The Facebook Roundup: Volume 1

Those that land in our “good” selection are ones which really bring forth best practices, creativity, and effectiveness. The “bad” are ones that had a possibility at potential but weren’t exactly making the cut. For the “worst”, and we mean no hard feelings to those at the bottom of the list, is that special feeling you get when your stomach doesn’t settle (that sudden lump in the back of your throat).

I’ve gone ahead and marked off the various areas worth noting and will explain a bit of why or why not they are good for the ad.

So let’s begin with Volume 1.

The Good

The ad that made it into our “Good” criteria is by Loot Crate.

There are eight specific items that make this ad stand-out when scrolling through your feed:

1. It immediately identifies its brand (Loot Crate)
2. It explains what it is (subscription box)
3. It gives a coupon and explains how much they will save (10%)
4. The image is very eye-catching and is titled and aimed at geeks and gamers (targeted)
5. It explains the price and value
6. It includes the web url
7. It encourages you to learn more (rather than being forceful)
8. It has a great amount of social engagement

These type of subscription services have been popping up lately. Loot Crate has found its place in the geek/gamer niche. Everything about this ad is interesting and full of information.

The Bad

The ad that lands in our “Bad” criteria is AmeriCommerce Shopping Cart Software.

Though not the best and not the worst there are a few things worth nit-picking:

1. Reputation is great and all but why would an average person (or small business owner) truly need to know about your placement in the Inc. 5000 Magazine (right away in the copy, too)
2. Sell Stuff! (a little too dramatic)
3. The image could have been higher resolution
4. Again with the exclamation points (we get it)
5. Perhaps this would have been a good time to explain things in better detail
6. Not a lot of social interaction (which makes you think they’re not as reputable)

Ecommerce is a hard fit, though, and you have to hand it to them that they’re at least trying. The people that are most likely receiving this are entrepreneurs and small business owners but these two types of people most likely already have their sights set on ecommerce platforms that have higher reputation.

The HOLY $%17! WHAT IS THAT?

…and then we have this turd.

There’s a whole lot wrong going on with this offer (though I’m lumping this into ad because it’s so bad):

1. Who is this “laughter club” organization?
2. That link totally looks legit… right?
3. The new? iPhone 5S? (But the 6 and 6+ are the new ones)
4. I’m having a hard time there have been this many legitimate claims (bots may have added some for padding giving the illusion that it’s legit)
5. I’m going to say bots probably boosted the likes on this too

Doing promotions with iPhones, iPads, and all other gadgets don’t really work that well anymore. All you end up doing is attracting freebie hunters that have little care for your brand. This offer/ad looks like one big shill to get people to possibly install malware (I sure as hell not going to click that link).

Conclusion

So what can we learn from all this?

A. Understand your brand, its tone, and demographics

B. Use interesting (and high-quality) images in your advertising

C. Talk to the person instead of touting your reputation (let them decide)

D. Don’t dodge the questions and just out-right say what they’re getting (or saving)

E. Build momentum and make sure to gain social engagement

Hope you got a kick out of this FB Ad roundup. There will be more to come!