How to use the Facebook Ads Library

Social media marketing sometimes feels like throwing spaghetti at a wall, crossing your fingers and hoping something sticks. But what if you could check out what the competition is doing with just a few clicks?

Facebook Ads Library, a.k.a. Meta Ads Library, is a searchable database of all the ads currently running on Meta’s social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. If you’re planning to launch a campaign on one of these platforms, exploring current ads will help you understand your target audience and pricing better.

Whether industry peers are viewed as competition, community or a little bit of both, checking out their Facebook ad campaigns gives you an advantage. Here’s why.

3 reasons to use the Facebook Manager Ads Library

When it comes to social media, thank goodness for data. Metrics help us track the success of our posts and campaigns and chart a better marketing course. Archives like the Meta Ads Library provide essential context about how things work on these platforms. Here’s how to use this data to your advantage:

1. Get inspired: Just like you might create a Pinterest board with inspo for your bathroom renovation, you can dig through Facebook’s marketing archive for ads you like. Use this ad inspiration as a jumping-off point, adding your own flare to the final product.Chances are other brands in your sector are trying to hit similar demographics, so see what other companies show in their ad images, what fonts they use and how they frame their messaging. When you find an idea you like, brainstorm messaging in your company’s voice, curate images that “look like” your brand, and stick to all the visual elements your business usually uses, such as fonts and color scheme.
2. Optimize: Unsuccessful marketing campaigns happen to the best of us. If you have an active ad that’s not meeting the mark, search the Meta Ads Library for similar content and see if your ad is missing a common element. Turning your campaign around might be as simple as highlighting a product feature or writing more accessible ad copy.
3. One-up the competition: This library contains all active ads on Meta-owned platforms, including ads that aren’t performing well. Learn how to break the mold and stand out by veering away from common color schemes and content themes. Discover what you like and how you want to convey your brand by viewing ads you don’t like.

How to use the Facebook Ads Library

Here are a few tricks to using this campaign library effectively:

• Choose your country: You can filter ads by country to compare your content with local competitors. Similarly, you can filter by language to ensure you only see results in a language you understand and market in.
• Search for keywords related to your business: If you know what you’re looking for, use these terms in the search bar. Sometimes broad searches are valuable. Other times, you might want to only see advertisements for pressed celery juice conditioned with B vitamins, so use keywords to find this content type.
• Filter for impressions: Check out the advertising crème de la crème by filtering results by views in the Facebook Ad Library. An ad with a high number of impressions is likely successful since the marketers reached a broad audience.
• See ad details: Check out an ad’s details to delve beyond a surface-level search. You can see the start date, date range and whether or not it’s active. If a campaign’s been going strong for a while, it’s likely working.
• Filter by media type: Creating a meme? It’s hard work to make a point about your product and be funny at the same time. Use the ad search engine to check out what other businesses have done by filtering for this ad format. You can also filter for images and videos.
• Narrow by platform: Filter by application to see previous and current campaigns from the social media app you’ll be running ads on.
• Check out the ad report: Read the Facebook ad report and find out how much other Meta app advertisers are spending on their campaigns. It’s wise to understand the reach of your competitors’ ads but even smarter to know how much they paid to get that far. A little context goes a long way.

Get advertising

Social media is an essential marketing space for any business. Whether you run paid ads, partner with influencers or create your own grassroots campaigns, it’s crucial to get active on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and beyond.

Before launching your next digital marketing strategy, ensure your social media accounts are in tip-top shape. You’re about to get more traction from prospective customers, so present your business in its best light. Make sure account aesthetics follow your brand kit’s guidelines, write a bio that explains your company’s offerings and include a link to your ecommerce site so people can click through and make a purchase. If you want to include multiple URLs in your bio, create a Linktree that branches out to several websites and social platforms.