Remember when Facebook started feeding you ads about things on your to-buy wishlist?
At first, we thought this was cool, but quickly our feeds became swamped with ads for similar versions of the same thing.
Unfortunately, the end result of this targeted advertising approach – and ad-heavy feeds – has led to what the big kids have coined Facebook Ad Fatigue.
People are tired of being bombarded with ad after ad and have switched off. Unfortunately, for business pages like yours, this has made it harder to piqué the interest of your followers…
What's Facebook Ad Fatigue, Exactly?
The algorithm is designed to send new ads to users. To increase the chance of conversion, a user will see the same ad multiple times. However, there reaches a point when the user's responsiveness is maxed out and they are fatigued!
It doesn't matter if your ad campaign is the best in the biz! After a certain amount of views, your followers will switch off to it, and your return on ad spend will plummet!
To keep things fresh and your followers engaged, tweak and update your ads regularly.
4 Ways to Combat Ad Fatigue and Boost Conversions
Here are four proven strategies to ensure your Facebook marketing stays fresh and your followers stay engaged:
1. Refresh the Target Audience
Rethinking your ad strategy and refreshing your target audience is an excellent way to avoid your followers falling ill with ad fatigue.
How to do it:
- Go to the ad set level of the campaign
- Select Duplicate
- Adjust the preferences of your target audience
- Test new audiences with similar interests to expand your reach
Pro Tip: Refreshing the target audience – instead of creating a new ad targeting a new audience – keeps all the likes, shares and comments of the original ad in play. This provides powerful social proof that others have engaged. We – us human folk – are suckers for social proof.
2. Refresh the Offer
Refreshing the offer adds different layers of appeal. Where a 15% off deal might speak to one person, an offer of free shipping may speak to another. The good news is that you can refresh the offer at any time.
How to do it:
- Navigate to the ad level of the campaign
- Choose the ad you want to refresh and click Duplicate
- In the Duplicate window, change the offer
Examples of offers to test:
- Percentage discounts (10%, 15%, 20% off)
- Free shipping or delivery
- Buy one, get one offers
- Limited-time bonuses or add-ons
- Free trial or consultation
3. Refresh the Objectives
Your ad objectives must always align with your marketing objectives. This should be top of mind every time you set up an ad campaign and – more critically – when you refresh it.
How to do it:
- Go to the campaign level of the ad campaign you want to refresh
- Click Duplicate
- If this is a one-time change, make one copy of the ad
- Select your new objective from the menu
Common objective shifts:
- Awareness → Engagement
- Engagement → Conversions
- Traffic → Lead Generation
4. Refresh the Copy and Creative
This is perhaps the most critical refresh of the four. Spend time crafting some engaging content, something that will capture the scroller's attention and engage them with your ad, or better yet, convert!
A show-stopping statement, an intriguing image or an entertaining video are all great examples of content that will stop someone in rampant scroll mode.
How to do it:
- Create a duplicate of the ad you want to update
- Edit the format – switch between image, video or carousel ads
- Consider using a more creative call to action
- Test different headlines and body copy
- Update visuals with fresh images or video content
Content that stops the scroll:
- Attention-grabbing headlines
- High-quality, eye-catching visuals
- Short, engaging videos (under 15 seconds)
- User-generated content or testimonials
- Before/after transformations
If you don't have someone on your team that has a knack for creating quality content it may be worth outsourcing it to someone who does.
Keep Working on Your Ads — That's the Only Way to Long-Term Success
If you wish to strike gold then rolling out the same old ads time and time again is NOT going to reward you with any valuable nuggets!
Now more than ever, you should consider your campaign a moving feast. Facebook's world is fast-paced, and its users' expectations are high. What sells today can be seen as last week's leftovers tomorrow.
Stay ahead of the fatigue by:
- Analysing your campaign's performance regularly
- Refreshing before the algorithm flags it as an underperformer
- Testing new variations every 2-3 weeks
- Monitoring frequency metrics (aim to keep frequency under 3)
- Watching for declining CTR and rising CPMs as warning signs
Jump on all the tips outlined above, or call in a team of friendly experts like us! The Easy Social Media team are ready and willing to be at your service.
