Data Points Matter
Hello my name is Danielle and I’m not exactly what you would call a ‘skater’. In fact, I’ve never even been on a skateboard. The closest I’ve come to the skateboarding world was going to the Vans Warped Tour in high school - LONG before Facebook was tracking anything. So how did I end up with these Vans, which were purchased from an Instagram ad?
I’ll tell you.
A big misconception regarding FB ads is that FB works to pair the ad with people who have a general interest related to the ad and/ or business. The thought is that Facebook will show a Vans shoe ad to people interested in Vans, skateboarding, maybe snow boarding, etc. However, it’s not entirely that black and white.
According to Facebook, the word “interest” has a much broader definition. Facebook defines each of our interests with data points they’ve collected since their inception. Regardless if you’re an active Facebook user or not, they have billions of data points on you, probably even on things you don’t even realize about yourself!
Another misconception is that ads are doing all of the searching in the ad/ consumer dynamic, when actually, it’s a two-way street. Yes the ads are looking for the right person, but the data points are also looking for the right ads. When you import your catalog or tag the URL in an ad, Facebook reads everything connected to that product and looks for matching data points. Likewise, those data points are HUNGRY and searching for the right ad that will be attractive enough for someone to click SHOP NOW > add to cart > checkout! 🤑🤑🤑
As mentioned earlier, never in my adult life have I even looked at Vans shoes. I’d never been on their website, their Instagram or FB page. BUT when I read the PRODUCT DESCRIPTION for these shoes, I thought, ‘oh I need these’. For this winning combination, Facebook used the product description and paired it with data points it has on me to create a match made in heaven.
You can read the full description here.
There is A LOT of detail in that description and TBH I didn’t even read most of it. I didn’t need to, but Facebook does in order to match it with the correct data points. This is why product descriptions are hugely important.
I want to drive home a couple of points:
If your product description is super limited or blank, the ad is going to struggle to convert because it doesn’t have enough information to find matching data points.
If you’re using the same product description as other retailers, it’s going to be sourcing from the same set of data points as the other retailers. Yes the pool of data points relative to that description is vast, but it’s not infinite. Consider what happens if you’re also using the same image as other retailers, then doing this with every item you’ve imported into your catalog. 👀
I’ve heard people say that Facebook ads aren’t working like they used to and I LOL to myself because I guarantee if they aren’t converting for you, then a piece of the puzzle on your side is broken and that is what’s preventing them from converting.
No I don’t think you need to go back and add massive product descriptions to every single item in your catalog. I do think that going forward, you need to have the basics, including making it your own, using key words that speak to your ideal customer and offer SIZING info. (“True to size” for clothing does 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 count 👏🏻)
The goal is to build confidence within your customer that they are making the right purchase. I will say that I did hesitate about these shoes for a few days because I wasn’t sure about their sizing. They do have a size chart, but on shoes, the words True To Size give me a lot of confidence because I’m an 8.5 100% of the time. That being said, their free shipping and free return shipping sealed the deal on my wavering. My point here is that if your sizing info is lacking, you better offer free shipping and free returns to accomodate.
I tell my clients all the time that Facebook is on your side, they are set up to convert your ads better than anyone. They have enough data points on every single person on this planet to make any business owner rich beyond belief. They key is how YOU leverage your business against those data points. ✌🏻😘
If you think all that juicy info on data points outlined doesn’t apply to the captions of organic posts on FB … you are wrong But remember when you post something in a group, it will ONLY search for matching data points in that group. When you post on your page… it’s infinite baby 🚀🚀