You might’ve heard of A/B Tests if you’ve been advertising on Facebook for a while. The simple experiment of choosing two variables A and B is an easy way to test a hypothesis and get some wonderful results. Over the years, I’ve tried many A/B tests but these are the tests that have been the most effective (and unexpected) hacks for creating effective ads.
Running ads on a schedule vs 24/7:
Do your customers stay more active during days more than nights or vice versa? Use the custom schedule option on your Facebook ad manager to find when your customers are the most active and publish ads at times they are most likely to react.
Run videos on Wi-fi only:
With mobile data rates as high as it is, is it really surprising that some people would rather skip video ads when using the data on their phones? This advertiser thinks not.
Being selective about ad placements:
Try your hand at testing what ad placements work for your brand. Some ad types don’t fare well under certain platforms. Case in point: Video Views on instant articles can be significantly more expensive than other placements.
Play with your Fonts:
While I haven’t found any patterns that suggest one font type works better than others, changing fonts in your ad copy can have a small but significant impact on your CPC.
Short Copy VS Long Copy:
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people say people don’t read. But if the data was to be believed, copy matters and changing your copy length can have an immense impact on your Ad’s effectiveness to connect with audiences.
High Contrast Vs Low Contrast Images:
This one varies a lot depending on the audience you’re targeting and the brand but changing contrasts can grab the attention of your audience more easily.
Changing your copy from formal to conversational:
Another copy hack that disproves the notion that people don’t read. Conversational copy works better than formal tones and is easier for the customer to recall.
Lower CPR by displaying ads on either weekdays or weekends:
There is a stark difference in CPRs between displaying them on weekdays vs weekends. Try running ads on different days to see how CPR changes throughout the week.
Test out the text alignment of your ads:
We are conditioned to read from left to right. So it naturally makes sense that people are more likely to pay attention when the text is aligned to the left. But in the spirit of A/B tests keep trying out different combinations to find out what works best.
Try out Ads without any copy:
Pictures speak louder than words. Try removing the copy from your creatives next time and place it on the caption instead. If you're spending a good fortune on photography it is better to ditch any text blocking the audience's view and ruining what could otherwise be a captivating post.
Also see: How to A/B test your Emails.
