Are Your Facebook Ads Not Working? (10 Reasons Why)

“Why are my Facebook ads not working?”

You ask in disbelief because you don’t see the results you’re expecting.

When people run Facebook ads, they expect their ads to work right away. It doesn’t really matter if it’s their first time.

And if they don’t work, panic sets in.

I get it about your Facebook ads not performing. I’ve been in your shoes multiple times.

The first time I created a Facebook ad, it wasn’t profitable at all!

But guess what?

Eventually, I got to a point where I spent one dollar and got two or three dollars back. That was the result of not giving up on Facebook ads.

Why Are Your Facebook Ads Not Working? Here Are 10 Reasons

After going through a lot of trial and error, I was able to identify top mistakes that make Facebook ads ineffective. Here are ten mistakes you should avoid:

1. Your offer is not compelling enough.

Of what use is your Facebook ad if the thing you’re promoting doesn’t appeal to your audience?

In this case, you have to go back and check if you’re selling the right product or service. Try to evaluate your offer from a customer’s point of view.

Ask these questions:

Does my offer solve a real problem experienced by my customer?
What does my product or service try to achieve?
Is there a need for my offer in today’s market?
How is my offer better than the competition?

In addition, you’ll need to have a comprehensive understanding of your ideal customer. Conduct market research in order for you to identify their wants and needs in the buying journey.

2. Too low profit margins

This means that your business isn’t profitable enough.

Take it from my wife’s experience:

A few years back, my wife was selling fresh coffee beans. Each bag originally cost about $8 or $9, and she sold it for $12. At the same time, she had to deal with shipment costs.

As you can tell, this made it difficult to spend money on Facebook advertising and profiting from it.

Whatever it is that you’re selling, make sure that it’s profitable.

Consider the shipping expenses, marketing expenses, and other expenses involved. Will your product last long? Is it in demand regardless of the time of the year?

3. Not understanding your target audience

This basically goes back to point number one in this article, which is your offer.

Again, to create a compelling offer, you need to understand your target market. Because the better you know your audience, the more focused your Facebook ads become.

One powerful strategy which I consistently use to gather insights is hosting webinars. I create a Facebook ad that drives people to my webinar.

And while I’m explaining my product in the webinar, people start asking me questions. Their questions allow me to identify their actual needs and problems.

If you’re not into webinars, use other techniques to learn more about your audience. Perhaps you need to look at your competitors. Run surveys. Listen to feedback from your current customers.

4. Failure to write compelling ads

Have you ever come across a Facebook ad and thought that it sucked? ?

Maybe you thought that ad was awful because it had terrible, salesy copy. You felt like it was just after your money.

People appreciate conversational copy. Write your ads as if you’re having a cozy chat with your audience – like two friends enjoying coffee!

Avoid using jargon words to promote understanding. Use more words that evoke the senses – sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell.

One great technique to use when writing Facebook ads is storytelling. Storytelling sparks your audience’s imagination so that they’re able to better connect with your message.

Here’s an example of how I do it. Before diving into the topic of my ad which was viral hacking, I briefly talked about Dolly the sheep.

In your ad, you can also tell a story about your ideal customer and a current problem he’s facing. This captures your audience’s interest and leaves them wanting more.

5. Failure to track results

Facebook ads not working can also result from failing to track their performance.

See, you can implement all the strategies we’ve tackled earlier. But without tracking your ads, there’s no way for you to know what works and what doesn’t.

You need to know which audience is working, which placements are performing best, your conversions, return on ad spend, and more.

To review your Facebook ad campaign performance, go to Ads Manager. In your Ads Manager, you’ll be able to view results by campaigns, ad sets, and ads.

You can also customize columns to see the metrics that matter most to you.

6. Failure to follow up with your audience

Reality: Most people won’t convert the first time they visit your website. Only a few do, especially those whose minds are already fixed on buying.

As a business owner, the last thing you should do is allow all your visitors to leave without doing anything.

In case you’re not aware, there is a way to bring back your visitors and increase their chances of converting. The solution? Retargeting.

Facebook retargeting offers many benefits, from increasing brand recognition to boosting your ROI. Retargeting shortens the sales cycle so that people can move from being strangers to loyal customers in less time.

Note: You need the Facebook pixel to retarget your previous website visitors with relevant ads. Go to Events Manager to start installing the pixel code.

On that note, I want to introduce a tool called ConnectRetarget.

ConnectRetarget enables you to retarget people based on precise actions on your website. For example, the exact amount of time they spend on your site, how far they scrolled through a landing page, and more.

(Learn more about ConnectRetarget!)

7. Giving up too early

Most people are guilty of this: They give up on Facebook ads right after their first ad failed to get conversions!

Let me tell you that it’s normal for your ads to not work on your first few attempts. Facebook ads can be complicated because there are many aspects to it – not to mention, technical aspects like targeting and bidding.

But here’s the thing: Like all marketing strategies, Facebook ads can be learned and mastered.

Watch this 5-minute video where I talk about my personal experience with Facebook ads (and the truth behind them)!

8. You’re not using video

Should you be running video ads on Facebook? Absolutely.

According to Facebook, there’s a video ad solution for you – regardless of your business niche, goal, and budget!

Video continues to grow in popularity along with the rise of social media. Video content engages your audience’s senses better, especially if it taps into their interests and desires. People easily remember what they watch.

You can use different types of video content for your ads. Examples are product demos, explainer videos, events, user testimonials, and expert interviews.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that all businesses that don’t use Facebook video ads will fail.

In fact, a business can be profitable with single-image ads!

What I’m trying to say is that if you’ve never used video, and you’re not satisfied with your current results, video could be the missing piece to your success with Facebook advertising.

9. Not split testing your ads

Are your Facebook ads not working because you’re not split testing?

Because the only way to truly know whether an ad is performing at its best is to test it alongside other variations.

Let’s recall what split testing is:

Split testing (aka A/B testing), is the process of testing different versions of the same ad to identify the best version. For example, testing two identical ads with only their audience changed.

Be sure to take advantage of Facebook’s split testing feature in Ads Manager. You can test different elements of your ad, such as the image, post text, placement, and more.

(Take note that you need to allocate a budget for your split test. If you’re not sure how much to allocate, you can use Facebook’s suggested budget.)

Watch: A/B Split Testing: 5 things that will make or break it

10. Your ads are low in quality

Unfortunately, some ads create negative experiences for people. Facebook identifies low-quality ads as those that:

Use clickbait content
Lead to landing pages that are irrelevant to the ad
Withhold information to lure people into clicking the ad
Use exaggerated ad copy that entices more clicks
Contain bad spelling and grammar

When you’re running Facebook ads, always use high-quality, relevant ad copy and landing pages. Avoid misleading content. Set the right expectations with your ad!

Check it out: Facebook’s guide on reducing low-quality ads

Final Thoughts

There you have it – a list of reasons why some Facebook ads don’t perform. By avoiding these ten mistakes, you’ll be able to save yourself from a lot of headaches… and money!

Last but not least, start taking advantage of Connectio’s tools to create highly effective Facebook ads. ??

Our tools will help you find a more targeted audience, turn your best organic posts into ads, retarget engaged audiences, and more!

Check out Connectio today.