad Retargeting for Dropshipping.
Check out those two articles to learn more about these important aspects of running successful Facebook ad campaigns.
6. Use A/B testing
A/B split testing involves simultaneously testing different variations of your ads to see which performs best.
The goal is to identify the ad version with the highest conversion and clickthrough rates.
A/B testing is an involved process, but here is a simple way to conduct A/B testing for Facebook Ads:
- Create two versions of your Facebook ad using different copy, messaging, layouts, images, videos, or other visual assets, and name these versions A and B.
- Randomly divide your target audience into two groups: A and B.
- Have one group see version A and the other group see version B.
- Measure the performance of each version by tracking metrics such as clicks, conversions, and engagement.
When measuring ad performance, it is important to have a large enough sample size.
Therefore, ensure you run your A/B split test for a sufficient amount of time to ensure you can get statistically significant results.
7. Track your results using Meta Pixel
Do not run Facebook Ads without first setting up your Meta Pixel.
As explained in this article here, setting up a Meta Pixel allows you to track different things, including ad engagement, and measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and Facebook Ads.
Fortunately, as the article above explains, setting up your Meta Pixel is easy.
Here is a summary of the steps:
- Create your Meta Pixel.
- Install the Meta Pixel on your ecommerce platform (Shopify or WooCommerce).
- Check whether the Meta Pixel is working correctly.
- Optimize your Meta Pixel for higher conversion.
8. Use Facebook Ads retargeting
How much do you know about the ecommerce purchase funnel and average ecommerce conversion rates?
If you don't know that much about it, here is an elevator-pitch version of it:
The ecommerce purchase funnel generally states that every additional step a customer takes to complete a purchase is a chance for them to change their mind.
Think of it this way:
Because the average conversion rate for ecommerce stores is 1.88%, for every 100 visitors (or ad viewers), only around two will buy from you.
Many will add products to their cart but change their mind midway through the purchase process and abandon it (we call this cart abandonment).
That is where retargeting comes in.
Retargeting involves creating marketing campaigns targeting people who have previously interacted with your business, ad, or product.
Facebook Ads retargeting involves creating ads that target people who have interacted with your ads, products, or business but didn't convert or complete the intended action.
Here are six statistics that demonstrate the power of Facebook Ad retargeting:
- Retargeting ads are 76% more likely to get clicks than regular display ads
- Retargeting ads lead to a 1,046% increase in branded search
- Website visitors who are retargeted are more likely to convert by 43%
- Three out of five US buyers notice ads for products they viewed on other sites
- The click-through rate (CTR) of a retargeted ad is 10x higher than the CTR of a typical display ad
- 46% of marketing professionals believe retargeting is one of the most overlooked online marketing methods
These statistical facts—and many others—are why successful ecommerce store owners use Facebook Ads retargeting in their marketing strategy. (Here is an example)
9. Use Facebook's lookalike audiences
Facebook's Lookalike Audiences is a feature that allows businesses to target potential buyers similar to their existing customers.
It uses its third-party database, such as consumer email listings, to create a lookalike audience.
If you have set up a Facebook shop, it uses the customers in your shop to create a lookalike audience.
The icing on the cake is that setting up a lookalike audience is easy and beginner-friendly, as shown by this screenshot from Meta Business Help Centre:
Here are two tips to help you get started:
- Always create a custom audience first. Before creating a Facebook lookalike audience, create a lookalike audience by installing the Meta Pixel or uploading a custom audience database or email list.
- Carefully consider your custom audience source. Facebook will use your custom audience to create a lookalike audience. Therefore, carefully think about your source. You can use sources like email subscribers or web visitors.
10. Use Facebook's live video feature and reels
You must actively market your products using various dropshipping marketing strategies.
For example, you can use affiliate marketing or influencer marketing by working with relevant influencers to promote your product to their audiences.
These influencers can use Facebook Live to showcase and promote your product. This is a highly effective strategy to sell your products quickly.
You can also create reel-form ads because Meta is actively pushing such content to compete with TikTok. This way, you will use the algorithm to your advantage as you run Facebook Ads.
There are two types of Facebook Ads on reels: overlay and post-loop ads.
11. Use AI tools to improve your results
Let's agree on something: AI tools will improve every aspect of our lives.
As business owners, it is in our best interest to experiment with and learn how to use these tools effectively to grow our businesses and make our work easier.
When it comes to running Facebook Ads for your dropshipping business, AI tools can help you do various things.
For example, Persuva can help you do a lot of marketing-related things, including but not limited to:
- Writing ad/sales copy.
- Writing 'the perfect hook.'
- Writing optimized product descriptions.
- And so much more
Tip: Interested in more information about Persuva? Check out our in-depth review here!
Jasper is another AI tool you can use when creating your Facebook Ads. Jasper can help you do things like:
- Writing Facebook & Google Ads.
- Product descriptions.
- Coming up with product names.
- Landing pages.
- Feature to benefit (turn your product features into benefits that compel action).
- Images (Check out our Jasper Art review here)
- And more!
The great thing about using AI tools is that you don't have to do all the groundwork yourself.
You can prompt AI, take and customize the output to create different variations of your ads (the images, the copy, the presentation, etc.), and then split test to find what works.
The important thing to remember is that AI should not replace your better judgment as a business owner.
The goal is to use such tools as a starting point (because with marketing copy, starting from a blank canvas is usually the hardest part of the job.)
Here are some bonus Facebook Ad tips (to thank you for reading to the end, haha!).
- Use Facebook's placement optimization feature to optimize ad placement.
- The algorithm prioritizes ads that meet the recommended ad specifications; pay attention to that.
- Retarget product viewers who did not purchase anything with a cheaper product variation, discounts, and promotional offers.
- Aim to expose your target audience to your ads at least three times (rule of 3s.)
- Story ads and infeed ads should be different. Make your story ads more concise and captivating and your infeed ads a bit more detailed.
Summary
Before we get to the conclusion, we've created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:
- Use eye-catching visuals.
- Optimize your Facebook Ads for mobile devices.
- Take advantage of Facebook and Instagram shops.
- Offer a special promotion or discount to incentivize clicks.
- Use niche or audience targeting to increase relevancy.
- Use A/B testing—test your ad copy and visual assets.
- Track your results using Meta Pixel.
- Use Facebook Ads retargeting.
- Use Facebook's lookalike audiences to target users similar to converted targets.
- Use Facebook's live video feature and reels.
- Use AI tools to improve your results.
Conclusion
In parting, remember that experimentation is your best friend: learn, tweak what you need to tweak, keep what's working, and keep experimenting and growing.
More importantly, remember that you will see better results with Facebook Ads if you use product, market, and audience research to create on-point ads—data never lies.
Leave a comment if you found this article helpful.
Until the next one, have a rocking day.
Want to learn more about Facebook Ads?
Would you like to learn more about Facebook Ads for dropshipping? Check out the articles below:
- 14 Great Facebook Ad Examples for Ecommerce | Inspiration
- Why Are My Facebook Ads Not Converting? 11 Tips to Fix It!
- 13 Facebook Ad Beginner Mistakes & How To Avoid Them 2024
Plus, don’t forget to check out our in-depth beginner's guide to Facebook Ads for Ecommerce Stores here!
