Seeing ads when scrolling through Facebook on your mobile has become the norm in our daily lives.

As digital marketers, we push the importance of creating great ads that stop people in their tracks. Long enough to generate interest and initiate a response or action.

If you’re interested in learning more about what makes a great Facebook Ad creative that stands out and converts. Check out our 5 Simple Tips For Eye-Catching Ad Creatives blog.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty... Why do Facebook Ads need to be optimised to mobile-first? And what data is there to suggest that?

In September of 2019, Facebook was recorded to have a total of 2.26 billion Mobile Active Users. 1.59 billion of those being Mobile Daily Active Users.

If we compare that to the total number of 1.47 billion Desktop Active Users. That is an 8.16% difference between the two audience groups.

6% of Facebook’s advertising revenue in 2019 came from desktop-only users. Which means that a whopping 94% of revenue comes from mobile users.

With those percentages in mind, it is no surprise that the number of Facebook mobile users have caught the attention of digital marketers everywhere. 

A smart marketer will spend their money getting ads in front of mobile users, for three reasons: 

reason no. 1

It is a larger group of users, therefore arguably more opportunity and more eyes on ads.  

reason no. 2

I am surprised that as a species we haven’t started to evolve to being birthed with the latest iPhone stuck to our hand. We’re on our phones constantly.

If you want to feel bad about your life choices, simply check out your Screen Time data on your phone. What feels like a harmless 5-minute pick up and scroll to pass the time, actually adds up to a large portion of your day.

With a desktop, you tend to be limited to being at work or at home. There are no limitations to accessing your phone.

reason no. 3

Think about how easy it is to complete an action or engage with an ad on your phone. Whether you’re filling in a lead form, clicking through a website, viewing a product catalogue, even something as simple as engaging - it is fundamentally easier and faster. 

You want to be getting bang for your buck when advertising on Facebook, whether it is for your own business or a client. You could create the most jaw-dropping ad that anyone has ever laid eyes on but if it isn’t optimised, you’re losing money.

Sure, your ad may generate results but it won’t perform as efficiently as it could. The Jane Goodall Institute ran a test on their Facebook page that confirmed just that. 

They ran a test on their Facebook page to find out which mobile video format sparked the most engagement. The same video, same copy, tested against each other - but one as a square format (1:1) and one as a landscape format (16:9). The square video outperformed the landscape video, receiving 2x the likes and 3x the shares when compared to the other. 

That is what you call bang for your buck!

Optimising your ads may seem like an afterthought but it clearly has the potential to determine whether your ad or campaign is going to perform well or not. 

1:1 / 4:5 on newsfeeds - real estate 

9:16 on Facebook/Instagram stories 

Video cropping - adapted to mobile - not mobile-first

Getting the customers to click on your ad is the hard part, but retaining them isn't easy either. So give our last blog a read all about the power of a thank you page, it was written by Callum.

If you want a🔥🔥🔥 Facebook Ads, then you know who to contact!

Written By Jorja Miller