Many marketers fail to follow basic Facebook best practices when choosing an ad photo that will correspond well with their ad. By not taking into account the importance of their Facebook ad photo, they're most likely missing out on tremendous opportunities and certainly driving away an audience that may otherwise be quite connected to their message.

Why a Facebook Ad Photo is Really Important

Here's something that you might not know and that you might not always learn in social media training: not following Facebook best practices on your ad photo can lower your click-through rate, increase your cost-per-click, and actually cost you more money! Regardless of how diligently you've worked to create a Facebook marketing campaign or how many campaigns you have going at any given time, you may not be getting anywhere without the right photo to accompany your message—and, in fact, you may be paying dearly for it.

Choosing the Right Facebook Ad Photo

Following Facebook best practices and choosing the right photo for your ad campaign isn't just about finding a photo that fits. It's about choosing a photo that catches the attention of the target audience and keeps that audience interested in your message. Here are some ideas that may help you select a photo for your campaign.

1. Use company or personal photos rather than stock photography. People are more attracted to pictures of actual employees rather than using a staged picture that can be purchased.  Whether it's a picture of a place where your company services that you have taken yourself, or a photo of your customers interacting with an employee, non-stock photos go a long way in achieving the desired effect.
2. Use photos of people who are smiling to attract your target audience, and choose the pictures strategically. For instance, if your campaign is geared toward males, use smiling female photos and vice versa. Smiling babies, celebrities and well-known people in your company are also great options to appeal to your audience.
3. Use your logo, of course. Your logo is the representation of your company, so you want to make sure that you have a great copy of your logo—one that is clear and legible. Creating a border around the image in a color that is visible enough to pop makes your logo stand out and your ad extremely visible.

Looking for more Facebook training to enhance your social media skills? Splash Media U can help! Take a look at our current offer—a 14-day free trial of social media training, including our proprietary social media marketing software, SplashCube.

[photo credit: San Diego Shooter via photo pin cc]