
Advertise on Facebook & Instagram.
Glossary
- 5 Key Tips to Producing Profitable Facebook & Instagram Ads
- Find and Spy on Your Competition to Launch Better Facebook & Instagram Ads
- What’s a Facebook Catalog and What Makes It Great?
- Design a Great Landing Page That Looks Good AND Converts!
- How to Add a Poll to Facebook Ads: Create Interactive Polls That Drive Customer Engagement
- Facebook Launches Shopping to Support Small Businesses

Great ads are more than just pretty pictures. In this post, we’re zooming in on what makes a truly eye-catching creative (and one that sells, at that).
You don’t have to be a designer-photographer-stylist extraordinaire to get a positive return on your ad creatives. You just need to know the guidelines while sprinkling in a few of the tips below to produce something your potential customers will love!
Through this series of tips, we’ll show you how to stop the endless social media scroll and awe your audience. Think about when you’re checking in on the goings-on, scrolling through your Instagram like a madwoman, when something flashy catches your eye. This is what you, as an advertiser, need to be aware of and emulate to create a great ad.
Keep your customer in mind and ask thyself when creating ads, “What stops thee in scrolling, and therefore, what will stop thy in scrolling?”
1. Interaction and movement

2. Color and contrast
Bright colors stop users from scrolling but so does negative space. Play around with both, but don’t stray too far away from your existing brand’s attributes.

We’ve found that high-contrast and slightly over-saturated photos tend to out-compete others. Turn up the contrast and saturation ever so slightly to make your ad POP!
3. Emphasize text


4. Size matters
- Facebook Feed Desktop/Mobile: 1200px by 628px OR 1080px by 1080px
- Carousel Ad: 1080px by 1080px
- Instagram Feed: 1080px by 1080px
- Facebook or Instagram Story: 1080px by 1920px
- Video Ratio: 16:9 to 9:16



5. Don’t be a hero: use tools
Here’s some of our favorites:
- Canva – free and user-friendly
- Pexels or Unsplash – free stock images
- Adobe Spark – a tool in Adobe Suite, so it’ll cost you
- Cut Story – intuitive phone editing app
- Instagram Story – create an Instagram Story full of stickers + other fun movement, then download for free (easiest video ad




- Usually, longevity means it’s a winner.

- Do they have lots of videos? If so, are they educational videos, testimonials, slideshows? Do they run carousel ads? Catalog campaigns?

- Is their copy short or long? Are they offering discounts or coupon codes? Are they educating in the copy of going straight to the offer?

- Click their CTA buttons to view their landing page. Are they sending customers straight to a product page on their website or to a longer sales page (to warm up leads)?

- Click on the CTA button and learn more about who they’re targeting by looking at their UTMs.

- Sign up for their email list to see what their opt-in flow is like. Do they send educational content? Do they run promos? What type of ads do they serve you after you’re on their list?
- Go to your competitor’s site and move through their checkout flow. Enter all your information then abandon your cart. See what type of abandoned cart email sequence and ad campaign you get. Do they offer a coupon code? Do they push any type of scarcity (Ex. “This offer is ending soon!”)
And that’s how you can easily spy on your competition and launch better Facebook ads!
Of course, you could always off load the ad work. Schedule a free strategy call with our team to discuss social media advertising that stacks up to the competition.







Y’all, we’re excited about this one! We’ve seen amazing returns on landing pages that follow these techniques.
First, let’s define a Landing Page (LP): It’s a stand-alone page where someone “lands” after they click on an ad or a marketing campaign. A landing page is not usually found anywhere on your main site, as it generally contains a really great offer that you wouldn’t want just anyone to see.
Now, here’s 10 best practices to creating landing pages that we keep in mind.
1. Know your audience
Before you do anything, get to know your customers. Seriously!
Yes, keep your brand guidelines in mind when creating your landing page. But, also remember who this page is for. It’s not for you, it’s for your customer. Speak to them by using colors and language that they resonate with.
2. Provide a great offer

3. Clear offer above “the fold”
Users should come to your landing page and immediately know the offer they’re getting.
Your offer’s language should be clear and concise + fit on the screen (of any device) without a user needing to scroll to see it.

4. Find social proof
Social proof is so important in helping secure the sale. Customers raving about your product on Twitter? Add it to your landing page!
According to WebDam, testimonial videos on landing pages increase conversions by 86%. So, when someone tags you in a video Instagram Story, hit screen record and save for later. Always ask for their permission before use.
5. Address pain points
Know what pain points your offer is solving for the customer.

6. Less asks, the better
Don’t ask for too much on the first page.

7. Put their blinders on

8. Brighten button colors
If your brand is design heavy, feel free to use colors that match your branded color scheme, but do try to make the button pop in other ways. You can make your buttons stand out by –
- only using a specific color for CTA buttons and not anywhere else on the screen.
- making your CTA buttons animated: add a button hover or wiggle to make your CTA draw attention.
- using large text, a drop shadow, or arrows pointing toward your button.

9. Is it mobile friendly?
Cause it really does matter: “40% of users turn to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience,” (Compuware). Now think of that in terms of people – if 430 people visited your site (nice!) and had a bad time, you could lose out on as many as 172 purchases (not so nice).

10. Track conversions and optimize
What’s your goal? Leads, sales, registrations, or otherwise?
Be sure to set and track your goals. That way, you’ve got a benchmark for success and can properly determine if your offer + landing page is converting well. Once you know your benchmark, you can do things like A/B test your landing page design, your CTA button’s text or color, or your landing page offer all to optimize for a better cost to acquire a customer.
How can you use these strategies to put together a great landing page that entices customers to your brand? Take these recommendations and run with it!
If the process seems a bit much, that’s because it is – but, it gets easier over time! If you’d like a second pair of eyes, schedule a free strategy call with our team.

As advertisers, we’re always looking for new ways to delight and “WOW” our audiences. The best way to do that? Through ad creatives!
Creating interesting, educational and eye-catching ads is one thing, but adding an interactive element will take your ads to the next level.
In this post, we’re talking polls. If you haven’t heard of or seen Facebook’s poll feature, here’s what it looks like:

Emmy’s Organics is using a Facebook poll to ask their audience which flavor they’d choose!
Facebook implemented the ability to add polls to video ads at the end of 2019.
It’s so important to connect and engage with your audience, and polls are helping you do just that.
Facebook ran a study testing their new poll feature for video ads, with pretty great results… They said, “For example, in 5 out of 9 brand lift studies, we observed poll ads increased brand awareness compared to video ads.”
We ran an experiment of our own testing a poll video ad versus a regular video. In the last two weeks, our poll video converted completely cold audiences at a ROAS of 6.30 – outperforming the other non-poll video ad.

That’s huge! Video ads have always been queen. So now just think what you can do with video plus a poll!
The poll possibilities are endless. Try using polls to:
- Ask the audience which variation or different flavor of a product they would like best!
- Learn more about your audience by asking them a question about themselves or their interests
- Ask if your audience liked the information you provided in the video or if it was helpful!
- Discover your customers’ biggest pain point by asking them questions
- Find out which new flavor or variation to launch by getting your audience to choose in the poll
Enough chatter, let’s walk through how to launch your first poll ad:
- Hop inside your Facebook Ads Manager and create a new campaign
- Poll Ads are only supported with the following objectives, so be to sure to choose: Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, App Installs or Conversions in your ad set
- After you’ve uploaded your Video click “Add Poll”

4. Enter your Poll Question and your 2 Choices

5. Pro-tip: add specific URLs for each choice that the user can visit after they’ve made their selection!
P.S. Facebook only shows your polls on your video ads in the Facebook mobile feed, but will play your video without the poll in other placements.
You’ll quickly start to collect valuable poll data, here’s how to view your poll results:
- Go to your Facebook Ads Manager
- Select your ad with the poll on it
- Click on “See Charts”
- Scroll to the bottom of the page to see Interactivity Results

We’re curious: Are you testing video poll ads? Let us know how they’re working for you!
If the process seems a bit much, we’re here to help! If you’d like us to run profitable campaigns for you, learn more by scheduling a free strategy call with our team.

During a livestream on May 19, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s newest feature: Facebook Shops. A free way for businesses to set up product listings on their Facebook Page, Instagram profile, Stories, or in ads.
This really could not have come at a better time as small businesses continue to struggle in light of COVID-19 closures, stay-at-home orders, and sustained social distancing. A new way for these businesses to market their goods and services online could quite frankly change the game.
What Will Facebook Shops Look Like?

There will be a dedicated section for your shop on Facebook where you can catalog inventory. Similar to Facebook Groups, you’ll be able to add a cover image and accent colors for that extra branded touch. Users will have the option to purchase, save, or share items. Or, select inventory may be attached to ads, posts, Instagram Live, and Instagram Stories to divert users to your shop.
Zuckerberg reassured audiences that this tool will be an easy one to use: “It’s one simple and consistent experience across [our] family of apps.” Basically, a lifeline for brands that are masters at their craft but aren’t so tech savvy – if you’re already familiar with Facebook, using this tool may come naturally.
They’re Still Refining Checkout
Though, you won’t be able to complete the entire transaction on Facebook just yet. Users will be prompted to go to a business’s website to complete purchases.
Facebook has launched an invitation-only beta program for Checkout that is currently being tested. This would make it possible to complete a transaction from start to finish on Facebook. But, they do plan to charge a selling fee and haven’t yet disclosed how much cash this will tack on to each purchase.
This means third-party partnerships are still entirely necessary. Facebook is currently working alongside Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Channel Advisor, CedCommerce, Cafe24, Tienda Nube, and Feedonomics. Businesses may use these platforms to manage their Facebook Shop as well as their Facebook Shop ads.
Shopify paints a clearer picture of how all this will work: “Facebook Shops allows Shopify merchants to get control over customization and merchandising for their storefronts inside Facebook and Instagram, while managing their products, inventory, orders, and fulfillment directly from within Shopify.”
We still recommend you diversify by selling your goods or services on other competitive platforms, like Amazon or your own website. Basically, be everywhere if you can.
Try Before You Buy With Augmented Reality
Another Facebook feature rolled out recently: Augmented Reality (AR). Yep – the future is basically here folks, and it means you can actually see if that blush and your skin tone are a match made with the help of Facebook AR.

Not sure which shade best complements your eyes? You can now use Facebook’s new augmented reality feature in Facebook Shops or ask for help through a customer service inquiry within Facebook Shops – you’ll be able to message businesses through various channels, like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram Direct.
Final Thoughts
As usual, this will not only be a benefit to small businesses – it’ll be a huge moneymaker for Facebook as an increase in ad spend is likely to follow.
Facebook does plan to charge a small fee on each purchase made through Shops, but no specific details regarding this rate have been released.
There’s also talk of eventual loyalty programs to encourage repeat purchases. Such programs could increase customer advocacy and lead to greater brand awareness, so fingers crossed.
We’re excited for Facebook to step it up with these new e-commerce features, connecting more users with small businesses. Though, we’re unsure how many people will actually want to complete purchases directly on Facebook. We’ll be following along closely and monitoring analytics during this beta phase to see what’s best for our clients’ sales in the future with or without this tool.