Solved: Guidance on Facebook Ads for New Candle Brand

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your ad campaigns for the scented candle brand. I understand you've been having trouble getting sales and feel like you're burning money, so let's try to find some improvements.

First things first: Target Audience

It's all about understanding who you're trying to reach. Think about who your ideal customer is. What do they like? Where do they hang out online? For scented candles, places like Etsy and Pinterest are a good start as they already have an audience interested in handcrafted goods. Do people search on Google, what keywords do they use?

Actionable Solution: Start by defining your target audience as precisely as possible. This will inform your platform choice and ad targeting.

We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website...

What's the quality of traffic you're driving to your site? Are people actually interested in scented candles, or are you getting clicks from people who are just browsing? If you're getting the wrong kind of traffic, it doesn't matter how good your ads are, they wont convert.

Once they hit your website, is it easy to navigate? Does it showcase the candles effectively? High-quality product photography and persuasive descriptions are crucial for convincing people to buy. Also, your website should build trust. Do you show customer testimonials? Do you have an address or at least contact details to show that you are a real business?

Actionable Solution: Review your website's analytics, e.g. with Google Analytics. Which pages are people dropping off? Improve product descriptions, images, and overall website design to build trust and showcase the candles effectively.

I'd say you need to give it more time...

It's not uncommon to need time to optimise a campaign, especially when starting from scratch. Analyse the data. How much are you paying per click and how much revenue do you generate per click? If you are paying £1 per click but you generate £0.5 revenue per click, it means that you are losing money on every click, which means that you need to improve performance. E.g. by improving the CTR or conversion rate.

Actionable Solution: Don't give up after just a few weeks. Track performance closely and make adjustments as needed. Test different ad creatives, targeting options, and landing pages to find what works best. And, if you don't have any data to begin with, you might need to test out broad targeting to give the algorithm a chance to identify potentially high-converting users.

Now, about those ad platforms...

Have you thought about Google Shopping ads? People who are actively searching for specific types of candles are more likely to buy. Also I would look at Google search ads. What would people type into the search bar when they are looking for candles? Then make sure that you show up for these searches.

With social media ads, you've got more targeting options, but it can be harder to reach the right people. Facebook and Instagram can work, but you need to dial in your audience targeting. Maybe target people who like home decor, aromatherapy, or specific candle brands. The benefit of social media ads is that people see your products in their news feed without actively searching for it.

Actionable Solution: Explore multiple ad platforms and campaign types to see where you get the best results. Google Shopping ads can be effective for reaching people who are actively searching for candles.

Creative fatigue is real, you know...

Don't keep running the same ads over and over. People will start to tune them out. Try different images, videos, and ad copy. Show off the unique qualities of your candles – the scents, the designs, the materials. A/B testing is crucial to find out which ads resonate best with your target audience. Think about the different angles you can take, what benefits does your product offer? More relaxation? What keywords should you include?

Actionable Solution: Regularly update your ad creatives to avoid ad fatigue. Test different images, videos, and copy to find what resonates best with your audience.

Let's talk about your offer...

Is there anything you can do to make your offer more compelling? Free shipping? A discount for first-time buyers? A bundle deal? Sometimes, a little incentive can make all the difference.

Actionable Solution: Experiment with different offers to see what motivates people to buy. Free shipping or a discount for new customers can often boost sales.

Finally, retargeting could be your friend...

Don't give up on people who visit your website but don't buy anything. Retargeting ads can remind them about your candles and entice them to come back and make a purchase. Show them the specific candles they were looking at, or offer them a special discount.

Actionable Solution: Implement retargeting campaigns to re-engage website visitors who didn't make a purchase. Show them the products they viewed and offer a special incentive to buy.

To summarise, here is a table with the actionable solutions mentioned above:

I hope this helps! I know it can be frustrating when you're not seeing the results you want, but keep at it, and don't be afraid to experiment. Remember, it's not always easy getting the best results.

I've found these strategies to be really effective, for example we helped a subscription box company get a 1000% Return On Ad Spend with a similar marketing approach - targeting the right audiance and continually optimising.

We can delve deeper into these strategies. And that’s where we come in. We've helped loads of businesses get amazing results from paid advertising. I'm not saying we're miracle workers, but we know what works and what doesn't. Our approach is totally tailored to your specific needs, and we're always on the lookout for new ways to improve performance. We are currently running campaigns for many different businesses.

If you'd like to chat more about how we can help, feel free to get in touch for a free consultation. We can take a look at your current campaigns and give you some tailored advice.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh