Are you looking to use Facebook ads and content marketing to increase conversions?
Value driven educational content should be at the core of your marketing strategy. If for anything else than to build customer loyalty and reciprocity that turns into sales. Traditional marketing is becoming less relevant every year as influencer marketing and customized ads storm the barrack.
Dealing with a Facebook ban? Read: Your Access Can’t Be Reinstated Facebook Ban
My last blog covered the real story humanizing folks laid off at Facebook | Meta and what was it like working in the product department as a project manager at Facebook.
In this article you'll learn how to create Facebook ads that convert with user-generated content that's at the core of content marketing.
New to facebook advertising? You may want to check out another resource: What to Do After Violating Facebook’s Ad Policies.
"Trevor took us through the process of getting one of our University of Texas ad accounts reinstated (within minutes)." Vice President, of Marketing Operations at Apollidon Learning Steve Martinez said, after working with me recently on a disabled Facebook ad account.
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What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive customer actions that equal conversions. Sales and profits.
It's the OG form of value-driven marketing, edutaintment - to empower and educate your audience and then to drive them to choose you and only you for their purchases. (Facebook ads blocked? Check out Facebook ad account disabled next steps)
Content marketing is used by leading brands
Research verifies the vast majority of marketers are using content marketing in some shape or form. In fact, it is used by many leading brands across the world, including Apple, Microsoft, Lyft, Cisco Systems, and LinkedIn. It’s also developed and executed by small businesses and one-person shops around the globe. Why? Because it works.
(Frustrated with Facebook ads already? Read:Navigating Facebook’s Advertising Policies as a Business)
Content marketing is good for your bottom line — and your customers
There are 4 key reasons to use content marketing:
- Increased sales
- Cost Savings
- Higher Quality loyal customers
- Content as a profit center
What you're reading right now is content marketing - I'm providing valuable content that will help you learn more and increase profits. This is regardless of if you choose to work with me. I love shit like this - delivering value first not just trying to sell the brand or product.
So, let's talk about how you can use content marketing with Facebook ads to increase your conversions. Specifically, lets talk about UGC.
What is User-Generated Content? And Why is it Important?
User-generated content (UGC) achieves more conversions than many types of ads because it doesn’t appear like other ads. This is the reason why UGC is so popular: it’s made by your customers and it looks just like any other post from friends, family, or followers. Actually authentic.
That sense of realism has been a secret unique selling mechanism of UGC. Studies have shown that native Facebook ads outperform the super clean cut studio images and videos. Because the public relates to a home made video more. You're speaking their language.
Now, when the Chinese spy tool, 😂 TikTok debuted, Facebook instantly shifted to create Reels on Instagram. Being relatable and having short-form content was a great strategy.
It’s intimate, smartphone-friendly, and above all - cheap.
Marketing ads using video used to be super expensive. But nowadays, a content creator can buy a ring light for a few bucks, and a greens screen, add in a smartphone stand and their iPhone is now producing high definition video content. With high production values because it’s a real message from a real consumer.
So, how can you use UGC to your advantage? Not everyone looks good on camera or has a great speaking voice. But genuine passion for the product always shines through.
Finding those customers that actually like your product and are somewhat savvy on social media - without having to be an expert - will be the sweet spot you're aiming for. Your audience will find them hella relatable. Just like the public tunes in to influencer marketing.
Types of user-generated content
User-generated content is a must-have strategy for social media marketers, and it comes in many styles and formats to help you find the right fit for your brand:
- Images
- Videos
- Social media content (e.g., a Tweet about your brand)
- Testimonials
- Product reviews
- Live streams
- Blog posts
- YouTube content
Pro Tip: Find a creator who bought your product or service. Get them to create a piece of content or agree to repurpose their own content if you're using social listening and found a mention of your brand.
How to Use Facebook Ads and UGC for Profit
Check Out Competitors' Facebook Advertising
What kind of content are your competitors posting? You need to know. Their ads will be a valuable source of information about what works for your target market. By tracking and interpreting what your competitors do, you can leapfrog ahead of them.
You can track down your competitors' ads on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
To check out ads from one of the Meta platforms, go to a competitor's page and scroll down to the Page Transparency section. See that pop up I screenshot? Scroll to the bottom to go to the Facebook Ads Library to see what ads your competitors are running.
What can you reverse engineer from successful ads that are running? Be sure to vett these ads - look at the social shares, likes, reactions, engagements. Find out the traffic to the brand's website and opt in to their funnels as well.
Also check out: Top Reasons Why Facebook Disables Ad Accounts
Here's what to look for:
- Ad format and concept. What kind of videos are they sharing? Educational clips, listicles, problem-solving, direct-response ads?
- Style and creative. Take notes on any recurring formats such as specific camera angles or caption styles.
- Creators. What kind of creators are your competitors working with? How well do they connect with your target audience?
- Hooks. How does each video open? Are they attention-grabbing, or slow-burn?
Borrow what works and learn from what doesn't.
You can collect similar information, although less specifically, from TikTok. You can use the platform's Top Ads page to see ads that are currently running.
But if you want a super hack: find out what the customers are saying on these social posts for this company, and on reddit posts, press articles and blog reviews. How can you do better? Connect the gaps in what's being asked for and what is not being provided.
How to Write the Perfect Creator Brief
Now that you understand what content you need and who you need it for, you can write the perfect creator brief.
Your brief should include:
- A script, or script formula, to guide the creator. If you want to balance creativity with brand guidelines, try sending an example script along with several options on how to approach the topic. Only use strict scripts in certain cases; for example, if you work in an industry where advertising rules are highly restrictive.
- A shot list of the B-roll footage that you want. This usually shows the product as the creator opens it, explores it, or reacts to it. Editing B-roll into a video instantly makes it feel more dynamic and engaging.
- A list of do's and don'ts. This should include basic pointers such as always filming vertical video, not wearing visible logos in videos, and setting up good lighting in a quiet location to film. It's possible to edit these issues out later, but the more you have to edit the content, the less authentic it will seem.
You can use the same brief for multiple creators as long as it provides enough creative space for each person to film something different. You don't want identical videos that just swap out different faces.
However, you can still write a detailed script formula. This tells creators what they must include but gives them plenty of leeway to be personal, original, and authentic.
Here's a script formula for Facebook ads that win every time:
- Start with a hook. Hooks are so important that they should take up 50% to 80% of the time you spend on a script! The most engaging hooks are personal stories or problems that make the creator seem relatable. You can also experiment with trending hooks such as “three reasons why” or “TikTok made me buy it.”
- Next, agitate the problem. Add some detail and deepen the personal connection between the creator and each individual viewer.
- Offer the solution: your product or service!
- Showcase the benefits of the product. At this point, you might also want to list the features of the product or offer some social proof.
- Finally, end with a call to action. This doesn't need to be lengthy or detailed; the best creator ads will sell themselves. You can let the creator come up with their own CTA instead of managing these rigidly.
The finished ad should be 30-45 seconds long. You can edit in the B-roll footage to keep viewers engaged, especially when describing product features or benefits.
You should almost always have a complete brief before you start contacting creators. The only exception is when you already have a creator in mind for your ads, and you want their unique input on what kind of content to create. Otherwise, you want to own the ad creation process from start to finish.
How to Recruit Creators for a Facebook Ad Campaign
Next, it's time for the most crucial step: Finding and recruiting the right creators for your Facebook ads.
Remember, we're looking for creators—not ordinary customers and not influencers. You can expect to pay about $150 to $500 per video from a creator. Influencers start their rates around five figures, which is out of reach for most brands… not to mention that their content is less relatable for your target audience.
So where do you find the right people? We're looking at three different options here, depending on your level of experience with UGC and the demographics of your target market.
The first option is to use a creator marketplace. These are platforms where you can search for and hire creators. Sites such as Trend.io and Hashtag Paid have a large pool of talent that you can dip into without breaking your budget.
You can view creator profiles, see examples of their work, and upload briefs directly to the platform. Content is usually delivered pretty quickly.
However, these platforms have their limits. You have to work via the marketplace, which adds its own fees. You may be asked to sign an agreement that you won't continue your working relationship with a creator off of the platform so it's harder to request reshoots or set up further work without intermediary fees. What's more, if your niche is highly specific, you may struggle to find creators that fit your brief here.
If you want to own your creator relationships or you're looking for something more niche, then you can reach out to creators yourself. Slide right into their DMs on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and negotiate directly. This might feel intimidating at first but it's how most ad agencies source their creator talent, and creators will be used to hearing from brands in this way.
We have one more option if you're really struggling to find creators in your niche that speak to your target audience. Can't find the right person?
Try Backstage. They have an impressively detailed search engine that lets you find exactly the right person for your content. You can even specifically request actors who are used to self-recording or working on social media.
This can be especially useful for brands aimed at an older demographic. We know that people aged 50+ are on social media but they're under-represented as creators. Fortunately, there are older actors out there who can speak to your audience. They just need the right brief and script.
However you find your creators, if you give them the right material, they can make UGC that will connect with your audience like nothing else. UGC is the future of social media ads. For conversions and customer trust, nothing else even comes close.
Want to level up your Facebook ads? Read Neil Patel's in depth guide here.
Well folks there you have it. Now you can use UGC with Facebook ads to increase your conversions. Hope you found this article handy. By the way...
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