The Facebook Roundup: Volume 18

As per usual…

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 and potential to be good but weren’t exactly making the cut. For the “worst”, and we mean no hard feelings to those at the bottom of the list, it’s that special feeling you get when your stomach doesn’t settle (like a sudden lump in the back of your throat from being uncomfortable).

So let’s begin with Volume 18.

The Good

Simplicity is put to good work for this sponsored post by Publix.

What makes it good?

• The imagine immediately pops out at you and the fact that it’s a cartoon style gives it a very calm feel; the heart shape along with the Publix logo says exactly what it’s trying to convey “love”.
• The “shopping and savings are just the beginning” piques your interest enough because you wonder “well, what else is there?” so naturally you look at the rest.
• Ah, that’s what it is – you sign up for an account, there are all the benefits, it has a sign up button making it perfectly clear, and there is plenty of engagement meaning it must be pretty decent.

The ad does what it needs to do with very little words. The picture isn’t anything amazing but it’s enough to put you into that feeling of value and care from the brand. It interests you to read into the details and backs up what it offers without wasting your time.

The (Not Really) Bad

It was so close but rounding the middle is Sellbrite.

What makes this bad (but not really?)

• The pitch is perfect if you’re the right, targeted audience – listing products on multiple platforms on one platform is a very valuable service.
• The imagine is a little busy but it does show off the popular ecommerce brands you’re going to be working with though the star ratings seem to be out of place (is this a five star product or are they just using it to fill a bit of space?).
• The part that kills it is everything after because it could have done so much more than just saying “Try it FREE!” and it also cuts off (“Simple listing and…”) which doesn’t have enough interest or information to fill in the rest.

In any other situation this would have been an amazing ad piece because if you are the targeted audience it really speaks to you (the value is immediate). However, because of a few shortfalls on how it’s laid out and some odd decisions on the copy it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Maybe next time.

The Wordy

Coming in at the bottom is Import Empire.

What has this feeling lackluster?

• It’s simply too wordy for a sponsored post; we get that it’s pitching a webinar to fill you in on the topics but that’s also the problem… there are so many topics it plans to cover that it already feels overwhelming to even bother with.
• Let’s be real – the image is too far out of the league of 99% of those that are just learning about these topics; it’s to present an image but it’s not grounded in reality so it comes across as flaky.
• Again with not making the most of the pitch since it’s being cut off. Oh well.

This is certainly interesting information that the ad is trying to push and truthfully there’s enough interest to check it out but since it’s so wordy, trying to cover so many topics, and just has this stereotypical “success” image it becomes very passable.

Conclusion

What did we learn this week?

A. If you can say your point in fewer words then do it.

B. Don’t let your images get too busy just to add some brand association.

C. Keep your copy short and topic in focus (that’s why you’d split test so you’re not trying to pitch the entire store in one go).

Seen any good, bad, or down-right ugly ads this week? Have thoughts about these ones? Share your experiences with FB ads and sponsored posts with a comment below.