SEO

The Meta Ads Library:
5 Competitive Advantages for Advertisers

By Rebecca Flynn Aug. 15, 2022

Our Media Buyer, Rebecca Flynn, goes over five competitive advantages for advertisers using the Meta Ads Library

The Meta Ads Library, or formerly known as the Facebook Ads Library, was initially created to provide transparency and visibility to Facebook users. The Ad Library allows users to search for ads that are running across the Meta technologies, find out how Meta determines which ads they see, and also gain access to additional information on ads that are about issues, elections or politics. While this tool seems like a logical step in comforting everyday users who are skeptical about the trustworthiness of Facebook as a company, it also stands as a free and easy way for advertisers wanting to get the inside scoop on their competitors. Here are some of the ways we use the Meta Ads Library for our own competitive advantage–

1. Let the Competition Do the A/B Testing For You

With the Meta Ads Library, you can easily see your competitor’s ads, and the different variations of those ads. Take a look at those variations and what is different about them… copy, creative, call to actions, etc. Analyze what they are testing and the length of time the ads have been running (also available in the Ads Library). You can use this information to determine what a/b tests you should also be running to improve your performance! If your top competitors are doing it, you probably should be too. Additionally, if a competitor has an ad that has been running for a significant amount of time that has features you are currently a/b testing, learn from their assumed previous tests, and save yourself the time and budget! Let them do the a/b testing for you, and proceed with the ad that has features similar to your competitor’s longest running ad.

2. Landing Page Optimization

One of the best features of the Ads Library is that you can click on your competitors ads all the way through to their landing pages. This is important because it gives you first hand information about where your competitors are sending their traffic. Is it to their homepage? Perhaps a curated landing page? A product page, or maybe a sign up page? What copy and call to actions does their landing page have? Again, if the big guys are doing it, you should be too. Taking their landing page features into consideration can help you and your team optimize your own landing pages and help boost metrics like conversions, time spent on the site, bounce rate, number of pages viewed, etc.

3. Choosing Favorable Ad Formats

As advertisers, we spent most of our time a/b testing and optimizing. Testing media types can be a long and time consuming process, so save yourself the time by seeing exactly what types of ads your competitors (and even people in complementary industries) are running. Again, you can also check out the length of time each ad has been running for. Utilize this information to make decisions on where you spend your budget and what media types to optimize for.

4. Trends, Discounts, Seasons and More

Seeking out competitors ads can help you make informed decisions on how you should run your own ads. Take a look at what discounts they are offering, and when they are offering them! These bits of information can help you determine when and if you should also offer similar discounts. Of course, you probably don’t want to be going up against a competitor’s sale, so plan accordingly based on the ads you are seeing. Are you planning on running a seasonal sale? Take a look at previous year’s ads (FB stores ads in the library for up to 7 years) and see what copy, creative, and offer your competitors used.

5. Funnel Approaches

Using a funnel approach is generally a good idea anyways. But, how should you execute, and is it necessary all the time? By simply analyzing ads in your industry, you can get an idea of their funnel strategy being used, if any. We recommend taking a look at copy, call to actions, landing pages, and then number of ads in the library for this trick. Generally, top of funnel ads will be going to a broader audience, using less “salesy” language, weaker CTAs, and a landing page that informs the audience more about the brand. Sometimes, these ads may not even contain call to actions or a landing page. Middle of funnel ads can be a bit more informative with the copy, and direct users over to a page where they can explore more about the brand and what they have to offer. Again, these call to actions will still be weaker, with “learn more” being one of the most common. Bottom of funnel ads will be very clearly performance based, attempting to generate leads, sales, get sign ups, etc. These ads have strong call to actions and go to a page with matching initiatives and CTA’s, or could even have on platform lead gen forms. Analyze which of these ad types other brands are using, and begin to incorporate into your own ad strategy.

Written By

Rebecca Flynn

SEO

The Meta Ads Library: 5 Competitive Advantages for Advertisers

Written By

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