I can start this blog by telling you the importance of Facebook ads for Shopify brands but you already know it. I know it. Heck, even your grandma knows it.
As a D2C marketer, you’re aware of the Facebook audience types, retargeting campaigns and all those so-called ‘cool’ terms that look good only on a monthly marketing planning presentation. So we aren’t going to cover all of those in detail here.
Just to set the right context, the average CTR on Facebook retargeting ads is ~0.7%.
I am going to teach you a strategy for Shopify D2C stores that would not only reduce your dependency and budget on Facebook Ads but also generate extra revenue, and increase LTV, and brand awareness.
Let’s get straight into it.
In case you don’t know the basics of Facebook ads for Shopify, read this blog (like a last-minute revision before exams) before you scroll down from here.
The Best Facebook Ads Strategy for D2C: Click To WhatsApp Ads
You’ve probably heard about Click To WhatsApp Ads. So, this heading won’t make a difference unless you carefully read this entire section. Here, we’re going to use BiteSpeed as a retargeting tool on WhatsApp.
Here are 3 reasons why you should launch Click To WhatsApp Ads for Shopify:
1. Bring the audience to your WhatsApp Business number and control targeting
By adding Click To WhatsApp Ads to your Shopify Facebook Ads strategy, you can generate conversations and an audience base on WhatsApp. This audience set may not necessarily need to see your Facebook Ads again because you can target them directly on WhatsApp. This will lower your dependency on Facebook Ads and you would be able to control the targeting.
2. Leverage WhatsApp’s highest engagement rate
WhatsApp has an open rate of 99% and an engagement rate of 70%. Once you build your audience on WhatsApp, you can leverage this level of engagement to retarget them to convert them into customers. We’re going to cover the best WhatsApp retargeting techniques later in this section.
3. Build a loyal audience by helping them on their favourite channel
Don’t just treat this highly engaged audience as a marketing persona. Build your support automation on WhatsApp with chatbots that can help them with their queries. You can also offer customer support on WhatsApp. This way your audience won’t be much affected by your retargeting campaigns.
Keeping all these aspects in mind, Our customers generate 15-20% extra revenue using WhatsApp retargeting.
Now, the question is what could be a perfect WhatsApp ads strategy for your Shopify store?
Step 1: Set up Facebook ads account and FB pixel on the Shopify store
First of all, we have all those ads set up things that you’ll find everywhere. You can go through this beginner's guide to Facebook Ads if you’re new to Facebook ads.
Let’s see what’s next.
Step 2: Add your WhatsApp Business number to your Facebook page
If you’re a Shopify Store, you can contact us to get WhatsApp API access. Then add your WhatsApp number to your Facebook page under the setting section.
To connect your Page and WhatsApp account:
- At the bottom of Facebook, tap Menu or your profile picture.
- Select your Page. You may need to tap Switch profile or Select profile, then tap your Page.
- Tap Menu in the bottom right of Facebook.
- Tap Settings & privacy and then tap Settings.
- Tap Linked accounts & tap WhatsApp.
- Select your country code and enter your WhatsApp Business number.
- Tap Send code to WhatsApp.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish connecting your WhatsApp account.
This is the most important and you won’t be able to run WhatsApp ads without it.
Step 3: Launch WhatsApp Ads & generate an audience on WhatsApp
For e.g, you want to sell a batch of limited edition t-shirts that you’ve prepared for the national day.
Here is the general process of setting up a click-to-WhatsApp ad:
- Go to your Facebook Ads Manager and create a new campaign. Select "Conversions" as your campaign objective.
- Under the "Ad Set" section, select the target audience for your ad. You can target users based on demographics, interests, behaviours, and more.
- Under the "Ad" section, create your ad creative. Choose a format such as a carousel, a single image or a video, and add your ad copy and images.
- In the "Call-to-Action" button, select "Send WhatsApp message" or “Learn More” and link it to your WhatsApp number.
- You can also make use of the WhatsApp Catalog, which allows you to show the products or services you are offering directly in the ad.
- After submitting the ad set, run your campaign. Once the campaign is running, make sure you monitor it regularly and make adjustments as needed to ensure that you're getting the best possible return on your ad spend.
Note: Keep in mind that click-to-WhatsApp ads can only be run on mobile, as the feature is only available on mobile devices, also the WhatsApp feature is only available in certain countries and regions.
Now, assuming you’ve done a fantastic job on targeting. You should start receiving messages on WhatsApp about that dope t-shirt.
Step 4: Engage & build relationships on WhatsApp
To engage your audience, you would start a Chatbot flow that would answer queries about that t-shirt 24*7. A flow can be started by setting up a trigger word on Click To WhatsApp Ads. WhatsApp chatbot will engage this set of audiences in real time. You can create your customised chatbot flows with BiteSpeed’s chatbot flow builder.
How to boost sales now? Let's identify those warm leads in your chat history and connect them with a top-notch support agent on WhatsApp using BiteSpeed's multi-channel support dashboard.
Not only can these agents answer questions, but they can also add items to shopping carts, creating a personal connection with customers and increasing conversions.
You can join a demo with us to understand how you can generate ~15% extra revenue on your Shopify store. We’ve prepared an ROI calculator that shows you what kind of success you’d likely see.
Do you remember we also mentioned reducing the dependency on Facebook Ads?
Step 5: Retarget on WhatsApp (Say bye-bye to Facebook Ads)
Assuming that you’ve started selling and communicating with customers on WhatsApp. So, some of them would be happy & satisfied with the product, rest of them may either be showing passive intent to buy or not interested at all.
You would be able to find & categorize these people just by talking to them or understanding the conversational flows on your WhatsApp chatbot.
Now you would have 3 sets of audiences.
- Happy buyers
- Confused/price-sensitive audience
- Less relevant audience
1. For happy buyers, you can launch upsell & cross-selling campaigns on WhatsApp. These people are most likely to buy your products. You won’t have to re-target this audience sets on Facebook as they would already be in your WhatsApp funnels.
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2. For this set of audiences, you can offer some discounts and leverage the advantage while addressing their pain points.
3. Let’s leave them from product-specific campaigns, shouldn’t we?
And the story doesn’t end here.
You can retarget all these people during sales & festive seasons with personalised marketing campaigns on WhatsApp. You can leverage the power of segmented broadcasts on BiteSpeed for retargeting.
You can also recover abandoned carts, and reduce RTO with WhatsApp retargeting. This entire strategy has helped hundreds of our Shopify customers and I’m pretty sure that this is going to be the most successful retargeting strategy for your business.
I’m adding a few more resources for you to read:
1. 10 best-abandoned cart recovery strategies
2. The ultimate guide to generating 20% revenue through WhatsApp
Why use Facebook Ads first to promote your Shopify store?
A Refresher to Facebook Ads
Utilizing Facebook ads to promote your Shopify store is a savvy business decision as it offers a multitude of advantages. With a user base of over 2 billion monthly active individuals, Facebook provides an unparalleled audience reach.
Additionally, the platform's targeting capabilities allow you to specifically cater to demographics, interests, and behaviours, resulting in highly effective campaigns.
Not only that, Facebook offers detailed analytics, providing measurable results to inform and optimize future endeavours. Moreover, when compared to other forms of advertising, Facebook ads can be quite cost-effective.
Furthermore, with the integration of WhatsApp, Shopify and Facebook's official channel, managing and tracking ads have never been easier. To add a cherry on top, the platform's retargeting feature allows you to reach out to those who have previously visited your website, increasing the chances of conversion.
All in all, investing in Facebook ads to leverage WhatsApp as a sales channel is a sound move for any Shopify store.
The 6 Best Practices for Facebook Ads
When it comes to Facebook advertising, the devil is in the details. Here are six best practices to keep in mind to ensure your ad campaigns are nothing short of suave and sophisticated:
- Define your target audience: Be sure to know your audience inside and out, so you can tailor your ads to them like a bespoke suit.
- Create compelling ad copy: Write ad copy that is engaging, persuasive and compelling like a good novel.
- Use eye-catching visuals: Use high-quality images or videos that are sure to stop scrollers in their tracks, much like a Mona Lisa of advertising.
- Test, test, test: Experiment with different ad formats, targeting options, and messaging to see what resonates most with your audience, this is like a scientist in a lab.
- Monitor and measure your results: Use Facebook's analytics tools to track the performance of your ads and to see what's working and what's not, it's like a detective in an investigation.
- Optimize for conversion: Optimize your ads for conversion, not just clicks. Make sure that your ad leads to a landing page that is designed to convert visitors into customers, like a businessman closing a deal.
By keeping these best practices in mind, you'll be sure to create ad campaigns that are both elegant and effective.
Final Thoughts: Facebook + WhatsApp Marketing for Shopify Stores
In conclusion, incorporating Facebook and WhatsApp marketing into your Shopify store strategy can be a wise move, much like a chess master.
Utilizing Facebook's vast audience reach and targeting capabilities, along with WhatsApp's immediacy and personal touch, can lead to a successful and sophisticated advertising campaign. Remember to define your target audience, create compelling ad copy, use eye-catching visuals, test and optimize your ads, monitor your results and optimize for conversion.
By following these best practices, you'll be well on your way to creating ad campaigns that are both refined and effective, much like a conductor of a symphony.
