You will have already heard that Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users. But the real power is understanding what those users are really interested in. What triggers their emotive responses? What grabs their attention? What gets them engaged?

As a social network, Facebook remains the place where people share their experiences, thoughts, and interests. This is exactly why there has been so much focus on data security in recent times.

At the same time, Facebook has helped to make advertising more targeted and more relevant than ever before. The average active user, for example, likes at least 20 pages that indicate certain characteristics and interests. There are other forms of data you can use to tailor your advertising through Facebook ad Manager.

However, it can prove tricky to realize its full potential. The process can be complex and to find the right audience takes time and specialist expertise.

Both of which are in short supply at many businesses.

So you should be looking at using some of the best Facebook advertising tools to ramp up your campaigns. We have put together some of the best ones for 2020:

Get Creative

In order to engage with your audience and get the most out of Facebook advertising, you need to create epic designs. For many small to medium size businesses, having a top-drawer designer or team is beyond reach due to costs. Fortunately, help is at hand through many tools that can enable you to create winning ads:

1. Qwaya

(Source: Qwaya.com)

If there was a competition for the complete Facebook ad tool, Qwaya would be a strong contender. It’s effectively a third-party Facebook Ad Manager, with all sorts of features that will make it indispensable to your marketing team.

Qwaya not only helps you create a Facebook ad, it also helps you organize the overall campaign. There’s even a feature where you can control the rotation of your ads.

Top 3 Features:

• Ad Scheduler: Does what it says. This enables you to decide exactly when you want your Facebook ads to display and target the optimum times.
• Split-Testing: It’s one of the things that sets Qwaya apart from its competitors. The ability to split-test your campaigns is a sure-fire way to drastically improve that all important conversion rate.
• Free Training Session: If you’re a novice, or feel you need to learn more, a training session will make a huge difference. And it’s free, so what have you got to lose?

2. Driftrock

(Source: Driftrock.com)

Any company that uses the tagline, “gain an unfair advantage” is bound to get your attention. It’s another challenge to live up to it. Driftrock does both with its automated ads capabilities. In short, the tool allows you to create triggered ads. The neat thing here is those triggers can include things like the weather, TV schedules, or other events.

For example, if you’re an umbrella store – you can set your ads to appear whenever it’s raining.

Top 3 Features:

• Custom audience synching: You can organize your campaigns across multiple platforms for maximum reach.
• Dashboard: This can help you manage multiple campaigns simultaneously and allow you to compare performance.
• Measure offline sales: Driftrock has a feature where you can track customer journeys, even if they go offline.

3. Canva

(Source: Canva.com)

Despite the fact it was only founded in 2012, Canva has become an indispensable tool for many businesses. It’s a free, easy-to-use graphic design service fit for many purposes including Facebook posts, cover photos, and event images.

Canva also grants you access to over a million photos that you can use without fear of breaching copyright. Such is the quality of the tool it’s used by both design novices and professionals.

Top 3 Features:

• Design Grid: Gives you the ability to create customizable grids, which you can adapt as you add images. This is a smart way to gain some inspiration and make your ad stand out.
• Transparent Images: For your ad to succeed, the images and text need to work together to create eye-catching design. Being able to fade the images slightly into the background is a good way of doing this.
• Speech Bubbles: Canva rate this highly as one of its top features. Though it can seem a little tacky, it can be used to engage with your audience. This does depend on the kind of brand you wish to project and the reputation of your business.

4. Pablo by Buffer

(Source: Pablo.buffer.com)

Pablo by Buffer has two big selling points:

Ease of use: Go to its homepage and the screenshot is the page you will see. You can create a Facebook ad ready image in 30 seconds, all on this one page. Of course, it’s only 30 seconds in theory, given the fact you should spend time finding the right image and text for your campaign. But the point is this, if there’s ever a case of designing an ad with someone holding your hand all the way, this would be it.

Buffer analytics: Its close ties with Buffer means that any Pablo created ad or post will automatically have the benefit of built-in analytics. This will give you a good insight into the performance of your Facebook ads.

Top 3 Features:

• 600,000+ Images and Designs: The Pablo by Buffer team have created a bank of over 600,000 unique images. All of which are in a searchable database.
• Customize Designs on One Page: As already mentioned, it’s possible to set up and create epic Facebook ads in a three-stage process.
• Supported by Buffer: As Pablo is part of Buffer, you would automatically enjoy the benefits of analytics and sharing capabilities.

5. CoSchedule Headline Analyzer

(Source: Coschedule.com)

Creating a powerful, engaging headline requires just as much focus as imagery. This headline analyzer tool from CoSchedule helps you improve your copywriting skills and get your audience clicking on the ad.

After typing in a headline, CoSchedule will come up with an analysis in seconds:

(Source: Coschedule.com)

The report will give you a score out of 100 and provide guidance on how to improve your headline. It covers four key types of word: Common, uncommon, emotional, and power. It’s important to strike a balance with each element in order to generate an ad that grabs attention and relates to the audience.

We could come up with all sorts of statistics to back this up but instead, we’ll do this with an example:

(Source: Chevymall.com)

This poster from Chevrolet is simple, direct, and humorous. The image is eye-catching enough, with the flowing shape of the Corvette but the headline lifts it to another level. Slightly poking fun at the “boring, safe” brand of Volvo, the ad is targeted at an audience with a sense of fun and excitement.

It’s a classic case of headline and image working together to create an epic advertising campaign.

Top 3 Features:

• Direct: Simply type in a headline and let the analyzer do the work for you.
• Report: Quick and easy to understand, the report gives you a good insight into your headline writing skills. It will help you take a balanced approach.
• CoSchedule: The host of the analyzer tool can also assist you with your wider marketing plan.

6. Unsplash

(Source: Unsplash.com)

If you’re simply looking for some killer images, without all the extras attached, then Unsplash is the perfect place for you. It’s an open source photography platform with over 400,000 images from 65,000 photographers.

Unsplash was an instant success, hitting the first million downloads within months of its inception in 2013. Now it handles around 17 million downloads a month. Fresh photos are being added each day, averaging 25,000 a month from 2,400 different sources.

Best of all, these works can be used for free with no attribution.

Top 3 Features:

• Free to use: Top quality photographs are often subject to copyright and fees. Unsplash removes this barrier for you.
• Variety: With over 65,000 photographers contributing to this platform, there’s a wide range of images. You will be able to find any type of subject in any style.
• Search facility: The search function is direct and delivers relevant results. It will take you to the photos you want to see, and at a click of a mouse, you will be able to download your intended image.

Research to Get Ahead of Your Competitors

In order to make full use of Facebook ads, you need to do your research. And not just before your campaigns, You should be learning on a constant basis, looking out for new ideas, analyzing your competitors, and identifying the latest trends. With so many potential areas to look at, the key is to focus on a few that are most relevant to your business.

Resist the temptation to use every tool going and pick the ones that can really make a difference:

7. Buzzsumo

(Source: Buzzsumo.com)

Used by some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Expedia, News Corp, and Yahoo, Buzzsumo analyzes top performing content on social media. Businesses can then use this data to focus their campaigns on selected keywords or cooperate with leading influencers.

In terms of advertising, it helps on two fronts:

• Identify keywords to work with: Through Buzzsumo’s search function, you will be able to see which keywords are popular.
• Find out which kind of content engages the audience: This could help shape the design of your ad. By finding out what headlines and articles performs best with your target audience, you will be able to tailor your design accordingly.

The level of data Buzzsumo generates makes it popular with marketers the world over. Whether you are creating a Facebook post or ad, this is a tool you cannot do without.

Top 3 Features:

• Content Discovery: This is a staple of Buzzsumo. You can set up a number of filters to find the kind of content you need to find for inspiration for your Facebook ad. You would be able to identify what’s trending and even, what’s about to trend.
• Influencer Marketing: In a similar way to content discovery, Buzzsumo identifies some of the leading influencers in a selected field. Once you have identified them, you can then approach or partner with those top names and boost your campaign.
• Competitor Research: One of the best ways to see what content works for your business is to analyze your competitors.

8. Connectio Facebook Ad Keyword Search

(Source: Connectio.io)

At Connectio, we have a free Facebook ad keyword and interest search. It helps you to refine and focus on the right audience for your business. Let’s show you how it works:

(Source: Connectio.io)

Say, for example, you type in “Burgundy.” You may be targeting an audience who likes red wine rather than anything else. The tool then shows you that this term actually covers a range of interest – with many having nothing to do with wine.

As a result of this analysis, we then add “wine” to the term:

(Source: Connectio.io)

By making minor changes, we are getting a much more targeted list of results, including an alternative term. This enables you to find the right keywords to focus on while avoiding the most competitive terms.

Top 3 Features:

• Comprehensive list of results: The results give you an overall picture of keywords, and which ones perform.
• Alternative suggestions: The tool also comes up with similar terms to those you searched for. These can be less competitive or more relevant for the audience you’re looking to target.
• Free and easy to use: You can access this tool for free, simply by connecting through your Facebook account.

9. AdEspresso – Facebook Ad Examples

(Source: Adespresso.com)

With over 135,000 Facebook ad examples, there’s no other greater source for inspiration than AdEspresso. You can set your search criteria through a number of filters on offer. It even includes some poor examples so you can learn from the mistakes of others. Before you make them.

The advantage here is you will be able to see what your competitors are doing and find out how you can get ahead.

Top 3 Features:

• Search function: The search function is full of helpful filters that can direct you to the right ads.
• Variety: The fact there are over 135,000 examples indicates a wide variety of ads. Even within the same industry for similar products, you can see the different approaches companies take.
• Free to use: This is completely free to use. There’s nothing to lose by using this tool.

10. Facebook ROI Calculator

(Source: Connectio.io)

This is almost too good to be true. Imagine a tool where you can measure the ROI of a Facebook ad before you even get going? The good news is that it exists. And even better news, is that it’s right here on Connectio.

Using the metrics you should already have, you will be able to work out the profit (or potential loss) of a Facebook campaign:

(Source: Connectio.io)

Playing around with the metrics will show you how small changes can make a big difference in potential profits. It provides a variety of measurements including core numbers and percentages, so you can get a complete picture.

This makes an otherwise complex calculation straightforward and easy to carry out.

Top 3 Features:

• Different metrics: The ROI calculator is designed to give you as an accurate result as possible. To do this, it needs a number of metrics to deliver the complete picture.
• Sliding scales: The sliding scales function means you can test different scenarios and get feedback instantly. This saves time and improves the chances of your ad being a success.
• Get your ROI before you pay: There’s no getting away from the core function of this tool. In the real world, there’s no guarantee any ad will be a success but this is an excellent indicator.

Analyze Your Ad Performance

For any business, measuring the return on investment (ROI) is critical. Facebook ads can be one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising out there, only if you monitor the results closely. Data gathered from doing so will help identify the strengths and iron out the weaknesses. It will also pick up unexpected trends that you can then capitalize on and maximize your returns.

Marketers no longer have an excuse not to provide data from their campaigns. Fortunately, there are a number of tools that can make this process more manageable:

11. Google Analytics

(Source: Analytics.google.com)

Launched in 2005, Google Analytics has been an integral part of any marketer’s toolkit for a decade. If your business has a website (which it absolutely should) then you need Analytics. It measures your site’s traffic, identifies where it comes from, and visitor journeys through your pages – and everything else in between.

On Google Analytics, you can create customized reports where you can measure the conversion rates of your Facebook campaigns. Though Facebook does provide this data, this is a good back up source to check those results.

As the platform continues to evolve and grow over time, new features are always being added.

Top 3 Features:

• Deep-level analytics: Google provides a wealth of data relating to your site performance. You will be able to compare your Facebook campaigns with other types of advertising and social media platforms.
• Customized reports: You can create a report on specific Facebook ads for the most accurate feedback.
• Conversion rate: You will be able to measure the percentage of those who clicked on your ad that made a purchase. This gives you an invaluable insight into the profitability of your campaign.

12. Wicked Reports

(Source: Wickedreports.com)

Wicked Reports has a specialized Facebook ads Attribution feature. This provides the data that matters to your business. It measures the value of new customers by tracking traffic from Facebook ads. It also takes a look at the long-term performance of ads and gives you an idea of customer lifetime value.

Wicked Reports is a paid service which is, in essence, an advanced version of Google Analytics.

Top 3 Features:

• Facebook ads Attribution: As a whole, Wicked Reports is designed to measure your ROI, not just clicks or impressions.
• People Based Tracking: This feature sums up what Wicked Reports does. You can track your visitors as they navigate around your site, which can include purchases.
• Social Media Attribution: If you operate on a number of platforms, this can be a good feature to take advantage of. Comparing different campaigns can help you identify exactly where your target audience is.

13. Facebook Analytics

(Source: Analytics.facebook.com)

Facebook itself has a useful Analytics tool where you can also carry out reports. Much like the two previously mentioned, it can track and analyze customer behavior from your campaigns. The only issue here is that nagging doubt that Facebook will be presenting your data in the best possible light. Nonetheless, this tool will give you a broadly accurate picture of the performance of your ads.

Top 3 Features:

• Funnel Tracking: You can track your ad performance through the funnels. It will help you identify where you’re losing your visitors, whether it’s on the landing page or the cart.
• Custom Audiences: One of the key aspects of Facebook Analytics is that you can directly use the data to form custom audiences. We covered this in great detail in a previous post.
• Send Notifications: You can use the Analytics tool send optimized push or in-app notifications.

Create Landing Pages That Lead to Purchases

A top Facebook advertising campaign doesn’t just stop with the ad. It follows through on the whole visitor journey. If users click through on the ad and lands on a dull, generic page with no relevance to them, then it’s likely they will leave.

A carefully crafted, well-thought out landing page will boost your conversion rate and increase the chances of hot leads becoming paying customers.

14. ClickFunnels

(Source: Clickfunnels.com)

Look through its highly amusing and engaging video and you’ll find ClickFunnels offers a serious product. Its central point is that most websites are built on looks rather than data, and as a result, are poorly designed. Though we should take this claim with more than a pinch of salt, there’s no doubt there’s merit in creating a funnel.

The idea is to walk the visitor through the whole process, from the landing page to the purchase. The focus of ClickFunnels is to sell your idea or product.

Top 3 Features:

• Guide on the right funnel for you: There are several different types of funnels to choose from. ClickFunnels will help you pick the right one for your business.
• Customize your funnel: It follows the simple click and drag method in terms of design. While the basic layout remains the same, you can customize it to reflect your business image.
• Tailor it for your Facebook campaigns: The site offers different funnels for different situations. You have the ability to create and monitor a funnel exclusively for your Facebook ads.

15. UpViral

(Source: Upviral.com)

One of the common misconceptions about viral marketing is that it’s largely down to luck. There is an element of truth to that but most of it is down to strategy and skill. UpViral helps you put together Facebook ads to reach out to as big an audience as possible through referral marketing.

UpViral explains how referral marketing can be used through Facebook contests which encourages users to share your ad with others. Setting up a series of funnels with landing pages and signup forms, the process is designed to grab as many email addresses as possible.

Once you have these email addresses, you will be able to communicate with them on a personal basis. There are a few more effective ways of converting potential leads to paying customers than email marketing.

Top 3 Features:

• Referral marketing: This concept can turn one potential lead into three or four, or even more.
• Cross-platform marketing: The ability to integrate your Facebook ads with other forms of marketing will increase your exposure. Being able to use Facebook to gather email addresses gives your business even more opportunity and flexibility.
• Manage campaigns from one dashboard: As we have repeatedly stated, monitoring your campaigns is critical to their success. UpViral allows you to do this from one, easy-to-use dashboard.

16. ConnectLeads

(Source: Connectio.io)

At Connectio, we offer an even more direct way of gathering data through Facebook ads. ConnectLeads automates this process by introducing a quick, two-step process. When the user clicks on the ad, the next page asks for permission to share their details including the valuable email address. Once complete, the user goes back to the Facebook page, while your business has their details.

Quick, simple, direct, and effective. Better still, it can integrate with automated email campaigns where you can personally contact your potential leads.

Top 3 Features:

• Automated process: The driving force behind ConnectLeads is automation. Once set up and in place, the entire process can be carried out without the need for you to be involved.
• Integrate with other Connectio features: This can maximize the reach and effectiveness of your Facebook ads.
• Accuracy: One of the defining features ConnectLeads, as with the rest of Connectio, is unerring accuracy. The data gathered will ensure your Facebook ads are directed at your most promising audience.

Other Epic Tools:

There’s no limit to the capabilities of Facebook marketing. As the world’s biggest social network continues to evolve, there’s evermore opportunities to tap into its enormous potential. The addition of Messenger, the growth of Facebook-owned Instagram, and apps introduce new ways to reach your audience.

As a result, the tools designed to help streamline your Facebook marketing strategies are more innovative than ever before.

17. ManyChat

(Source: Manychat.com)

Facebook Messenger has enjoyed great success since its revamp from Facebook Chat in 2011. As a standalone app, it has 1.2 billion users – making it the second largest social media platform in the world. At first glance, it may seem like a difficult channel to market to, given its private nature.

ManyChat is a tool that’s designed to help you overcome the hurdles. It installs a “bot,” which communicates with your target audience on a one-to-one basis and mimics a conversation with a real person. Here’s an example below:

(Source: Manychat.com)

The tool helps you to incentivize your audience to subscribe to the Messenger service and comes with all the analytics you’d expect from email service providers (ESPs). With an open rate of up to 88% and a 56% click-through rate, this is the marketing trend of the moment.

Top 3 Features:

• Analytics: Being able to monitor the success of your Messenger ads will prove invaluable to your business. For a relatively new concept, the analytics is comprehensive.
• Create your own bot: ManyChat claim it’s possible to set up a customized bot in two minutes. The popular and easy drag and drop method is used here, without the need for coding.
• LiveChat: The bot is complemented with a live chat feature, where you or your support team can communicate directly with customers. For all the remarkable things automation can do, nothing can fully replace the human touch.

18. ConnectRetarget

(Source: Connectio.com)

ConnectRetarget is yet another awesome Connectio tool. The reality is that people need to see your message and business more than once to become customers. Only 2% of first time visitors to sites go on to make a purchase. This is where retargeting campaigns come in.

With ConnectRetarget you can target your ads to an audience that have interacted with your business in some way before. This can be visiting your site, Facebook page, or subscribing to your email list. Tied in with the rest of Connectio’s capabilities, it can be a powerful addition to your list of Facebook ad tools.

Top 3 Features:

• Works with any platform: Integrates with other platforms such as WordPress, ClickFunnel, and more. This will only boost the performance of your retargeting campaigns.
• Adheres Facebook’s code of conduct: With some tools facing a crackdown, particularly over data control, ConnectRetarget users have zero risk of being banned from Facebook.
• Comprehensive monitoring package: The tool comes with a complete analytics package, which will help you improve your retargeting over time.

Conclusion

Facebook in itself is a marketer’s dream. You have 2 billion people using one platform every month. They come from all walks of life, from all over the world. It’s a gateway to countless potential leads and customers. And those opportunities are getting bigger with each new development the social network rolls out.

There are two key challenges that Facebook ads present to businesses like yours:

• Competition
• Overwhelming amount of possibilities

With regards to the latter, Facebook Ad Manager can prove tricky to navigate – simply because of its vast array of options. It allows you to target specific audiences and set up goals for your business to meet. However, there are so many ways to do this that it’s not always possible to identify the best possible option.

This is where these tools come in. Each of the 17 options in our list brings something to the table. Driftrock offers triggered ads, ManyChat allows you to communicate with subscribers on Messenger, and UpViral can make your ads go viral. They are all designed to streamline and target your Facebook ads to the right audience.

They’re also inexpensive, and often free. You do not need to spend your tight budget on a full-blown marketing team either. Most tools are created with the novice in mind, and therefore easy to use.

Many businesses are already using these tools to boost their Facebook marketing strategy. Many more will take them up in the months and years to come.

If you’re not using these tools today, then you will run the risk of being left-behind by your competitors.

There’s no excuse to not start scaling up your Facebook advertising.