Nobody wants to waste money, especially when it comes to advertising. So when you review your Facebook Ads and realize you aren’t getting the results you hoped for, you may jump to thinking that these Facebook Ads for martial arts schools simply don’t work. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Basics of Facebook Ads for Martial Arts Schools
There are many reasons why your ad may not be working. Whether your ad isn’t properly optimized for the platform or it’s violating a Facebook ad policy, we created this Dos and Dont’s of Facebook Ads guide to help make sure that you aren’t overlooking the simple things that can drag your Facebook Ads down.
Choose Your Words Wisely
When it comes to creating ads, Facebook wants you to play nice and follow the rules. Facebook created a large list of rules your ad must follow. Incorporating content that does not comply with these rules can result in your ad not being approved.
One of the biggest rules you must follow is your ad must not target a person’s personal attributes. What are personal attributes? Content or messaging that targets a person’s name, age, race, religion, beliefs, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition (physical or mental health), financial status or membership in a trade union.
How does this affect your advertising? Let’s look at an example. You want to advertise a new class for teens. Your ad copy cannot say, “Mary, does your 13-year-old daughter need to learn self defense?” Instead, stick to simple text that still targets your age group but isn’t so specific. Try something more along the lines of, “Looking for a great self defense class for teens and young adults?.” It doesn’t call someone out specifically or mention what you know about them from your targeting, but it still targets your audience and speaks directly to them.
If you are found to violate this rule, you will get a notification saying your ad has failed and why. Try not to be a repeat offender because Facebook has been known to close ad accounts if you continually violate these guidelines.
Be a Good Member of the Facebook Community
Facebook created a list of community standards to help keep everyone on the same page as far as the rules for proper behavior, language, etc. Typically this isn’t something to worry about too much. However, if you want to make sure you are compliant you can read about their community standards here.
Tips for Creating Great Content
If you want your content seen, create something that is eye-catching and that speaks to your audience. There are over 200 million active users on Facebook in the US alone and you are competing for their attention. You aren’t just competing against other martial arts schools, you are competing against everybody else that is trying to get the attention of your potential students or the parents of your students.
How can your ad/content stand out? Your ads should be:
- Eye catching: Images and videos are given preference by Facebook’s algorithm. You do not need them to be Hollywood productions but you should make sure they are clear, easy to follow, and fun.
- Relevant: You want your content to tell a story about your business. Don’t go off on a tangent about all of these ideas you have. Keep it short and sweet. Ex: posting videos demonstrating skills learned in class are very popular. If you want to do a demo, don’t make it long where you lose your audience.
- Unique: Try to stick to using your own content and images. Once in a while for an ad it is okay to use a stock image. However, a photo you take of your own staff, students, school, or whatever else gives your content much more of a personal and unique touch.
Image Rules for Facebook Ads
When it comes to images and videos, there are a few rules for you to keep in mind. Besides making sure the content is compliant with all guidelines and community standards, you want to make sure you are following the “20% rule”.
This “rule” is not an official no-no with Facebook any more, but it is something you want to follow or else it could cost you more money and reach less people. Those are both bad when it comes to your advertising.
Facebook states that in order for your ad to run “effectively”, you cannot have more than 20% text in your ad image. Not sure what that means? You can check your images before using them in an ad with Facebook’s overlay tool. Upload your image and hopefully you will get a green checkmark. If not, then adjust any text that is on your ad accordingly.
IMPORTANT: All text counts. That includes the text you overlay on an image, any text that might be in a logo, or even in the background.
Videos Ads Have Rules Too
Video ads are much easier to create because you typically do not use a lot of text in your video. If you decide to add text, keep the following in mind.
- You cannot have more than 125 characters of text per frame
- Your video’s thumbnail (the image they see when the video isn’t playing) MUST follow the 20% rule
- Videos must be at least 1 second in length and cannot exceed 240 minutes
- Sound is not required but those videos with sound get better algorithm scoring.
Make Sure Your Content is Relevant
Does your content speak to your audience? Again, like with targeting, make sure what you post has a clear message that represents the topic you are speaking about. Don’t talk about adult classes or have an image of only adults when you are creating an ad targeting parents of young kids.
Your content needs a value proposition. Why should parents/students choose your school or program? Why is this amazing offer you are running so special? You need to address questions like these before they are even asked. Create your content ad in a way that prompts the reader to take action by using urgency – “this offer ends in 2 days” or “only 4 spots available”.
Finally, all ads need to include a call to action. Tell your audience what to do next after reading your ad. This message needs to not only prompt them to do something like sign-up for a trial, but it should also explain how they should do it. Tell them “Click the LEARN MORE button to sign up for a 2 week trial.”
Getting Started with Facebook Ads for Martial Arts Schools
There is a lot of information above and it can seem intimidating, but it’s not. We promise. The best way to get started with Facebook Ads for martial arts schools, or martial arts digital marketing in general, is to jump in. Boost one of your regular social media posts and build up from there. Have questions or need a hand getting started? Contact us today or message us on social media.
