5 Tips to Improve Your Facebook Ad Conversions (Without Increasing Your Budget)

Stop me if this sounds painfully familiar…

You’re scrolling your Facebook feed, dodging friend requests from old high school acquaintances and *bam* you see it. A Facebook ad so poorly executed that it looks like a mistake. The image isn’t relevant. The ad copy is awful. And it’s impossible to tell what they’re even trying to sell.

At the same time, creating high-converting Facebook ads is a skill not everyone possesses. So if your brand relies on paid social, there’s a good chance you’re hurting your ad campaign performance without even realising it.

I’m willing to bet conversions are a top priority for your brand. Whether that means more sales, course sign-ups, or adding items to a cart, a high-converting Facebook campaign doesn’t happen by chance.

So I’m sharing my top strategies to help you reduce wasted ad spend, stop people scrolling in their tracks, and squeeze the most value possible from your next Facebook Ads campaign. Oh, and none of these strategies requires you to pump more money into your Facebook Ad campaign. 😉

Read on to discover how to optimise your FB ads without increasing your ad budget.

#1 - Use UGC to create engaging and authentic ad content

92% of consumers trust user-generated content (UGC) more than branded ads. Although this is a significant majority, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. User-generated content is authentic, engaging and trustworthy in a way that branded ads can never be.

And that’s exactly why smart brands are using UGC to fuel better Facebook Ad campaigns.

This works because UGC can help humanise your brand and create a sense of authenticity in the mind of your target audience. Instead of you trying to sell a product or push your way into a Facebook user’s newsfeed, UGC turns your ads into credible recommendations from real people.

The audience you want to target on Facebook already sees UGC as genuine, so don’t fight the trend - embrace it!

#2 - Run Facebook video ads to drive engagement

Would you rather read about a hot new product from a brand you love, or watch a video about it?

Exactly.

In 2022, the average person spends 100 minutes a day watching videos. On top of that, 55% of people want to see MORE video content from the brands they follow on social media. That makes running video ads on Facebook a no-brainer.

Ad engagement has a direct impeach on ad reach. That means if no one is watching your videos, your campaign will stutter and you’ll need to up your budget to push for the results you want. More than a way to give people the type of media they want,  Facebook’s algorithm takes note if people are sticking around to enjoy your video ads. Since video ads boost engagement, you can improve the reach of your ads.

As an added bonus, you can create a custom audience based on previous engagement rates. This allows you to run video ads for people who have already shown an interest in your brand.

The result?

Higher conversion rates and higher return on advertising spend.

#3 - Include testimonials to leverage social proof

Testimonials are seriously powerful when it comes to driving purchasing behaviours. More than a way to show off to the world, 92% of consumers read testimonials before making a purchase.

This comes down to trust.

No one wants to spend their hard-earned cash on a dud or a brand that doesn’t deliver value. The problem is that it’s tough to trust what a brand says about itself. After all, they’re just a *little* bit biased.

But, if someone else tells you how awesome that brand is, that they offer tons of value and that you absolutely have to check the brand out, then that endorsement carries more weight. You can enjoy this same advantage by sourcing your best testimonials and turning them into Facebook Ads.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to be publishing any old reviews. Look for reviews that mention a specific problem and how your product or service solved it. For example, a customer who had terrible acne but saw their skin clear up after using your skincare products. 

You’ll also want to consider using the testimonial in your ad creative NOT your accompanying text. You get up to 125 characters before Facebook cuts off your ad text and you’ll need to rely on people to click to expand. You can avoid this hassle by including parts of your testimonial inside your ad creative.

#gifted tip: Try using video testimonials in your ad creative to combine the power of social proof with the power of video. 

Looking for more ways to leverage social proof? We wrote the guide on it (literally)

#4 - Repurpose influencer-created content into branded ads

Influencers already create highly engaging and authentic content, so why not use this to your advantage?

Repurposing influencer-generated content (IGC) has two major benefits. Firstly, you have a high potential to convert an influencer’s loyal followers into new customers. And secondly, influencers know how to create eye-catching and engaging content, so you’ll be boosting your engagement rate and driving clicks - all while saving money (since you don’t need to create ads in the first place).

Instead of using stock photos (a big no-no) or branded content, you can partner with influencers (with #gifted it’s easy) and experiment with authentic IGC instead. Since influencers know exactly what their audiences want to see, your ads will be highly appealing and perfectly placed to showcase your brand in the most appealing light.

To take this a step further, experiment with lookalike audiences to show your IGC ads to audiences most likely to be interested in what you’re selling.

#5 - Refresh your Facebook Ads regularly to avoid stale content

There are some things that should be changed regularly in life. Like your makeup brush, your underwear, and your Facebook ads.

This isn’t just coming from me either - it’s direct from Facebook HQ.

Facebook recommends refreshing your ad creative (that means your image/video and ad copy) to re-engage your audience. Ads that run for longer than a week can become stale and typically show a decrease in performance - even if those same ads started off red hot. Changing your ads lets you split test and see what your audience prefers, so you can give them more of what they want!

If you notice your ads doing well, but declining over time, don’t stress. Ad fatigue is a normal part of any paid FB ad campaign. As a rule of thumb, once your ad clicks level out at 25% of peak performance, it’s time to shake things up and try a new approach.

In summary...

There’s no shortcut to delivering high-converting Facebook Ads (otherwise everyone would be doing it).

The strategies in this article don’t exist to help you “hack” your way to more clicks and customers, but to help you deliver value to your audience and build trust. When you do those things, results normally follow.

These strategies to boost your conversion rates aren’t groundbreaking. They’re strong fundamentals of good social media marketing - and that’s exactly why they work. When you put your audience’s needs first, embrace UGC and IGC to deliver engaging content, and regularly refresh your ad creative, you can optimise your ads for higher conversions without exhausting your time or budget.

Need help finding influencers to promote your brand and create powerful influencer-generated content for your ads?

Download #gifted now to connect with the world’s best influencers.