Facebook is changing. The emergence and rapid growth of TikTok and the disappearance of 3rd party data calls for a shift in marketing strategy.
The CEO of BlitzMetrics, Dennis Yu, argues that there’s no better time to run Facebook ads than now. It’s just about putting out the right content. As an internationally recognised lecturer in digital marketing with over 20 years of web analytics experience, Dennis knows ecommerce, and he knows how to teach it.
We’re very excited to welcome Dennis to the Ecom Show for a deep dive into Facebook Video Ads and what makes them successful. Dennis and our CEO and podcast host, Daniel Budai discuss:
✔️ Dennis’s Unusual Introduction to Ecommerce
✔️ The Rise of TikTok and Why it Matters to Ecommerce
✔️ How to Advertise Successfully on Facebook
✔️ The Importance of Storytelling to Customer Acquisition and Retention
Dennis describes himself as a “maths person”. Web analytics have been an integral part of Dennis’s career development. Over 20 years ago, Dennis built Yahoo’s internal analytics.
“Behind business, success, and the algorithm, there’s always maths to figure out what’s going on.”
And in an ecommerce world of marketing, sales, and business people, Dennis brought a different perspective to the table. Dennis works to bring the connection between maths and human psychology to the heart of marketing.
So why has TikTok seen such a rapid rise of popularity over the last few years? Short answer - its highly sophisticated algorithm.
Dennis says that while TikTok engineers won’t reveal their algorithm, it’s clear that they’re willing to collect a lot more data based on user activity, including image recognition. Dennis recalls a TikTok made at YouTuber Jake Paul’s house. TikTok recognised Paul’s house and showed the video to his fans. Facebook and Instagram, Dennis points out, are not going to get to that level of image recognition anytime soon.
Beyond this, TikTok recognises when a user watches a video multiple times, collecting data even on where they stop watching their current video and return to previously viewed content.
TikTok has incredible potential for ecommerce owners. The traffic is cheap and conversion is great if you have the right kind of content. TikTok adverts are all about entertainment and personality based selling.
Facebook is one of many social media channels, including not only TikTok, but also Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. If we’re talking about video ads, ecommerce owners also have YouTube to contend with.
Facebook is the number 1 online platform for generating sales. Advertising on Facebook is simply a different ballpark to what it used to be. Brands can no longer rely on 3rd party data, so their video content has to be primed for conversion.
And Dennis’s number one piece of advice? Collect customer stories.
“Customers write the best copy.”
Your number one job with Facebook ads is to collect user-generated content (UGC) and fine tune it into an ad.
Dennis cannot emphasise enough the power of customer storytelling. To put it simply, a good Facebook ad is a video featuring your customers. It isn’t a testimonial, it’s a story about how they feel about your product. People convert because of the why.
When reaching out to your customers, ask their story via video. Find out what inspired them to buy and how your product made them feel.
Dennis maintains that if you’re the face of the company that you need to personally collect UGC from your best customers. In a video interview you build rapport, create more energy, and have the freedom for follow-up questions.
If you have thousands and thousands of customers, it is not, of course, possible to get on the phone with every single one, but you can do it with a few hundred and have virtual assistants help you out with the rest.
Consider sending your customers fun gifts with hand written notes. This will encourage them to create their own content and engage with their brand. It’s simply a case of being receptive and fine-tuning their content.
TL;DR - The best Facebook ad is a customer story. Collect as much UGC as you can.
For all things branding, scaling, and digital marketing, follow Dennis on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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