Facebook’s primary goal is to serve its users content that they want to see: content that is relevant to their interests and user behavior. Believe it or not, Facebook actually wants your ads to succeed! Among the number of qualifying factors you can utilize to determine your ad’s trajectory, the most informative is your ad’s Relevancy Score.
Facebook grades each and every ad it serves to its users on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. According to Facebook, the score is determined by the amount of engagement and feedback an ad receives. Your Relevancy Score will fluctuate throughout your campaign. However, the score at the beginning of your ad spend is crucial to how Facebook serves it throughout the rest of your campaign’s life.
How to Boost Your Facebook Ad Relevancy Score
So, you’ve launched your ad. You keep checking the status of your ad, anxiously awaiting your Relevancy Score to populate into your dashboard. After a few hours — potentially up to 48 hours — of waiting, your score pops up and…
It’s a 5 out of 10.
Panic sets in. You question why you even decided to advertise with Facebook. But worry not, because there are ways to boost that Relevancy Score quickly to get you back in the game.
Targeting is KEY
The most important aspect of every Facebook ad campaign is the targeting. Specificity is key to an ad’s success, so identify who it is that will be seeing your ad. The only way to ensure you’re targeting is optimized is to DO YOUR RESEARCH!
Determine your ideal prospect by finding out what websites he or she visits, what magazines he or she reads, what interests he or she has, and which television shows he or she watches. Build this buyer persona out before you launch your ad. This detailed IMA blog about determining buyer personas is a great place to start.
If your Relevancy Score is lower than you’d like, chances are you haven’t taken enough time to identify to whom your ads should be served.
If You Aren’t A/B Testing, You’re Missing Out
When you’re setting up your ad, there are so many questions you ask yourself. Should my Headline say “this” or “that”? Should I use an image or should I use a video? Is my offer more compelling with “this wording” or “that wording”?
Without running two versions of your ad at the beginning of your campaign comparing your variables, you won’t know what your audience wants to see.
Create an A/B test as you’re setting up your ads using this setup guide. Once you know which ad is more appetizing to your audience, turn the lower performing ad off and double down on your winner.
“But I Can’t Make a Video…”
Facebook reports that within a matter of a few years, the majority — if not all — of its content will be video-based. Consumers on Facebook have come to expect dynamic content. Static images can be incredibly persuasive, but video content attached to your ad can be even more engaging.
Facebook has responded to the common “but I don’t have the equipment, the time or the know-how to make a compelling video” excuse by introducing Slideshow.
Slideshow allows you to create a video using stock photos (courtesy of Shutterstock) with text overlays, background music, and image transition effects.
The Offer is No Bueno
You’ve enhanced your targeting. You’ve gone through your copy and your media and switched it all up. It’s a few days later, and you’re still not seeing results and, most importantly, an increase in your Relevancy Score.
This is a rough situation. However, it’s time to accept the fact that your offer just isn’t resonating. Perhaps you’re beginning to advertise summertime packages too soon, or the discounted offer is not intriguing enough to push conversions.
If you’re targeting is on point and your copy is compelling, but you’re still not seeing a spike in your score, the offer is the culprit.
Take a Breath and Start Over
No one wants to admit defeat. Everyone wants to have a “10” allocated to their ad. But let’s get real: even the best Facebook advertisers get scores that are less than satisfactory.
There are opportunities for adjustments as well as opportunities for starting fresh. Don’t let ego get in the way of launching an ad that’s set for success. There’s an easy way to determine the next steps forward:
| Relevancy Score | What That Means | What to Do |
| 1-4 | There’s something off. A significant portion of your campaign is not optimized, and you’re receiving low levels of engagement. | Start over. No, your offer is not horrible. No, you’re not bad at this. Something went awry when you set up your ad. Don’t waste any ad spend trying to fix this ad. Stop the ad and start over because you can’t come back from this. |
| 5-6 | Your ad is mostly optimized. A portion of your audience is engaging with this ad, but a large minority is not interested. | Change your targeting first. Still not seeing a difference in scoring? Your offer and/or copy is the issue. Change your copy before changing your offer. |
| 7-10 | Nailed it. | Your ad is performing well. Double down and increase your ad budget. Facebook users are welcoming your ad into their timelines. |
Apply these tips to any current or future Facebook ads, and there’s no reason why your Relevancy Score shouldn’t hit that 7-10 sweet spot.