Facebook ads are all over your feed. Though have you ever been scrolling through and found yourself getting blown away by a company’s fantastic ad?
Checking out the promotional material of other companies is an excellent way to learn a little more about social media marketing and enhance your own strategy in the process.
What’s more, there’s never been a better time to use Facebook for inspiration, now that the world’s largest social media platform has rolled out access to a public “Ads Library” for all brands.
The Facebook Ad Library gives you a fantastic overview of some of the work that other leading companies have been doing to collect conversions. However, if you’ve never used this resource before, you might not know which businesses you should be searching for.
That’s why we’ve put together this treasure trove of amazing ad libraries to motivate and inspire you as you strive for premium social promotions.
How the Ads Library Works
Just in case the libraries that we’re going to cover here aren’t quite enough for your team, let’s quickly run over how you can track down other libraries in the future.
The Facebook Ads Library, introduced in 2019, is very easy to use. All you need to do is type in any brand name and pick a location to see the ads being run.
You can filter by things like “Location”, Impressions over a certain period of time, and Platform. This means that you can also examine Messenger and Instagram campaigns via the Ad Library too.
If you want to make sure that you’re looking at the ad libraries of the companies most relevant to your organization, why not start by heading onto BuzzSumo and seeing who’s ranking in your industry for your keywords? From there, you can look up the brand names of relevant companies on the Ad Libraries app and see what each brand is doing on Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook!
Got all that?
Great, let’s dive straight into our list.
- Marketo
Marketo is a pretty well-known marketing company, committed to helping people improve their email marketing strategies. As you browse through this company’s Facebook ad’s you’ll notice that they’re heavily focused on pushing companies never to settle for anything less than the best.
The powerful tone of voice in each ad is designed to inspire organizations to always go above and beyond when it comes to marketing. Additionally, Marketo is great at driving action in its ads. It doesn’t just rely on a CTA button to do all the work, it tells you what to do, “Download our free marketing toolkit” and why you should do it:
“Ready to unleash your marketing potential in 2020 and beyond? Download our free marketing toolkit today and start planning for success.”
Lesson: Use powerful trigger words and CTAs to drive your audience into action.
- Honey
Honey is a shopping app that downloads directly into your website browser, helping you to save money on virtually every purchase. The great thing about the ads that Honey creates is that they’re all focused on real, relatable people.
Honey not only includes copy that’s easy to relate to “when you just can’t say no to another eyeshadow palette”, but it also includes pictures from genuine customers and influencers that make the whole ad seems a lot more trustworthy and authentic.
“When you just can’t say no to another eyeshadow palette, make sure you’re getting the best deal.”
Lesson: Get to know your audience and use relatable messaging and images to connect with them on a deeper level.
- Twilio
Speaking of companies that excel at relatable copy, Twilio are experts at speaking their customer’s language. The company delivers meaningful messages with every ad, helping you to understand what makes the business special.
Although Twilio maintains a highly professional tone of voice in a lot of its copy, it’s also very good at adding a touch of playfulness and humor into certain promotions too. For instance, when promoting its IVR product, check out the copy that Twilio chose:
“Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Services, 3 for… it’s about time to upgrade your IVR.”
Lesson: Have fun with your advertisements. Know the pain points that your customers face and show them that you understand how to make their lives easier.
- Cisco
Let’s stick with the tech experts for a little longer. Cisco is a dedicated communication and collaboration company that helps to connect companies around the world. The great thing about Cisco’s ads is that they run both through Messenger, and Facebook, giving the company more ways to connect with their consumer base.
Additionally, Cisco seems to be an expert in producing high-quality, short videos that provide engaging information for customers in the initial stages of their buying journey. With mini videos, Cisco can convey a much bigger message, without creating an ad that exhausts its customers.
Notably, Cisco also runs multiple versions of different ads, targeted at different customers.
“Every day, new ideas and new technologies help push the world forward. Whatever the next thing is, big or small, we’ll be there.”
Lesson: Connect with your customer on multiple platforms, and make sure that you’re giving them the information they need in a consumable format.
- SurveyMonkey
Speaking of making sure that you don’t overwhelm your audience with too much text, SurveyMonkey is a company that’s great at keeping things simple for its customers. The amount of text that this company uses in each of its ads is usually limited to just a handful of words or a single sentence.
Rather than asking customers to read too much when they’re busy scrolling through Facebook, Survey Money delivers information in the form of easy-to-understand images and CTA buttons.
The phrase “Get data. Share Results. Impress the heck out of everyone” really drives the value of SurveyMonkey home in this ad image.
“Are your customers actually satisfied?”
Lesson: Don’t overwhelm your customers with too much text. An informative image can really say a thousand words.
- Zoom Video Communications
Zoom is one of the market leaders in video communications technology.
It probably makes sense that the company does pretty well when it comes to video-focused Facebook advertisements, because of this. However, what really makes Zoom stand out in our opinion, is the fact that it’s always using messages from customers and analysts to sell its product.
Zoom doesn’t just tell you that its video conferencing tools are great, it invites you to see what analysts have to say about the experience.
“See what leading analysts have to say about Zoom Unified Communications”
Lesson: Let customers and market leaders do your selling for you. Social proof can be one of the most powerful tools in your Facebook ad campaigns.
- Microsoft Surface
Leading technology company Microsoft knows its way around a good advertising campaign – no matter what it the brand might be promoting.
On Facebook, the Microsoft Surface page is fantastic at highlighting the unique benefits of the laptop product, while also drawing attention to how “up to date” Microsoft is as a brand. Every time there’s a big event to consider, Microsoft always links that trending topic to its ads.
Take a look at this fantastic carousel ad from Microsoft Surface, for instance. It was introduced at the same time as the Superbowl and thus focuses on football, with gaming language incorporated.
“The new Surface Pro 7. Thin, light, and ready to play.”
Lesson: Take advantage of trending topics that your customers are interested in to make your ads seem more up-to-date and relevant.
- Falcon.io
Sometimes, the right video or picture can tell your customers everything that they need to know about your company. Other times, you may need to work harder to engage your audience and keep them engaged.
One of the best ways to spark interest from an audience full of people scrolling through their newsfeed from their smartphone is to ask a question. Falcon.io is constantly asking “quick questions” relevant to their customer base, like “How does your brand’s social presence stack up against your competition”.
Combine those engaging questions with some fun emojis and a friendly tone of voice, and you’ve got an ad that really pulls people in:
“Quick question: How does your brand’s social presence stack up against your competition? 🤔
We know surface-level metrics can be valuable, but they don’t tell the full story about your content performance. By conducting a competitive benchmark analysis, you can better understand your own strengths and how to stand apart from the crowd. 💪”
Lesson: Interact with your audience by asking questions that you know are relevant to their needs and pain points.
- Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a company that’s well-known around the world not just for its excellent SEO tools, but also for it’s commitment to educating users.
The Ahrefs website is packed full of useful blogs and videos, so it’s no surprise that the Ahrefs Facebook ad library is similar in style. The company provides useful guides to its customers to capture their attention and develop its position as a thought leader in the digital marketing industry.
To make the experience even more engaging, Ahrefs is sure to maintain a consistent image across multiple marketing points, from Messenger to Instagram.
“Google Analytics is available for everyone, but hardly anyone knows how to use it to improve SEO. Read our guide to master this skill🎓”
Lesson: Make sure that all of your promotions aren’t focused entirely on selling your products. Developing your position as a thought leader and sharing valuable content can be crucial too.
- TransferWise
TransferWise is a FinTech company that specializes in using unique storytelling tactics and compelling videos to capture audience attention.
The thing that really makes the ads from TransferWise stand out; is how they connect to customers on an emotional level. Remember, 95% of cognition happens in your customer’s emotional brain. If you can connect to your leads on a deeper level by providing them with stories that they can relate to, then you’re much more likely to get a sale.
In the following ad, TransferWise gets all of the important information that you need to know about the service across, along with a quote from a real-live user. It’s a great way to make the ad feel more authentic.
“I know that I am getting the real exchange rate every time I spend.” Like Chrissy, you can spend, send, and receive money like a local. 195 countries. 1 card. 0 hidden fees. 💸🌎”
Lesson: Use real stories from authentic customers to connect with your audience on a more emotional level.
- KlientBoost
KlientBoost is another marketing company that’s committed to helping businesses learn how to make the most of their online campaigns. The business excels in a lot of areas with its Facebook ad libraries, including video marketing, and advertising sent straight to FB Messenger.
One thing that’s particularly compelling about KlientBoost is that it knows how to use Emojis to create a more playful personality for its brand. It’s also worth noting that the company always reminds you that you can get a free proposal with every ad.
“Wanna see how we help grow companies, super fast? 🚀🚀🚀
Grab a free proposal (https://klientboost.com/#getProposal) and we can show you in less than 30 minutes.
We’ll give you a custom action plan that’s focused around your goals.”
Lesson: Use emojis to give your business a unique and memorable personality.
- Funnel
The Funnel ad library is a great insight into how compelling images and an engaging copy can come together to deliver a great promotion.
As you scroll through the latest selection of ads that Funnel has used, you can see that the company isn’t afraid of experimenting with different ad lengths and strategies. Although there’s quite a lot of text on this following ad from Funnel, it provides customers with all the information they need to make a quick decision in a concise way.
The fact that there’s a video included to talk you through other aspects of the business is also a fantastic extra touch.
“Top 4 reasons why smart marketers love Funnel: ✅ Automated data collection and cleaning ✅ Connectors to every data source they need ✅ No more endless work on sheets ✅ No coding required”
Lesson: If you need to use a lot of copy in your ad, make sure that it’s easy to read. Bullet points and lists are a great way to make your content more scannable.
- Asana
Project management company Asana knows what it takes to get teams orchestrated and organized. It only makes sense that the ads that Asana posts on Facebook would also be well-designed, concise, and straightforward.
Asana uses its fantastic slogan “Teams work better in Asana” on every ad. What’s more, it’s constantly drawing attention to other high-level companies that already use the software, for social proof purposes.
One thing we really like about Asana’s ads is that they always come with custom graphics and images that really push you to stop and pay attention.
“See why brands like Glassdoor, Figma, and Fireclay Tile use Asana to do the work that matters most to them.”
Lesson: A set of custom graphics and a memorable slogan can really take your Facebook ads to the next level. Don’t be afraid to do some name-dropping too!
- Melio
Another company from the FinTech industry, Melio offers an excellent insight into how you can make every Facebook ad suit your specific branding. The colors used throughout each video and image are perfectly matched to the Melio logo.
Like some of the other companies that we’ve examined in this list of Facebook ad libraries so far, Melio also knows how to use social proof to its advantage. In many different ads, the company includes some great quotes from happy customers.
Using quotes to highlight selling points for your company, like “simplicity” is a great way to advertise your product, without being overly promotional.
“We started using Melio for the credit card, but now we use it to pay all our vendors, and we love the simplicity.” J.S- a happy Melio customer.
Lesson: Use brand colors and guidelines to create a consistent experience for your audience on any social media platform.
- MailChimp
If you scroll through the ads in MailChimp’s library, you’ll notice that the company frequently follows a specific template. The company asks a question that they know is plaguing their target audience, then answers it quickly and concisely.
The strategy of “Now what?” and “That’s what” question/answer formatting in each Facebook ad clearly pays off for MailChimp, by showing its audience that the brand is informed and that it understands their needs.
MailChimp proves that if you find something that really works for your company, you shouldn’t be afraid to stick with it.
“You launched a new campaign! Now what? Get real-time analytics and insights. That’s what.”
Lesson: Find an ad strategy that works for your company and re-use it to create a more memorable tone for your brand.
- Grammarly
Grammarly is a tool that helps people to communicate more effectively, and produce more professional documents, by improving spelling and grammar.
In the Grammarly Facebook ad library, you’ll be able to see numerous examples of how this company excels in its promotions, by using brand colors in every picture, as well as plenty of useful information.
Grammarly seems to be particularly good at building trust with its audience. It does this through everything from quotes from users, to announcements about awards and new accolades. Grammarly knows how important it is to share your accomplishments with your clients.
“We’re off to an exciting start this year as G2 announces Grammarly Business as the 2020 category leader in AI Writing Assistant Software! Grammarly Business is designed for leaders seeking to empower and improve communication skills across teams. Stay tuned for more on how organizations like yours can use this tool to achieve.”
Lesson: Always highlight your accomplishments, and experiment with different ways to gain trust from your target audience.
- Slack
Slack is a collaboration solution designed to help teams work more seamlessly together. The app aims to replace the cluttered email inbox with more convenient real-time messaging between groups.
In it’s Facebook promotions, Slack focuses on asking customers to question what they thought they knew about their day-to-day communications, to see if they can imagine a better way of interactions. Questions starting with “What if your email…” introduce customers to a world where email can be replaced by something more efficient.
The videos included with each ad also help to make the promotions more engaging and informative.
“What if your email let you see a project’s entire history, and not just the messages sent to you? Then, it wouldn’t be email at all.”
Lessons: Ask your customers to imagine the new reality that they could achieve with your products and highlight the benefits of working with you in the process.
- Teamwork
Another example of a fantastic software solution for teams that need help collaborating, Teamwork is all about keeping remote and in-office employees on the same page. The Teamwork brand is always delivering a consistent and highly professional image with its Facebook ads.
The company seems to use the same colors in virtually every ad campaign, which helps to make Teamwork instantly recognizable on a cluttered newsfeed.
The best thing about Teamwork’s ads, however, is how specific they are. They don’t just tell you that you get a great return on your investment with Teamwork, they tell you exactly how much of a return you get.
“This newly released Forrester Consulting study reveals the real-world benefits of using Teamwork to manage your workload, including
☑️ A 437% return on investment
☑️ Benefits equaling $461K in team member output
☑️ Work management and collaboration efficiencies equaling “
Lesson: Get specific. Numbers and statistics can really help your customers to understand how much value you have to offer.
- Headspace
Headspace is a mobile app designed to help people calm their minds and bodies every day. In a world where most of us are constantly plagued by stress, Headspace makes it easier to re-center yourself, without having to pay for professional guidance.
Headspace keeps things simple with its Facebook ads, delivering short and sweet messages that are tailored to individual users from around the world. Notably, the company is excellent at customizing its content to different locations. It doesn’t just translate the message; it provides a different piece of content depending on where you’re interacting with the brand.
Headspace even includes reviews from different people in different parts of the globe to give customers a more local sense of social proof.
“Stop for a moment, and take a deep breath. And take a little time for yourself with headspace.”
Lesson: Segment your audience and customize your message to suit the needs of different customers. Don’t just translate your message.
- Shopify
Finally, as a company committed to helping businesses form stronger connections with their target audience, Shopify always seems to excel at advertising. The brand has a strong presence across multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, where it maintains a consistent tone of voice, and an excellent commitment to brand image.
Shopify keeps things simple and sweet with its ad copy, usually focusing on just a few words at a time. What’s really special about Shopify is that there are dozens of versions of the same ad in the Shopify ad library, each tailored to a certain audience. For instance, the messaging changes depending on whether Shopify is targeting a retail business or an online company.
Shopify’s Ad library shows that you don’t just have to segment by location, you can segment according to the needs of your buyer too.
“Learn how to find a POS that helps you manage inventory across your online and retail stores.”
Lesson: Use your targeted audiences on Facebook to really deliver customized messages to your customers.
Exploring the Facebook Ad Library
There are dozens of great ways to collect information and get inspiration from the Facebook ad libraries function – if you know how to use it.
The ability to browse through ad copy and creative made by other businesses will give your organization a chance to find new ideas, and even benchmark your performance against other people in your industry.
With a little luck, the libraries that we’ve covered so far will have given you a lot of useful guidance to work with when you start working on your next Facebook ad. However, don’t forget that you can quickly go and check out some extra libraries on your own. All you need to do is type the name of the business you want to learn about into Facebook’s Ad Library search bar.
Have fun learning!
