Every now and then, we see a new Facebook Campaign Objective option pop up (or change slightly) in Power Editor (or Ads Manager, whichever your editing platform of choice is). If it’s not a new objective type, it’s a new recommendation for which one to use. These things change pretty rapidly.

All recommendations are just recommendations, too–we live by testing multiple campaign objectives for yourself. What works for one company or industry doesn’t necessarily bring about the highest return for everyone. In fact, we often see completely opposite results.

Let’s take a look at the main options (and these are the options I’d recommend testing first for most companies):

Brand Awareness

If this ad is at the top of your sales funnel, your main goal would be to reach as many (targeted) people as possible. The Brand Awareness Campaign Objective works by focusing on people who are most likely to be interested in your ad. Keep in mind that because this is used at the top of your funnel, you should not use this if your main goal is conversions.

Traffic

Trying to get clicks? If you want people to read the content on the other side of your ad (AKA where your educational content should be), Clicks is a good Campaign Objective to begin with. A tip for testing this objective–play around with how you’re paying. What I mean is, try paying per click but also give paying per impression a shot! It may sound strange, but I’ve actually seen some campaigns increase in clicks when you move to paying by impression. (This tip was first given to me by a Facebook Rep, otherwise, I may not have believed it ;))

Engagement

If your focus is more on growing your Facebook Engagement, then this is the Campaign Objective for you. Your ads will be shown to people who are more likely to Like, Comment, Share, etc. your posts–so keep that in mind when you are crafting your ads. You’ll want content that is easy to engage with. Think questions, a CTA, anything that clearly tells the end user what you want them to do.

Video Views

There are a few situations that are perfect for using the Video Views Campaign Objective. Obviously, if you have a video created for Facebook and want to increase its reach and effectiveness, this is ideal for that situation. Another option, however, is to use this Campaign Objective with the sole intent of creating an engaged audience to target farther down your tunnel. You can create a custom audience of only people who watched your video. And you know that if people spent time out of their day to watch your video, they’re a much more targeted audience than your general options.

Lead Generation

If getting people to your website isn’t your main concern, consider utilizing the Lead Generation Campaign Objective. With this option, you’re keeping people on Facebook and showing them your conversion instantly. While your leads may increase, make sure you pay attention to the quality of these leads. You should test out at least three different lead forms (I recommend three different form lengths) to see where you receive the most qualified leads. While the rule of thumb for forms tends to be keeping the number of asks as few as possible, this isn’t always the case with Facebook Lead Generation Ads. Because Facebook auto-fills information, you may end up getting out of date information and not being able to contact these people who have indicated their interest. (Think about it–do you still use the email address or phone number associated with your Facebook account?)

Conversions

When you go into your Facebook Advertising campaign with a specific conversion in mind, you’re likely drawn directly to the Conversions Campaign Objective. Are you ready to use this? Think about how far down the sales funnel you are. This Objective is most effective when the ads are being targeted to a custom audience of some kind. That can be a remarketing audience or an uploaded list from your CRM. These warm targets are a good choice for a Conversion campaign.

Store Visits

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, Store Visits may be the right option for you. The first thing I would check always before selecting this option, though, is the size of your potential audience. Make sure that you’ll be able to reach enough people in the immediate vicinity of your location to encourage them to come in. If you are in a rural location, you may have better luck with a different Campaign Objective.

Have more questions? Ask them in the comments, or sign up for a free consultation and I can help you figure out which Campaign Objective is right for your goals.