Why You Should Use Photo Ads For Your Business

So Video ads or Photo ads?

Video ads are amazing! They work great and you can showcase a lot of your product features. And as we already know, customers LOVE videos and basically our entire newsfeed on Facebook and instagram is dominated by videos. But let’s not forget that photo ads are still working(and working goood!). And on certain products, photo ads can bring much better results than video ads!

In this post, we’ll give you some important tips about photo ads and why you should use them for your business.

Why Should I Use Photo Ads For My Business?

Reason number 1 – Photo ads tend to be cheaper than video ads.

Unless you’re using professional photos that were taken in a photo studio for your product, photo ads will always be cheaper than video ads.

With video ads you basically have only 2 options. You either create one yourself or pay someone to make it for you… Most of the dropshippers we know have a limited skill set when it comes to creating video ads. They can do some basic editing on Camtasia or other video editing apps so when the time comes and they need a more professional looking video, they will have to open their wallets and say goodbye to Mr. Franklin(or a couple of them).

And there are also online services that offer their video creating services for a fair monthly fee which do deliver some good videos but sometimes it’s just not enough. And the options are quite limited so you almost always depend on the service to offer new templates.

Reason number 2 – Time.

It will take you much more time to create a video ad than a photo ad. This point is self explanatory so there’s really not much to talk about here. If you’re looking to run some quick tests on a certain product, photo ad is your best friend.

It shouldn’t take more than 2-5 minutes to create a reasonable quality photo ad and test whether your audience likes your product or not.

Reason number 3 – Why not offer something fresh?

When the whole newsfeed is dominated by video ads, Offer something fresh and show a photo or two of your newest product.

2-3+ years ago, almost every ad you saw on Facebook was an image. Banners, product photos, clickable photo ads and more… But then, Facebook decided to change it all and focus on videos and suggested we ran video ads. And today, almost all the ads we see are videos.

So this is why you should try and run some photo ads to show your audience something else and not only videos. There’s a big chance that they automatically scroll down whenever they see a video ad. So if you show them a photo ad, they might just stop by and engage with it.

Reason number 4 – It works!

There isn’t a product that we run ads to that we don’t test it out also with photo ads. Sometimes, we even begin with photo ads and later on try some videos too.

If you’re running a jewelry or a POD(Print on Demand) store, photo ads are a must! Even if you’re running a store with products that have a lot of features, photo ads can still work and do some magic for you. So no matter the product, make sure to test it out with photo ads!

 

Up next are the best ways to use photo ads.

 

Photo Ads Recommended Dimensions:

We recommend using a 1200×1650 or 1200×1200 photo ads. These are the official ad image sizes which are supported by Facebook.

While the 1200×1200 image size is probably the most popular option, we found out that 1200×1650 works much better. It simply gives our product more screen space and looks amazing on mobile phones.

And there’s no need in any special effects or backgrounds. A single product photo on a 1200×1650 canvas with a white background is enough to get you sales.

Clickable Photo Ads:

You can use both 1200×1200 or 1200×628 image sizes. We recommend using the 1200×1200 image size simply because it’s bigger and looks better both on mobile and desktop.

Make sure to always include a “Buy Now” button and a good promotional text. Don’t just write your product title. Instead, let them know about your “FREE SHIPPING” deal for the first 100 orders 😉

Retargeting Photo Ads:

When you’re running retargeting ads, it’s always nice to show the customer something new. He already clicked on your ad and visited your website, but something stopped him from purchasing your product. This is where retargeting ads kick in.

Instead of just showing him the same video he already saw(or a different video that basically still shows the same thing). It can be really helpful to show him some good quality photos of your product. So make sure to run some retargeting photo ads for your products.

Customer photos ads:

In my opinion, and it comes after a lot of money spent on ads, nothing beats a genuine photo taken by a customer.

A simple photo taken with their phone that shows the product in their hand is the best social proof you can get! If you have some customer photos and a permission to post it on your page and run ads to, you should definitely do that! And also don’t forget to use the customer photo as a retargeting ad.

And it’s also best to edit the original photo and change the size to 1200×1200 or 1200×1650 if possible. If not, then run it as it is.

How to get customer photos:

1. Wait for them to post it somewhere on your page. Some customers are kind enough to get back to your original post and leave a comment there with a photo of the product that they just received. If you see such comment, make sure to contact them and ask for permission to post it on your page and run ads to. It shouldn’t be a problem to get them to agree, but if you want to increase your chances, then you should offer a freebie for a permission to use their photo commercially.
2. You can always use shopify apps like Loox that sends automatic emails to your customers and asks for photo reviews. When a customer agrees and uploads his photo review, you can later post it on your facebook or instagram page and drive some traffic to it.
3. Send private messages asking your customers for some photos. If you see someone who left a comment that he just received his new product and he’s really happy, then don’t forget to send him a message asking for a photo. A simple photo taken with his phone.
4. Manually send emails to your customers asking for photo reviews. Just like loox but it won’t cost you anything to do that 🙂

Sometimes, the photo can include your customer’s face and he can be a bit embarassed and not give his agreement to post it on your page. So make sure to insist one more time and offer something in return. Customer photos are super important!

To Sum It Up:

Photo ads are powerful and sometimes can work a lot better than video ads. And you don’t have to be a Photoshop master to create stunning photo ads that will make your potential customer stop and click on it.

When everyone follows a certain trend, you should definitely check it out. But never forget the basics.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!