What’s going on, Sumo-lings?
Nick here from the AppSumo marketing team.
Insider secret: a biiig part of AppSumo’s growth strategy involves Facebook ads.
And considering all the changes happening around the world right now, you can imagine
we’ve had to make a few adjustments to our strategy.
There’s been a lot of talk about how much businesses are pulling back on spending, and
marketing and growth budgets have seen necessary cuts across a number of industries.
But with crisis comes opportunity, and one of those opportunities is Facebook.
With so many advertisers reigning in spending on new growth and everyone staying at home
scrolling through social media, there’s a very unique climate for Facebook advertising.
I’m talking: Facebook traffic and messaging are up 50-70%, while CPMs are plummeting - we’re
seeing an almost 200% decrease in the cost of buying Facebook ads.
Plus, with a greater variety of people flocking to the platform to engage with their loved
ones, there’s potential to expand and evolve your audience.
So yeah, you can say we’ve learned a lot over the last couple of months, and I want
to share 6 key lessons and takeaways to scale Facebook Ads in these changing times.
First: testing is key.
You really don’t know what kind of messaging or creative will resonate with Facebook audiences
right now.
In the past 4 weeks, we’ve tested over 100 different copy and creative variations, and
we’ve learned a few do’s and dont’s in the process:
DON’T keep pushing the same general messaging you had before the crisis.
You’ll want to change up your copy to highlight a more relevant value to the customer.
DO strike a balance between your existing tone and acknowledging current events.
For instance, we made sure to maintain our brand’s lighthearted, humorous tone while
still appealing to common emotions.
DO take advantage of the power of helpful freebies.
Who doesn’t love free stuff?
From webinars to freebies to blog posts, think of how you can attract new customers with
free content that actually helps, instead of just telling them to buy your product.
*cough* this video *cough*
This moment is all about lead gen: just because your business is taking a downturn in sales,
doesn’t mean you have to stop acquiring new customers!
Adapt your messaging to provide value to prospective customers during these trying times.
DO emphasize potential savings.
At AppSumo, we focus on how our product can cut subscription costs and highlight the savings
prospective customers can get.
It’s *super* effective during a time when people are cutting their non-essential spend.
Alright, the next thing we’ve learned is that we’re transitioning from mobile back
to desktop.
With people no longer commuting or leaving their homes in general, social media usage
on computers has skyrocketed.
So, what does that mean for advertisers?
It’s easier to buy things on your laptop than your phone!
You’re also more likely to sign up for a newsletter, download a whitepaper, or actually
make a purchase when you can easily read up on the product and company.
This segues into the third lesson we’ve learned: Ecommerce spending is up.
Retail therapy has been a big part of how many cope - myself included.
If you didn’t sell your product or service online before, now is your moment.
Lesson #4: Reinvest in videos.
Ok, fine - Video ads may already be your best-performing ad format, but they work *exceptionally* well
now.
Over the past month, we have doubled down on our video content, and video after video,
performance only gets better.
Check out this stat: Pre-corona world, audiences watched 85% of videos on Facebook without
sound.
It makes sense - when you’re at work or in a public setting, you don’t want other
people eavesdropping on your video.
Now we’re all at home - and we’re listening to the content we watch!
Lesson #5: Geos matter.
Different countries - and even States - are affected by the crisis in different ways.
Some are practicing social distancing while others are trying herd immunity.
As you might expect, this affects how people are using the internet.
This means you need to make sure to look at ALL your potential geos and test targeting
in a variety of ways.
And drum-roll please: It’s lesson #6 - Don’t ignore Messenger ads.
Usage is up 50% on Facebook Messenger, so now is the time to give messenger ads a try.
Think about it as a supplement to your email list… except this audience has an 80% open
rate.
Alright, Sumo-lings, before we part, here’s one more massive reminder that you probbbaably
don’t need, but I’d be remiss not to mention: Be authentic with your marketing!
Don’t put out half-assed empathy that feels disconnected from your product.
Be human.
Think about how your business can be helpful right now.
It goes without saying that this is a very stressful time for most of us - how can you
relieve some of that stress?
And stay aggressive - this paid media is cheap right now, so take advantage.
There are hidden opportunities and silver linings to every crisis - maybe Facebook ads
is yours.