The Facebook Relevance score is no more. In March 2019, the social media company announced plans to abandon the single-score approach and replace it with three new and improved metrics.

These “more granular relevance diagnostics” are already being phased in, and will be firmly in place by April 30, 2019.

Is this change applicable to you? If you advertise on Facebook, the answer is yes. Besides, it’s in every advertiser’s best interest to reach their target market.

Here’s how to stay relevant with Facebook ad now.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

What was the Facebook Relevance Score?

The original intent behind the Facebook Relevance Score was to assess the relevancy of advertiser content with its target audience. Facebook rated ads on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being positive and one negative. The higher the score, the more likely Facebook was to show your ad in users’ feeds.

Relevant ads are a win-win-win. Facebook, advertisers, and customers all benefit when ads are targeted effectively.

But there was some confusion behind the relevance score. Many marketers were uncertain of how much importance to ascribe to it, and what to do if it was low.

Facebook’s switch to three metrics instead of one is likely aimed at addressing this ambiguity. As the announcement explains, “We think that this level of granularity will offer reporting that’s more actionable for businesses.”

What are the new Facebook relevance metrics?

Instead of one all-round score, Facebook’s new diagnostics dive further into relevancy details. Think itemized report card versus GPA.

These new rankings aim to help advertisers pinpoint where they can improve.

Quality ranking

This metric represents how Facebook perceives your ad quality when compared with ads targeting the same audience.

Engagement rate ranking

This ranking measures how your ad’s anticipated engagement rate compares with ads targeting the same audience.

Conversion rate ranking

This diagnostic rates your ad’s expected conversion rate against competing ads that target the same audience.

9 tips for achieving a high Facebook relevance score

It’s still early days for Facebook’s new relevance metrics, but these are some tried and true ways to keep your Facebook ad content relevant.

1. Serve quality content

Facebook wants to deliver a good ad experience for advertisers and audiences. That means if your ad is low quality, it will likely show it to fewer people.

Here are a few tips to up the quality of your ads:

  • Use high quality visuals. Skip low res, blurry, stock-quality images.
  • Keep copy direct. Short and sweet copy is always best.
  • Limit text in visuals. Use Facebook’s Image Text Check tool to ensure your image passes the test.
  • Optimize for mobile. 88 percent of people use Facebook on mobile.

2. Choose the appropriate Facebook ad format

There are countless Facebook ad formats, and each one is tailored to specific needs. Some formats may be better suited to different campaign objectives, so choosing the right one and optimizing content accordingly will definitely help improve your score.

3. Encourage actions and engagements

Positive interactions are a key factor in earning a high relevance score. Create an ad that has a clear call-to-action so that the audience knows how to engage, whether that’s liking, commenting, or clicking through your ad. Where relevant, ask a question that can be answered with a like or comment.

4. Consider trying video ads

People linger over a video post five times longer than at a static post. Video is not only good at capturing attention, it’s better at inspiring action, too.

In the US, 30 percent of mobile shoppers say video is the best medium for discovering new products. Forty-eight percent of Australians surveyed by Facebook report they’ve made a purchase after watching a video ad.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

Get the free guide right now!

5. Target the right audience

Facebook allows advertisers to target audiences based on their location, behaviour, demographics, connections, and interests. Custom Audiences can also be created to reach existing customers from your website, mobile app, or other customer lists.

Meanwhile, Lookalike Audiences can be created to help you reach people who have similar interests to your existing customers.

Learn more about how to define your target market.

6. Keep ad frequency to a minimum

It’s a good practice to avoid showing users the same ad too many times. Users with ad fatigue may block or hide your ad, and that could negatively affect your ad’s performance.

There are a couple ways to reduce ad frequency. First and foremost, plan to cycle and update content regularly. A second option is to create a Custom Audience with a parameter set to exclude those who have already converted.

7. Time ads strategically

Running ads at the right time will have a positive impact on your ad’s performance. Hootsuite research shows that the best time to post on Facebook is between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On weekends, between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. is best.

Every advertiser’s audience is different, so make sure to check Facebook Analytics to see when your targeted audience is most engaged.

8. Optimize your campaigns

One of the best ways to improve long-term relevancy is A/B testing. These tests will provide an overall picture on what ad content is most relevant and successful with your customers.

Try running two campaigns that feature different creative. Or try separate campaigns that target different audiences. The insights you glean from these tests can help inform you future campaigns and keep your relevancy on point.

9. Keep an eye on competitors

To rank well on quality, it’s worthwhile to suss out the competition. Facebook’s quality ranking compares your content with other ads in the same market.

Before running a campaign, visit your competitor’s Facebook Pages and click Info and Ads. If your ads don’t stand out, be sure to make the necessary improvements.

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