Top 11 Key Facebook Marketing Trends & Advertising Tips to Succeed in 2023

From impressive scale to data-driven audience segments and tactical ad formats, Facebook has a lot to offer advertisers. The average Facebook user clicks ads 12 times per month, and 78% of U.S. consumers make a purchase through their Facebook experience.

But social media moves at a dizzying pace. New features are released constantly, new audience trends emerge (and inevitably die), and new marketing strategies become prevalent.

As a Facebook advertiser, what are the trends to watch in 2023, and how can you stay ahead? We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do have a wealth of paid social expertise and years of experience running campaigns. So let’s share:

• Four trends that advertisers can expect from Facebook in 2023.
• Seven tips to outperform your competitors and scale your success.

4 Important Facebook Marketing Trends to Watch Next Year

Before diving into our tips for creating Facebook ads in 2023, let’s look at some key trends that we believe will shape the overall Facebook marketing and advertising landscape.

1. Video Ads Will Continue To Be Popular

The popularity of video ads on social media has increased dramatically over time, and various businesses are now using them.

This is not surprising, given that Facebook video ads allow marketers to tell a deep brand story and showcase their products with eye-catching assets.

Facebook is also investing heavily in its video services. Its video landscape is becoming increasingly competitive as more brands gain access to creative tools that allow them to publish high-quality video ads.

2. Short Videos Will Dominate

Short-form content burst onto the scene on Vine, grabbed attention on TikTok, and now dominates multiple social media platforms, including Facebook. Short-form videos are now the default content type for many social feeds, a trend we expect to continue to grow in 2023.

Facebook surpasses TikTok in short video consumption among US audiences. This may seem surprising, but it speaks to the rapid proliferation of short-form content across social platforms.

3. “TikTok Conversion” of Creative Content

TikTok is a social media phenomenon. The platform quickly gained a huge audience (and continues to grow) and is now at the forefront of generating new social trends and social media content ideas.

Influencer-style direct-camera videos are hugely popular on TikTok, and this type of content now permeates every social media platform. If you want to keep up with the competition, you should accept the TikTok acquisition. The same goes for hashtag challenges, user trends, and viral audio tracks. Many global trends started on TikTok but are now spreading rapidly across platforms like Facebook and Instagram, requiring Facebook marketers to stay up to date to stay relevant.

4. Widespread Adoption of Shoppable Ads

As Facebook continues to improve its social shopping services over time, the lines between online shopping and social media are becoming increasingly blurred. In early 2020, Facebook Shops was launched, allowing businesses to showcase and sell their products directly through their Facebook and Instagram apps.

Since then, the platform has continuously developed new social selling solutions. Facebook recently launched Advantage+ Shopping Ads. Brands can test creative variations and increase conversions through fully automated campaigns. In 2023, establishing an efficient and optimized Facebook Shopping presence will be critical for e-commerce and direct-to-consumer businesses.

How Facebook Ads Can Outperform Your Competitors in 2023

It’s time to consider how you will compete and stand out over your competitors in Facebook advertising next year.

1. Establish a Clear Creative Direction

Which creative style gives the best results for your brand on Facebook? The traditional Facebook Ads in User Generated Content style have great results, especially in solution-based e-commerce products and lead generation campaigns. This type of content tends to be less sophisticated, with fewer logos and branding elements included.

However, many advertisers now take this approach. You can also experiment with trendy sounds and attractive graphics to stand out from competing feeds. Consider creating more polished videos with premium imagery, time-lapse, and strong branding if you’re in the fashion or apparel industry. Audiences expect your apparel to be front and center, so make sure your merchandise is the center of attention.

2. Try Advantage+ Campaign

Advantage+ Campaigns are automated campaigns where Facebook optimizes your campaign settings to maximize your ROI. These inherently optimized conversion campaigns save advertisers time by reducing manual input. Advantage+ also runs campaigns specifically for catalog ads and app installs, automatically optimizing your creative assets.

Advantage+ Campaigns have worked well for many brands so far and are worth pursuing, especially for new advertisers. Facebook will likely continue to make improvements, meaning these campaigns are safe bets for the foreseeable future.

3. Use Cost-Per-Result Bidding To Scale the Budget

Effectively scaling your Facebook campaigns is key to generating more conversions and improving the efficiency of your ad spend. 

Cost-Per-Result (formerly Cost Cap) is a reliable and efficient way to scale budgets. It can deliver consistent results to Facebook advertisers. Start testing multiple bids via CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization) with minimal spending on each ad set. Facebook automatically tests different bids in different areas, so you can quickly and effectively scale up successful tactics.

You can also use these insights to set up larger ad budget optimization (ABO) campaigns that spend more on your optimal bids; if you need more budget to test multiple bids, set up your ad with a cost cap bid slightly higher than the current Facebook CPA.

4. Guide the Algorithm With Broad Targeting

You must stick to broad targeting while scaling your campaigns to allow algorithms to collect data and implement optimizations. Stack interest categories that have previously performed well to increase the size of your audience. Running your ad account early in your campaign is essential if you have a limited budget.

First, create relevant audience segments using interest targeting. Once you’ve collected enough data, test broader audiences without interest layers to scale your campaigns. If you want to scale your campaigns exponentially, focus on finding the best ads for your specific audience. Test everything out with a broader audience to gain valuable insights and discover the breadth of creative appeal that resonates with most of your users.

Read More: SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

5. Be Patient With Facebook Ad Sets

Every time you change your Facebook ad, the algorithm’s learning phase is reset. Therefore, to optimize effectively, avoid adjusting or customizing your ad set, especially in the early stages of your campaign. This has always been recommended and will be more critical than ever in 2023.

Monitor your ad set delivery to see how your results improve over time and scale up by 20% every few days to maintain optimal performance. If you need to scale faster, duplicate your ad set and try different tactics.

6. Use Multiple Placements and Formats

Facebook offers advertisers a wide range of high-performing placements and formats. Take advantage of these opportunities with the right mix of images, videos, and carousel ads.

For e-commerce, TikTok-style videos are also very effective. So try to jump on this trend before it becomes saturated.

As mentioned earlier, creativity will be the key to differentiating yourself from your competitors in 2023, so keep an eye out for compelling and unique designs. Customize popular content styles such as TikTok and Instagram Reels (e.g., host speeches with members of the public, trending sounds, hashtag challenges) and act decisively so you can catch everything. 

7. Make the Most of the Improved Facebook Reporting Features

While iOS and other privacy updates disrupted Facebook’s targeting and reporting ecosystem, Facebook has been working on improvements and solutions you can (and should) use to your advantage when optimizing Facebook campaigns.

For example, reintroducing the 28-day click attribution window will help you gain more granular insight and view the demographic breakdown of your advertising account. In addition, the Facebook Conversions API helps bridge pixel data gaps caused by rejecting third-party cookies.

Facebook will continue to develop tools to help brands close the attribution gap. Try out these new features to improve your reporting. The more campaign data you access, the easier it is to implement effective optimization. Also, note that the new terms for Self-Service Ads Manager accounts suggest that Facebook is reducing accountability and tightening restrictions.

The Bottom Line

By using Facebook’s powerful ad platform and staying one step ahead of the trends, you can ensure your Facebook advertising campaigns are successful in 2023. Using audience targeting, interactive visuals and videos, retargeting options, and Facebook Live Ads will help you reach a broader audience, engage them more effectively, and drive conversions. With the right strategy in place, Facebook Ads can effectively promote your business and achieve success in 2023. So get creative and start experimenting with different tactics today! Best wishes for success in 2023!

Hiring a digital marketing agency is cost-effective for companies looking to improve sales and grow their business. Digital marketing agencies help companies attract new customers, improve brand awareness, and generate more revenue.

Ready to start growing your business with Gold Lion Technologies? Our goal has always been to help businesses reach their goals and to be the leading solution for their clients. Contact us for a FREE business audit.