What is a good CPC for e-Commerce Facebook ads, you ask? Well, that’s a surprisingly complicated question. While the average is cited at around $1.72, it varies according to industry. For example, if you’re selling apparel, you’re in luck since you’re looking at about $0.45 per click. Of course, this all depends on how well crafted your advertising campaigns—and the ads themselves—are.

And since there are almost 3 billion users on Facebook in 2021, your ads need to be carefully targeted, creatively designed or filmed, and compelling written to create the most traction for any sales funnels you set up. Are you looking to dive into the world of Facebook for e-commerce advertising? Then read on to get a crash course in today’s best practices.

Getting Set Up for Facebook Advertising

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Facebook advertising for e-commerce, it’s helpful to take a step back. Refresh your knowledge on some of the Facebook advertising essentials like what you need to get started and what you might get put into Facebook jail for in 2021.

The Tools You Need

If you haven’t already, start by setting up your Facebook Business Manager account. This lays the foundation for all of your future e-commerce advertising on the platform, so it’s essential to set it up correctly the first time.

It’s a home for your advertising assets, from your business’ Page to your Ad Manager account and product Catalog.

Don’t forget, too, to generate a Facebook Pixel and install it on your e-commerce site. This tracks valuable data that will help with performance tracking and audience targeting. Do this even if you don’t plan to run an ad for some time—it’s never wrong to start collecting data in advance. Be sure to check it’s working using a third-party extension like Pixel Helper.

While Facebook provides a lot of native tools, there are some other third-party tools you might benefit from. These could include:

• Canva for quick graphic design
• A socials post scheduler like Hootsuite, AdPresso, or Loomly
• A stock image subscription
• An additional ad reporting tool like Qwaya
• Copy checking tools like Grammarly
  
  

If you’re unsure how to get started or don’t have the time, Viral Octopus has you covered with this gig. You’ll have a team on your side to plan, create, and run e-commerce ads that guarantee stellar ROI.

Know the Rules… So You Can Make Them Work for You

Facebook has always regulated its advertising space, but in the past few years, the platform has beefed up its fact-checking and review policies in response to world events, like the recent US elections and user complaints. 

Some of the content almost guaranteed to get you flagged includes:

• Politically exploitative content
• Violent content
• Negative body image
• Nudity
• Illegal substances
• Tobacco, including paraphernalia
• Discriminatory content
  
  

In particular, companies working in the financial, pharmaceutical, cryptocurrency, real estate, and health and wellness sectors will need to review the rules around their sectors. And, in this post-COVID era, review any vaccine-related material carefully. You can read the Facebook ad policies in their entirety here.

Don’t forget, too, to review the Facebook image and video specs before creating any assets for your ads. It’d be a shame to spend money on compelling graphics only to have them rejected on the first pass.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to all things specs across all the social platforms, check out the guide the Viral Octopus team compiled.

What Is the Best Facebook Ad for e-Commerce?

Facebook has sophisticated advertising that allows you to craft an enticing and complete funnel for your e-commerce business. If you do it right, you can move from exploring new markets and audiences right through to converting leads to purchase without leaving the platform.

Facebook for e-Commerce Campaign Options

Facebook offers e-commerce advertising funnel campaigns options in three core areas, with thirteen objectives to choose from, divided unevenly between them.

While it might be tempting to just go wild testing all the options at once, that’s when you know it’s time to take a step back. To adopt a metered, strategic approach, you need to know what each campaign type targets. Remember, it’s not always about conversion!

1- Awareness Campaigns

If you’re new to Facebook advertising, you might wonder what’s the point of an awareness campaign. But remember what we just said? Not every lead has to convert. 

Awareness campaigns give you a precious opportunity to test out potential audiences.

Facebook offers two options for Awareness campaigns: brand awareness and reach. With either one, you’ll want to:

• Say hello to your new audience
• Introduce yourself or your brand
• Showcase a representative product
  
  

Avoid a hard sell: keep the tone light, cheerful, and on-brand. You’re exploring new markets at the top of your funnel, so you don’t want to scare anyone away with a “Buy this right now!” message.

2- Consideration Campaigns

Another way to build awareness is by using a Consideration campaign. This works well for audiences already familiar with your products or your brand.

Choose Traffic adoption to drive potential customers to your website, tagging them with a pixel to track their conversion… Or not—if they don’t convert this time around, and it’s entirely possible with a Consideration campaign that they won’t, you can always re-target them.

This is also where you can use a softer call to action here, such as Save, Learn More, or Open Link. It offers a way for on-the-fence consumers to scratch their curiosity itch without the pressure to buy.

3- Conversion Campaigns

With Conversion campaigns, it literally pays to focus on audiences that have already interacted with your products. Consider targets like page visitors, newsletter subscribers, or cart abandoners. Offer them a more direct call-to-action like Shop Now or Order Now.

Audiences less familiar with your offerings are less likely to convert, so any conversions you do get will be more expensive. Not only because fewer people actually click through and make a purchase but also because Facebook penalizes advertisements that fail in their campaign objectives. And vice versa—they reward those that excel in their targeting.

Ad Types That Get Attention

When it comes to e-commerce advertising, you’ll likely fall back on the usual Image, Slideshow, or maybe Carousel ads. And those ad types all have a place in an e-comm ad campaign. But two ad types are destined to get you the conversions you crave: videos and Collection ads.

Video Ads Move Product

Video-centric TikTok is the social media platform of the moment, so it’s no surprise that videos continue to see the highest engagement for advertising. While most marketers continue to use images about as much as they use video, the data on which medium generates more clicks tells a different story. According to a Data Box survey, videos were over 30% more likely to get a positive response.

So while it’s clear that video is the way to go, you’ve also got to use it correctly. Keep your videos short, snappy, and inspiring, and take advantage of the 360-degree upload option Facebook offers when appropriate to the product. You don’t even need to worry so much about that soundtrack since well over 80% of Facebook videos are watched without the sound on—though do think about those closed captions.

Show Off That Stock With Collection Ads

If you’re looking to promote a catalog, as e-commerce businesses are wont to do, your best option is a Collection ad.

This option is similar to Carousel ads, but offers you far more customization and automation, saving you time and generating higher click-through rates. They’re also explicitly optimized for the Facebook feed.

Head to the Catalog Manager and follow the prompts to create a product fee. Alternatively, some platforms let you sync your e-commerce inventory with Ad Manager. Check your pixels are set up correctly, select your targeting, and create your ad template. Once that’s done, you can hit “publish,” and the ads will simply roll on out.

Facebook Is a Powerful Tool for e-Commerce Sales

Honestly, there are few, if any, downsides to using advertising on Facebook for e-commerce, so long as your audiences are properly targeted at their place in your funnels.

Spend time getting to know the platform’s rules and campaign options, take advantage of all the testing and reporting features like Facebook Pixel, and then amplify the native offerings with third-party ad creation and management software and tools. And don’t underestimate the power of dynamic ad options like video and catalog sales to grab attention.

If you’re wondering where you’ll find the time to craft compelling ad assets for Facebook e-commerce sales, rely on Viral Octopus! Our Facebook Ads for e-Commerce gig will create Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp ads that drive sales and leads while maximizing your budget. 

So what are you waiting for? Book this gig today and get our team working for you!