Facebook Ads for Ecommerce: Create Profitable Ad Campaigns

Written by

Darren DeMatas

Updated

[show_reviewed_by_link]

Written by

Darren DeMatas

Updated

Reviewed By Our team of writers and content creators are experts in ecommerce and we fact-check every claim in our work to ensure it’s accurate and up-to-date. (Learn about our editorial guidelines.).

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Advertising your online business is critical to bringing in new customers and building brand awareness.

Facebook Ads for Ecommerce

Our guide to Facebook ads for ecommerce will show you how to include it as part of your overall marketing strategy.

Why Invest in a Facebook Ecommerce Strategy

Facebook is the perfect platform for ecommerce businesses. Not only does it have over 2 billion active users, but it also offers targeted advertising options that allow businesses to reach their ideal customers.

Facebook ads for ecommerce are a highly effective way to drive traffic to your website and can be customized to target highly specific demographics, interests, and locations.

Facebook makes it easy to sell products. You can set up an online store, known as a Facebook Shop, including the ability to accept payments and ship products directly to customers.

US Facebook Net Ad Revenues eMarketer

US advertisers are expected to spend $203 billion on Facebook Ads by 2026, this social platform is responsible for about 10% of global ad revenue.

As a result, investing in a Facebook ecommerce strategy is a smart way to scale your business and reach new customers. 

Step 1: Preparing for Ecommerce Facebook Ads

As tempting as it may be to start running ads immediately, doing a little prep work ahead of time will give you a greater return on your investment.

Facebook Attribution

The Facebook attribution window is the time between users interacting with your ads and then converting on your site.

Understanding this metric helps you get a clearer view of how your ads perform, which is crucial as online privacy is expected to make conversion tracking more difficult for marketers.

And don’t panic if it’s not as fast as you’d like. Typically, the first time someone clicks your ad, they’re not going to convert anyway – especially if they’ve never heard of your brand. It’s okay if it takes a few weeks or even a month.

Facebook (Meta) Pixel Set Up

The Meta Pixel, formerly the Facebook Pixel, is a can’t-miss step for tracking your ad performance. It’s a piece of code that helps track audience behavior on your website after they click your ad. It gives you valuable insight into whether users convert and the ads that are performing the best.

You must have a business website and be able to access that website’s code before setting up the Facebook Pixel. Follow these steps:

Facebook Pixel Set Up
  • Visit the Meta Events Manager.
  • Click “Connect Data Sources,” then choose “Web.”
  • Select “Meta Pixel” and click “Connect.”
  • Add a Pixel name.
  • Enter your website URL to find easy setup options, then click Continue.
Facebook Data Sources

You can:

  • Manually add the pixel code to your website
  • Use a partner integration to install the code, or
  • Email the instructions to your webmaster.

Why not just use UTM tracking codes? UTM tracking codes are added to the end of URLs to track the parameters you choose so you can see what converts.

Because it’s just an addition to the URL, no website code installation is required. But, it only tracks some actions, which is crucial to getting the big picture on your Facebook Ad performance.

The Pixel tracks things like adding to a cart, purchases, opt-in form competition, and other behaviors. This translates to better tracking of return on ad spend (ROAS).

Conversions API

The Facebook Conversions API allows you to track your customers’ conversions and sales without the hassle of building an integration with your site. Using the API is easy to set up, and it is free. But to use it, you must have some knowledge of coding.

If that scares you, don’t worry – Facebook has tutorials to help you. If you’re using WooCommerce or Shopify, partner integrations are already available to make using the Conversions API easier.

The Conversions API for Ecommerce Facebook Ads allows you to collect information about how people act on your website. With this data, you can tailor your ads accordingly.

You can even measure page visits and conversions to fine-tune your targeting. This data can improve your advertising strategy and boost your sales.

The Conversions API for Ecommerce Facebook Ads is a helpful tool for improving the conversion rate of your ads. It works by incorporating the Facebook Pixel and the conversions API to track users’ behavior on your website.

This helps you build better custom audiences targeting people who have visited your website but have yet to purchase. It also enables you to incorporate CRM data and get qualified leads.

Step 2: Understand Facebook Ad Types

Before starting any Facebook campaign, it’s critical to understand the ad types and where they display since certain ads only show in the Facebook feed. Depending on your goals, specific placements may yield better results.

Image Ads

Facebook Ad Audi Ireland

Image ads are a simple but effective format that looks similar to many organic posts you’ll see in a Facebook feed. They are quick to create, with just an image and 125 characters of text. You can also add a 40-character headline and a 30-character description. 

Specs

Image ads must be JPEG or PNG files of at least 1080 x 1080 pixels. T

Dynamic Product Ads

Facebook Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) are a type of advertising that allows businesses to show personalized ads to users based on their past interactions with the company.

For example, if a user has visited a business’s website but has not made a purchase, the company can target that user with a DPA that showcases the specific product they were interested in.

Dynamic ads can also target users who have purchased in the past, showing them similar products they may be interested in.

Collection Ads

Collection ads are a type of image ad that features multiple images along with descriptions and links. They are perfect for businesses that want to showcase several products, such as clothes or home decor items.

Collection Ads

Image credit

Collection ads are also perfect for promoting sales or discounts, as you can include several images of products with the sale price clearly displayed. When creating collection ads, ensure that the photos are high quality and relevant to each other so that they tell a cohesive story.

Specs

Collections require some specific Instant Experience features but otherwise follow the image ad restrictions. The only difference is there is no description text with this format. You may also include video in some cases, which follow the same video ad rules without description text in the layout. 

Carousel Ads

Facebook Carousel Ads are a type of advertising that allows businesses to showcase multiple products or services in a single ad. Each product or service is represented by its own image, and users can swipe through the photos to see more information.

Carousel Ads Examples

Image credit

Carousel Ads are highly versatile and can promote anything from physical goods to digital content. One of the key benefits of Carousel Ads is that they allow businesses to tell a story or highlight different features of their products and services.

For example, a business selling multiple products could use a Carousel Ad to show how each product can be used differently.

Alternatively, a service-based business could use a Carousel Ad to highlight the different steps involved in their process. Facebook Carousel Ads are an effective way to engage potential customers and promote your business.

Specs

Carousel ads can be composed of up to ten images and/or videos under the same restrictions as the above categories. The description text length is reduced to only 20 characters to fit the layout; otherwise, the text limits, image file size, video file size, and length all remain the same. This is convenient as you can simply turn your image or video ads into a carousel without modification. 

Video Ads

Facebook video ads allow businesses to promote their products or services through short video clips. These videos can be up to 60 seconds long and targeted to specific audiences based on interests, demographics, and behaviors.

Video Ads

Facebook video ads are cost-effective and can reach many potential customers. They offer businesses the opportunity to tell their story creatively and engagingly.

While Facebook video ads are not required to include a call-to-action, they should be designed to generate interest in the promoted product or service.

When creating a Facebook video ad, businesses should keep the following tips in mind:

  • Make sure the video is high-quality.
  • Tell a story that resonates with the target audience.
  • Include a call-to-action that encourages viewers to take action.

Specs

Video ads can be in MP4, MOV, or GIF format. They can be any length with a max file size of 4 GB with the same text limitations as other ad types. 

Stories Ads

Facebook Stories Ads are short, visually-appealing videos that appear between people’s Stories. Just like regular Stories, they disappear after 24 hours.

But unlike regular Stories, Facebook Stories Ads can include calls to action, website links, and other CTAs that encourage people to learn more about the product or service.

Stories Ads Examples

Because they’re so engaging, Facebook Stories Ads are a great way to reach many people with your marketing message. And because they only last for 24 hours, they’re also great for creating a sense of urgency around your product or service.

Step 3: Creating Facebook Ads That Convert

Following best practices ensures your ad campaign gets good results. Without gathering information ahead of time, you risk wasting resources.

Understand Your Target Audience

Before starting any marketing campaign, it’s essential to understand your target audience.

Personas and Product Selection

Who are you trying to reach?

  • What are their needs and desires?
  • What motivates them?

Once you understand your target audience well, you can tailor your message to appeal to them directly. This will make your marketing more effective and help you to achieve your desired results.

Remember that your target audience may change over time, so it’s important to keep up-to-date on who they are and what they’re looking for.

Get Clear on Your Marketing Goals and Objectives

You must take the time to get clear on your marketing goals and objectives for the greatest chance of success with your Facebook Ads campaigns. Otherwise, you’ll likely be wasting time and money on strategies that don’t produce results.

Facebook Ads Marketing Goals and Objectives

Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts:

  • Do you want to increase brand awareness?
  • Drive more traffic to your website?
  • Generate more leads?
  • Make more sales?
Facebook Get More Leads

Once you understand your goals well, you can start brainstorming ways to achieve them with your Facebook advertising campaign.

Ad Creative and Copy

Great Facebook ad creative and ad copy is essential to driving results on the platform. But what exactly makes for great ad creative and copy on Facebook?

  • Your ad creative should be visually appealing and match your brand’s overall look and feel.
  • Your copy should be clear, concise, and persuasive – it should tell the viewer what you’re offering and why they should care.
  • Your ad should have a strong call-to-action that drives the viewer to take the desired action, whether that’s clicking through to your website or liking your page.

Lookalike Audiences

Facebook Lookalike Audiences are a powerful way to reach new potential customers.

Facebook Lookalike Audiences

By finding people who are similar to your existing customers, you can target your ads more effectively and improve your chances of conversion. Lookalike Audiences can be created from lists of email addresses, customer lists, phone numbers, or even Facebook user IDs.

The more data you have, the more accurate your Lookalike Audience will be. Once you’ve created your Lookalike Audience, you can use it in conjunction with other targeting options to create highly customized campaigns.

Custom Audiences

Facebook Custom Audiences allow businesses to target ads to specific groups of people based on information they have already collected about their customers.

Facebook Custom Audiences

For example, a business might upload a list of email addresses to Facebook and create a Custom Audience of people with those email addresses. Facebook will then match the email addresses on the list with the profiles of its users, allowing the business to show ads only to those users.

Custom Audiences can be created using several different types of information, including customer data from third-party providers, offline transaction data, and online activity data.

Re-Targeting Ad Campaigns

Facebook retargeting (also known as remarketing) campaigns can be an extremely effective way to reach your target audience. Essentially, these campaigns allow you to show ads to Facebook users who have already interacted with your company or visited your website.

This ensures that you are only reaching people who are already interested in your offering, which can dramatically improve your click-through and conversion rates.

Facebook retargeting ads can be customized fit demographics, interests, and even behavior patterns. This means that you can tailor your message to reach the people who are most likely to respond positively to it.

Cart Abandonment

Abandoned cart retargeting campaigns allow you to advertise specifically to people who added items to their cart but didn’t complete the checkout process. You can offer them a special discount to get them to come back.

Visitors to Specific Pages

This approach works similarly to the abandoned cart but targets people who visited the page you specify but did not complete the desired action.

Maybe you wanted someone to book a call with your company to learn more about your services, and they didn’t fill out the form. You can advertise a special offer to them to increase the chance that they’ll come back to book the call.

Automated ads

If you aren’t sure what type of ad content will work best or what your target audience prefers, the Meta Business Suite can actually automate split testing of up to six different ad types. In other words, Facebook will serve various ad types to users and track which performs best. The most effective ad types can then become the focus of your campaign. 

Drive traffic (Get more website visitors)

If the goal of your Facebook ad campaign is to drive more traffic to your ecommerce store landing pages, choose “Get more website visitors” as your campaign goal. This will shift your analytics toward tracking clickthrough rates and suggest how you might get more website traffic with your ads. 

Boost posts

Facebook Boost Posts

Sometimes the goal of an ad campaign is to simply amplify the success of an existing post or ad. If you have a post that is already performing well or one that you want to perform better, you can choose this goal to get that post in front of more Meta users. 

More Messages

More businesses strive to create connections with their customers outside of just ad placement and website visits. Messenger is proving to be a successful tool for many companies that want to offer a more personalized experience by answering questions or delivering a one-on-one sales pitch. Whether you have automated chatbots or salesmen standing by, you can select “Get more messages” as the goal of your ad campaign and direct users who click on your ads directly to a conversation in the Messenger app.

Step 4: Building Your Facebook Ad Strategy

An ecommerce store will use a different strategy and ad format than a service-based business. That’s why it’s important to plan your ad content around your sales funnel and test different ads and CTAs.

Combine Facebook Ads with Content Marketing

You can reach more people and generate leads by creating engaging content and promoting it through Facebook Ads.

Make sure your content is relevant and interesting. No one wants to read a boring article, so make sure your ads stand out by featuring compelling headlines and images.

Consider Contests and Giveaways

You can get a lot of loyal customers with a giveaway campaign, but you need to be smart, so you’re not wasting money on leads that are only entering for the free stuff.

When done right, your giveaways and contests can bring you quality leads at an affordable cost per lead, increase brand awareness, and, most importantly, new customers to boost sales.

You can collect emails to use in your email marketing efforts to further enhance your overall ecommerce marketing strategy.

Build Your Marketing List with Lead Ads

Facebook lead ads are an effective way to grow your marketing list.

When someone clicks on your ad, a form pops up pre-filled with the person’s contact information. The person can then choose to submit their information or skip the form.

This makes it easy for people to join your email list. It also helps to ensure that you’re getting accurate contact information.

To create a Facebook lead ad, first, log in to your Facebook account. Then go to the Ads Manager page.

From there, click on the “Create Ad” button and select “Lead Generation” as your objective.

Then, follow the prompts to create your ad. Be sure to include an attractive image and a strong call to action, as these will help to increase the number of people who fill out your form.

Use Discounts and Promotions

After you’ve warmed up a cold audience, a discount or promotion can be just the push they need to convert.

Discounts and promotions, such as free shipping, free gift with a purchase of $X, and product bundles, are proven to catch attention and stop the scroll.

Acquiring a new customer will always cost more and require more effort than nurturing an existing one, so work these discounts into your costs to avoid feeling a hit on your margins.

While a small incentive may get you a new loyal customer, it’s important to strike a balance. If you rely too heavily on these promotions, your audience may catch on and simply wait for the next one (or a better one) to make a purchase.

Customize CTAs

Your calls to action should always be adjusted to match your campaign objective and what it is you want people to do.

If you want to sell products, you will use something like “Buy Now” rather than “Call Now.”

Split-Test, Analyze, and Adjust

To ensure you get the best possible results, consider running multiple versions of the same ad (by creating ad sets) with slight differences to see which performs better.

Take time to measure your results, and make adjustments based on what the data tells you. The more you optimize your campaign, the better your results will be, giving you a better ROI.

Tips for Running Successful Facebook Ads

Utilize the Ad Library for Inspo

Meta Ad Library

If you are having trouble designing your next ad or don’t know where to begin, check out the Ad Library to see what other companies are doing. 

Consider Tone of Voice

Have you nailed down the tone of your brand? Friendly, funny, or serious? You may find that certain types of ads perform better than others, depending on the platform. 

Display Your Product

Since your goal is probably to sell products from your Shopify store, put those products front and center in your ads. Try different methods like images, video, and carousels to see which gain the most traction. Showing your products in action or with real customers may be more effective than a stock image.

Decide on Ad Objectives Before Creating the Ad

While you may want to hit the ground running and start pumping out ads, it is important to have a content strategy first. A plan will help you create an effective variety of ads without wasting effort or budget. 

Combine Different Ad Types

Don’t be afraid to experiment. You may find that one type of ad performs surprisingly well compared to others, so try new things and focus on what works. 

Run Ads Across Multiple Channels

Instagram Ads

Don’t limit yourself to the same audience with every ad campaign. Mixing it up on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger through the Meta Business Suite allows you to reach brand-new audiences and potential customers with different preferences. 

FAQs

While there is no easy answer regarding Facebook ads, it is safe to say that they can be effective for ecommerce businesses. One of the main advantages of Facebook ads is that they allow you to target a very specific audience.
 
Facebook ads can be very flexible, allowing you to change your budget and targeting options on the fly.
 
This means that you can quickly adjust your campaign based on what is working and what is not. Overall, while there are no guarantees when it comes to Facebook ads, if used correctly, they can be an effective tool for driving traffic and sales for your ecommerce business.

Facebook offers a variety of ad types that can be effective for ecommerce businesses. The most important factor in choosing an ad type is to align the goals of the campaign with the features of the ad type.
 
For example, if the goal of the campaign is to increase brand awareness, then an ad type that includes a video or image carousel would be a good choice.
 
If your goal is to send traffic to a specific landing page, then a lead-generation ad would be a better option.
 
Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing a Facebook ad for ecommerce. The best approach is to experiment with different types of ads and see which ones produce the best results.

To promote your ecommerce website on Facebook, start by creating a business page. Make sure to include high-quality photos and engaging descriptions of your products. Once your page is set up, start sharing posts about your products and special offers.
 
You can use Facebook ads to reach a wider audience. When creating your ads, be sure to target people who are most likely to be interested in your products.
 
You can use Facebook groups to promote your ecommerce website. Join relevant groups and participate in discussions. When you share information about your products, be sure to include a link to your website.

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion active users. For ecommerce brands, this presents a huge opportunity to reach out to potential customers.
 
In addition to traditional advertising, Facebook also offers several powerful tools that can be used to drive sales and traffic to your website.
 
You can also use Facebook’s link-sharing feature to post links to your website or product pages. And with Facebook’s shopping features, you can even set up a shopfront right on the platform.

Start Running Facebook Ads for Ecommerce Today

Facebook Ads don’t have to be complicated or expensive to be effective. You can create cheap and successful ads by taking the time to understand your goals and target audience. Ecommerce ads can attract shoppers and grow your customer base at an affordable customer acquisition cost.

About the author

Photo of author
Darren DeMatas
Darren has an MBA in Internet Marketing and 10+ years of experience marketing retail, manufacturing and Internet marketing corporations, 7-figure brands and startups online. Follow him on TwitterLinkedIn

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