Facebook Page Post Ads Best Practices Guide

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NOTE: This post is outdated, but it remains available for research purposes. Many of the screenshots and features may no longer be relevant.

Facebook has released a Page Post Ad Best Practices Guide, a nine-page PDF document to help marketers maximize their Facebook advertising results.

Here are a few highlights:

Checklist


I’m always a sucker for a good Facebook marketing checklist. Facebook generated the following list of items you should check off before running a Facebook ad:

  • My Page’s profile photo is recognizable in 32×32 size
  • My most important text is captured in the first 90 characters of my ad
  • My video or photo thumbnail is eye-catching and clear. People will be able to recognize it right away
  • The content in my ad is relevant and synonymous to the brand I’m promoting
  • The message in the body of my ad is memorable
  • People will be inspired to tell their friends about the content in my ad
  • People feel rewarded after seeing my ad
  • I’m targeting the right people who I want to see my ad or sponsored story
  • Some people may or may not know about my brand, so it’s important that I create my ad accordingly
  • All my posts will be turned into ads or sponsored stories, e.g. ‘always on’

Here’s the actual checklist if you want to print it out and use it:

Facebook Ad Checklist

Page Post Video Ad Best Practices

Facebook suggests using a video Page Post ad in the following situations:

  • Launch a brand, product or movie
  • Drive awareness
  • Drive video views
  • Promote a commercial

A few suggestions from the guide:

  • Make sure the video includes an engaging, action-oriented video thumbnail (faces work best)
  • Try to keep the video to 15-30 seconds in length
  • Avoid thumbnails that are text-heavy
  • Don’t direct people to “watch my commercial!”

Here are some of Facebook’s examples of good video Page Post ads:

Video Facebook Page Post Ads Examples

Page Post Photo Ad Best Practices


Facebook suggests using photo Page Post ads for the following:

  • Increase awareness
  • Promote a new product
  • Drive conversation about a topic

A few suggestions:

  • Use a photo that is at least 168×128 pixels and maintains a 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • Get to the point quickly in your text
  • Don’t use text or text overlay on the photos

Here are the “good” examples of photo Page Post ads, as provided by Facebook:

Photo Facebook Page Post Ads Examples

Other Best Practices


Facebook also provides tips on maximizing effectiveness while promoting links, Questions and Events. I won’t cover all of that here, but you can feel free to read the Facebook Page Post Ad Best Practices Guide document.

Thoughts?


The one new piece of information for me was that it’s prohibited to use text overlays on photos. I’ve seen a very well-known marketer do this recently (and I even did the same!).

Was any of this new to you? Provide your thoughts below!