5 game-changing tips to transform your Meta ads into profit-powerhouses

A good Facebook ad features your brand logo, a compelling offer, and a nice image. Combining it with the power of the algorithms and a goal-focused media setup will drive results, for sure.

However, if you employ an elevated strategy and make 5 simple adjustments, you can transform your “good Facebook ads strategy” into an army of impactful creatives.

Here’s how you can deploy precision tools to drive efficiency, reach, and effectiveness far beyond your expectations within your Meta marketing campaigns.

The world is drowning in advertising; you can’t open your Facebook feed, Instagram stories, or even Messenger at peace without being bombarded by ads. The competition is fierce, with every advertiser striving to carve out their own slice of the digital space, capture your attention, and maximise their results. Honestly, it’s exhausting.

Now, take a moment to reflect on the past 24 hours of your life.

How many specific online ads do you actually remember seeing? If you’re like most people, probably not that many. Studies show that 76% of people don’t recall the digital ads they’ve encountered.

Given this, it’s crucial that your creative stands out in the space you’re targeting. To drive action, you need to be remembered and noticed —and for that, you need a true thumb-stopper of an ad.

#1. Purpose-driven ads: crafting creatives to match your goals

Imagine enrolling in a local forest rally competition (very Scandi, I know), but instead of using a vehicle with dirt-road tyres and an engine designed specifically for the sport, you choose to enter with your Volkswagen Beetle.

And you’re also not entirely sure where the finish line is.

While you might have a lot of fun and eventually find your way past the checkered flag, it’s unlikely you’ll be the fastest or the most furious among the professionals with their perfectly optimised vehicles and goal-oriented mindsets.

The same approach applies in the world of creatives. Your ads must be tailored to the right goals. Awareness creatives should introduce your brand to target audiences and leave a lasting impression. Engagement ads need to be designed for interaction; use informational or curiosity-evoking text, ask questions, and design layouts that encourage platform engagement, such as polls and questions.

Finally, if your goal is to drive sales, ensure your creative focuses visually on the product or service and provides a compelling reason for audiences to choose you over competitors. Use goal-tailored messaging, choose the right type of visuals supporting your storytelling, and align your in-ad CTA with the right action (yes, it is needed!).

Always take a step back, and connect the dots between your creative, media KPIs, and business objectives. Ask yourself: Is this ad relevant to my customers? Will it encourage and inspire them to take the action that supports my strategy?

#2. People trust people; the power of UGC & trends

Imagine you’re travelling to a new city and looking for a place to eat. What would weigh most on your decision: user reviews from fellow travellers (meaning photos and recommendations from real people), or fancy polished ads published by the restaurant itself?

Chances are, it’s the user-generated content (UGC) and reviews swaying you in the right direction. That’s the power of UGC — authentic, relatable, and trusted by consumers alike.

How can you use it?

• Scout out relevant and brand-aligned influencers to convey your brand message across the Meta platforms.
• Once you’ve found the right one, ensure your brief is closely tied to your strategy, and that your UGC content carries the right messaging to resonate with your audience.
• Remember to leave room for creative freedom in your briefs.
• Social media trends are another powerful way to drive impact: TikTok trends, in particular, are quick to come and go, making it a great source of inspiration. These same trends often arrive on Reels with a slight delay, where they tend to have a longer lifespan.

If you’ve ever been on social media for more than 5 minutes (which, if you’re reading this, I’m sure you have), then you’ll have noticed that, together with trends, UGC is the heartbeat of what drives engagement.

Authentic user reviews significantly boost trust. People trust people, not just brands alone. This is why incorporating UGC, reviews, and social media trends into your Meta marketing creative strategy is not just beneficial but essential.

Read more about how to use UGC in your marketing strategy.

#3. Context in your ads is the king, the queen, and the whole court.

Why do some ads stick in our minds while others fade away?

The answer lies in something as old as humanity itself: storytelling. Since the dawn of time, people have been captivated by stories—whether through movies, books, cave paintings, bedtime tales, or campfire legends. This love for stories is just as powerful in today’s Meta creatives.

The “good old rule of max 20% text” is now ancient history. Social media, platform algorithms, and audience behaviour are changing constantly, and your ads must evolve with them. Social media feeds, especially on Instagram, are filled with beautiful imagery, so I understand the appeal of relying solely on the power of image in your advertising.

However, without added context, the message of your ad falls flat, fails to stand out, and ultimately won’t drive optimal results.

You likely know your own brand inside out, but remember that no one else in the world shares your in-depth understanding of the greatness, of the exceptional service you provide, or of the life-changing qualities your product offers.

It’s your creative’s job to convey that message with enough clear context leaving nothing as a mystery to be solved. Tailor your communication to address barriers, and highlight benefits, ensuring it resonates with your core audiences.

#4. Length matters: the shorter the better

Would you become rich by opening an ice cream store selling only vanilla, the world’s most popular ice cream flavour? With great quality ice cream, you might attract a loyal clientèle of locals.

But what if someone opened a store right next to you, offering the same quality but with a wider range of exciting flavours? You would likely struggle because while many people appreciate the simplicity of vanilla, even more, have their own unique preferences and crave different kinds of excitement.

Similarly, in the world of Meta, your business won’t reach its full potential by relying solely on the classic and relatively easy-to-create static image ads, as people have different preferences when it comes to consuming social media.

To truly stand out amidst the fierce variety of content, you need to:

• Use all available ad formats to appeal to different personas and preferences.
• Experiment with different themed carousels (remember Storytelling from point 3?)
• Build custom instant experiences with audience-tailored collection ads and…
• Embrace the power of video.

With the rise of TikTok and other short, snappy audio-visual platforms, video has become the new star. According to Meta, around 50% of time on the platforms is spent watching videos. In Meta platforms, you have a fraction of a second to capture the attention of your audiences, so starting your content with a strong hook is a key element to success.

Equally important is to keep your videos as brief and precise as possible. Attention spans are short, and people aren’t on these platforms to watch ads—so you need to deliver your message quickly and effectively. A good rule of thumb is to keep videos under 15 seconds to ensure they can also be displayed in Stories without relying on viewers to actively choose to finish them.

#5. Test, tweak, triumph: the essential role of creative testing

In this scenario, you’re a rocket scientist about to launch the pinnacle of your work—a rocket into space. You wouldn’t hit the launch button without months of meticulous preparation and rigorous testing to ensure everything works perfectly, right? Doing anything else would be risky, and unpredictable, and could lead to failure—and a huge loss of investment (and a waste of everyone’s time).

The same principle applies to your Meta campaigns. Creative testing is the groundwork that ensures your ads are not just visually appealing but also effective in driving results. Without a solid creative testing framework, you’re essentially flying blind, hoping that your creative will resonate with your audience. In today’s competitive landscape, testing isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity for maximising your campaign’s performance.

• Start by building a bank of ideas, and prioritise different tests based on your goals, assumed workload, and expected impact.
• Consider testing various CTAs (call-to-actions), USPs (unique selling points), concepts, tonalities, personalisations, and more.
• Also, remember to apply all the learnings to your ongoing creative workflows, ensuring your Meta ads deliver optimal results and help you reach your goals.

Checklist (for the busy pros)

• Tailor your creative to the right goal: align your ads from visuals to messaging to your media setup, main KPIs, and business goals.
• Integrate UGC, reviews, and trends as a part of your Meta ads strategy; people will help you build trust within your audiences
• Don’t be afraid to add text to your ads; context and storytelling are powerful tools for standing out and staying top of mind. Tailor your messaging to your customers.
• Embrace all ad formats available on Meta and pay special attention to videos. Keep them brief and on-point to fit the short-attention-span behaviour.
• Don’t assume, test it! Testing can over time save you money and help you drive performance with optimal creative strategy.