A Deep Dive Into Facebook Ads: How to Create, Optimize, and Test Facebook Ads

As a savvy internet user, you might think no one clicks on Facebook ads.

You’d be wrong.

Facebook is on track to make over $60 billion in revenue this year from advertising.

Someone’s clicking.

How do you get them to click your Facebook ads? More importantly, how do you get them to buy your product or sign up for your email list?

Many marketers who have tried Facebook ads, especially in their early days, decided that Facebook advertising doesn’t work.

Don’t believe them.

If you’re totally new to Facebook, start with this Facebook Marketing Guide. Then come back to this post for a deep dive into advertising.

In this advanced Facebook guide, you’ll learn which businesses are the best fit for Facebook ads and how to run successful campaigns.

We’ll cover the most common mistakes marketers make and the biggest factor in your ad’s success.

You can learn more and create your first ad at Facebook.com/advertising.

How Do Facebook Ads Work?

Facebook ads now come in several varieties. You can promote your Page, posts on your Page, actions users took, or your website itself. Despite Facebook’s increasing focus on native ads and keeping traffic on its site, you can still be successful in sending users to your website.

There are also several ad formats including images, videos, carousel (multiple images), Instant Experiences, and collections.

Facebook ads are targeted to users based on their location, demographic, and profile information.

Many of these options are only available on Facebook. After creating an ad, you set a budget and bid for each click or thousand impressions that your ad will receive.

Facebook's most important ad targeting options

Users then see your ads in the sidebar on Facebook or in their newsfeed.

This guide will walk you through the best practices for creating CPC ads that drive traffic to your website.

Facebook’s other ad options are great for driving engagement and brand awareness, but ads driving users off-site are still the best option for direct response advertisers looking to make a sale.

Who Should Advertise on Facebook?

Many businesses fail at Facebook advertising because they are not a good fit. You should always test new marketing channels, especially before demand drives up prices, but make sure to consider whether your business model is a good fit for Facebook.

In the past, Facebook ads were more like display ads than search ads — though new versions of ads, like product ads, allow advertisers to sell products directly to users.

Here are a few types of businesses that are likely to succeed with Facebook advertising.