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The #1 Best Facebook Ads Guide: Marketing Objectives

One of the biggest mistakes advertisers can make with Facebook ads is selecting a marketing objective that doesn't align with your goals, which puts your...
Introduction

Facebook Ads Marketing Objectives Guide


This post will give an overview of all the Facebook marketing objectives and the different goal(s)  that each is optimized for. We hope this guide will lead you to victory and help you make the most of your advertising budget!

Without further ado, let's get started.

Facebook Ads Marketing Objectives Overview

One of the biggest mistakes advertisers can make with Facebook ads is selecting a marketing objective that doesn't align with your goals, which puts your efforts at a disadvantage before starting your campaign(s)! You can read a brief summary of the marketing objectives on Facebook by clicking here, but we provide more details to help you choose the right objective effectively.

Suppose you've ever attempted to create a Facebook ad. In that case, you may have noticed that the platform's marketing objectives are broken down into 3 different categories of the buyer's journey: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion.

The marketing objective you select feeds information to Facebook about your campaign goals and desired action from consumers. Based on your selection, Facebook will show your ad(s) to your target audience or, at least, those most likely to take action.

This blog will discuss each category and its objectives. Let's start with the first category.

Facebook Ads Marketing Objective  Category #1: Awareness

The Awareness objectives are best used for people at the top of your sales funnel, users who are beginning to research a product or service. In other words, this category is designed to get your ads in front of the largest number of people in your target audience to build people's interest in your business, product, and/or service. The marketing objectives in this category are optimized for impressions, so don't expect clicks or engagement to be high.

If your goal is to drive traffic or make sales, don't choose any objectives in the Awareness category! Now, let's discuss when you WOULD want to select one of the following two objectives!

  1. Brand Awareness
  2. The Brand Awareness objective is excellent for introducing your brand to new audiences and helping you establish brand familiarity. When you select this option, Facebook will display your ad(s) to those in your target audience who are more likely to recall the ads. An important metric to pay attention to is the Estimated Ad Recall Lift metric.  
  3. In short, choose this marketing objective to keep consumers aware of your brand. Use this opportunity to emphasize what makes your brand unique from competitors. This will definitely help your recall rate!
  4. Reach
  5. Although similar to Brand Awareness, the Reach objective is an excellent option if your goal is to get your ad in front of as many people as possible; in other words, you're not expecting immediate action from viewers. We recommend using this ad if you only try to reach people near your business location. If you are trying to reach the maximum number of people within your budget, this objective is also for you!

  1. Here is an example. Let's say you own a cupcake store and decide to have a local sale. You would select this objective to get the information out to as many people in the area as possible, hoping they would go to your store. However, if your goal is to get them to interact with your website first as a requirement, this wouldn't be a suitable option.  

Facebook Ads Marketing Objective Category #2:  Consideration

The Consideration category consists of 6 marketing objectives- Traffic, Engagement, Video Views, Lead Generation, Messages, and App Installs. As you can probably guess, most of these marketing objectives encourage the audience to interact and engage with your brand.

You would mostly be interested in metrics optimized for specific actions such as link clicks, likes, comments, etc. Leads generated from these objectives are generally low-quality. So, skip to the Conversion section if your goal is to drive sales.

You should consider an objective from this category if you're trying to reach consumers in the middle of your sales funnel, meaning those already interested in your brand and/or product(s).

  1. Traffic
  2. As you can tell from the name, this objective should be selected if your goal is to drive traffic to your website. If you choose this objective, you can choose to optimize by either link clicks or landing page views. Facebook will show your ads to those in your target audience who are most likely to engage based on their previous activities and behaviors.
  3. You will want to choose this marketing objective if your goal is to grow the number of people visiting your website, brand, etc. Though your goal isn't to convert, you're still betting that it'll increase visitors' likelihood of taking some valuable actions while there.
  4. Engagement
  5. Select the Engagement objective if your primary goal is to have viewers engage with your ads in the form of likes, reactions, comments, shares, etc. You can also choose to optimize for event responses or offer claims. Facebook will then show these ads to those most likely to engage, mainly determined by each audience member's past activities.
  6. When setting up an ad with the Engagement objective, you will notice that there are 3 different types you can choose from:
  7. Post Engagement
  8. This is the type of ad you run if you care about engagements in the form of likes, comments, shares, etc. It's a strategy to help you build social proof on a post or ad. However, selecting this doesn't mean you will automatically see results. The ad itself should also encourage audience members to engage. Give them a reason to interact!
  9. Page Likes
  10. Select this objective if your primary goal is to grow your Facebook page followers.
  11. Event Responses
  12. Event Responses are a unique way to promote your Facebook event to increase attendance and get people to respond. Keep in mind that leads generated from this ad are generally low-quality. Having 1000 people click "Going" doesn't guarantee they'll appear. This marketing objective is more for those satisfied with low-intent actions -such as likes, comments, shares, etc.-  than conversions.
  13. So, if your goal is to have people purchase tickets or show up for an event, we recommend checking out the Conversion category.  
  14. Video Views
Facebook Marketing Objective: Video Views

  1. Video ads are one of the most powerful and engaging ways to communicate your brand story or showcase your product/service. When you select the Video View objective, Facebook will prioritize getting your ad(s) in front of as many people as possible. While creating your video ad, you'll notice you have 2 optimization options: 2 Second Continuous Video Views and Thruplay.
  2. Once you've selected one, Facebook will show your videos to those most likely interested in them!
  3. Video Views campaigns can help you build trust and awareness on the platform. The best way to take advantage of video ads is to ensure you have great content. Still, there's one awesome feature of the Video View objective that every advertiser should utilize.
  4. You can retarget audience members based on the time people spent on your video, potentially taking them further down your sales funnel! So, capture your audience's attention within the first few seconds!
  5. You should choose this marketing objective if the goal is to have people engage with your brand without taking any high-intent actions such as conversions. For example, select this objective if you have an introductory video that you want people to see!
  6. Lead Generation

    The Lead Generation objective is a great way to acquire high-quality potential leads by allowing users to remain on the Facebook platform while submitting their personal information in exchange for an offer such as a newsletter or discount.
  7. The ability to stay on the platform is a massive advantage since it offers seamless UX and can increase the probability of conversion; Facebook can even help users auto-fill these forms by using details from the user's account!

  1. Choose this marketing objective if you want to collect high-quality leads by enticing viewers with offers. Choose this objective if your website isn't optimized for mobile devices or doesn't have a sign-up form! Check out our
    Lead Generation blog for more information and tips on Facebook Lead Ads!
  2. Messages
  3. The Messages objective is an effective way to connect with users personally to have a conversation via the Messenger app, allowing you to leverage the interaction as an opportunity to offer customer support, build rapport, etc. Keep in mind that someone can contact you at any time. So, it's essential to have someone on your side monitoring your inbox and responding to any incoming messages promptly.

  1. The Messages objective is a good choice if you want to encourage users to contact you directly to converse through Messengers. This goal is to make your brand and/or business approachable and personable.
  2. App Installs
  3. As suggested by its name, if your goal is to drive more app installs by linking directly to the App Store or Google Play store, the App Installs objective is a perfect choice. Once selected, Facebook will show your ad(s) to audience members who will most likely install an app.

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Facebook Ads Marketing Objective #3: Conversions

Suppose your primary goal is to optimize for specific high-level actions, such as encouraging interested audience members to buy or use your product or service. In that case, the Conversion category is definitely where you should be looking!

There are 3 different objectives in this category: Conversions, Catalog Sales, and Store Traffic. Conversion objectives are great for targeting those near the bottom of your sales funnel, people who just need a little push before converting.

You should remember that selecting an objective often leads to increased costs for link clicks, engagements, etc., compared to the other objectives. However, this isn't always the case since your ads will only be shown to those most likely to convert!

  1. Conversions
  2. This objective is excellent if your goal is to encourage people to take high-level actions on your website or app; these ads are most successful when targeted at those already familiar with your brand. To use this objective, you'll first need to download the Facebook Pixel for your site; a pixel is a code for your site that tracks the actions taken by a user.
  3. So with each conversion, Facebook gets "smarter" by learning who and how to target for maximum efficiency. If you're reading this after the Apple iOS 14 update, we recommend reading our Stiddle blog and this Facebook article for additional information and steps.

  1. Select the Conversions objective if your primary intention is to drive traffic to your site or app for conversion actions such as conducting sales or collecting leads.
  2. Catalog Sales
  3. If you would like to showcase some or all of your products on the Facebook platform, the Catalog Sales objective is the one to select. With the help of Dynamic Ads and machine learning, Facebook will automatically deliver a personalized experience to users based on their behavior and interests.
  4. Not to mention, you can even retarget consumers with specific products based on their past browsing experience! Dynamic Ads are focused on showcasing your products and attracting those to convert.
  5. Please note that you will need to upload your catalog. Check out this Facebook link to learn how to add and update catalog items with a pixel.

  1. For example, you might choose this objective to show potential prospects certain items from a large selection of products. We recommend reading this Facebook post to understand how Apple's recent updates have impacted Dynamic Ads.  
  2. Store Traffic
  3. If you have multiple physical stores and want to drive foot traffic, the Store Traffic objective is the perfect selection. Consider using the Reach objective if you have only one location. Before selecting this objective, make sure to input your store locations on Facebook.
  4. It's important to understand that these ads target based on location and nothing else; therefore, you ensure that all of your locations are entered correctly. Facebook will then target people within a specific radius.
  5. Another important note is that consumers must enable their location services to receive the ad.

Conclusion

Now that you have a general understanding of each Facebook marketing objective, you should be able to select the right one to get the results you want! The most critical points from this article are how Facebook delivers the ads and to whom.

Remember, each marketing objective is designed to work better at certain sales funnel stages. Finding the right objective may require trial-and-error, but the results will come rolling in once you've found the right one! Make sure you start with the one that aligns closest to your final goal.

For more helpful blogs like this, please visit our blog page at Stiddle.com.

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