Play #1: The Sly-Sell

You know when you would look through your favorite magazine and you’d see an
editorial spread of the “Top 10 Must-Haves For Spring,” or something like that? Well,
chances are, those “must-haves” paid to be included in that list. Yep, I’m talking
about what we used to call “ad-vertorials.”

So how does this work in Facebook advertising?

Simple. In order to properly sell a service, you need to sell the idea first. So this play
involves creating a simple article that’s built to capture your ideal clients’ attention in
the newsfeed. They click through to your “article” that first educates them on what’s
possible before seamlessly transitioning to a pitch for your specific service.

The Offer: A helpful article (that just so happens to sell your service). Don’t forget to
end the article with an obvious call-to-action so they can get started.

The Ad: Pay close attention to the title for this one. Go to Buzzfeed for title and
description inspiration. The image should ideally show happy people who are
already enjoying the positive outcome. When all’s said and done, this “ad” shouldn’t
feel like an ad at all, but rather a great shareable piece of content.

The Objective: Conversions (If you can get 50+ per week. If your budget doesn’t allow
for this, scale it back to a Traffic/Landing Page views objective.)
When to Use It:
● If your service needs a bit of an introduction or explanation to really make
people interested in it
● If your niche is one that people are actually interested in reading more about
(health & beauty, making money, their home, their kids, etc)

Examples:
Play #2: The List-Builder
Possibly the best use for Facebook ads is to build your email list of future clients.
That’s why I love this ad play so much.

The Offer: A helpful, actionable piece of content they need to sign up for with their
first name and email address. (A lead magnet)

There are countless lead magnet types, including but not limited to:
● Checklists
● Resource Guides
● Swipe Files
● Webinars
● 3-Part Video Series
● Audio Trainings
● 5, 7, or 10 Day Challenges
● Quizzes

Just choose one that makes the most sense for your clients, and remember: Make it
about the transformation, not simply information. In other words, your lead magnet
needs to promise and be capable of delivering a result or an outcome. And the title
should reflect that.

The Ad: The title, primary text and the text you use on the image should work together
to show the result you’re promising. Make your image as eye-catching as possible,
and test different versions (some with happy people enjoying the end result, some
showing related objects, etc)
The Objective: Conversions

When to Use It:

● If your clients are hungry for a quick win that’s closely related to what you can
offer them at a higher level (reduce back pain, get a bigger tax refund, etc)
● If you want to build your email list, and will actually follow up and market to
that list with additional weekly, helpful content. (It’s the secret sauce that
makes this tactic work so well!)

Examples:
Play #3: The Offer They Can’t Refuse
While I don’t generally recommend using Facebook ads to go directly for a sale, it
can work under the right circumstances. It’s not good enough to simply run an ad
letting people know you’re there. You want to advertise a specific offer, discount or —
yes — even a freebie.

The Offer: You’ll want to think of something you’re comfortable giving away,
preferably for free just to get a new client in the door.

Some ideas would include:

● A free strategy call (above and beyond just a sales call)
● A free add-on service
● A free trial period

Alternatively, if free isn’t an option, think of a compelling discount you could offer, and
advertise that instead.

It’s also generally a good idea to convey some sense of urgency, letting them know
this is a limited time offer.

The Ad: Use a bold, eye-catching image or video, and use the headline to clearly
state the offer, and that it’s going away soon.

The Objective: Will depend on your specific offer. If it’s trackable on your website
(they can book a call, etc) then try a conversions objective if you can get 50+
conversions per week. If not, go for Traffic/Landing page views.

When to Use It:

● If you have a truly compelling offer, discount or freebie
● This works particularly well if you’re a local business
Examples:

👆 This ad uses video, which is also

worth testing!