Which Facebook ad types convert best for fashion brands?

In a world of increasingly savvy shoppers, who generally know an advert when they see one, it can be difficult to know which angles to take as a fashion brand in order to stand out from the crowd and actually make conversions from your social media ads.

There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution to Facebook marketing for fashion brands. There are so many factors, other than just the ads themselves, which can have an impact on conversions. Brand awareness and perception, social proof, accuracy of targeting and timing can all have a huge bearing on the success of a Facebook campaign, before you even get to the creative concept, design elements and the tone of the messaging. However, all of these things aside, there are some types of Facebook ad formats that lend themselves particularly well to the world of fashion. We have compiled some of the ad types that we have found work best for many of our fashion clients.

Carousel product ads - with a ‘Shop Now’ CTA

There are several different ways to use carousel ads, but some of our favourites include:

• Single product: showing the same product in several different contexts e.g. the same top worn day and night with different outfit and accessory combinations to show how it can work for lots of occasions and settings. This can also work with different colour variations of the same garment.
• Themed products: showing similar products e.g. different bikinis/beachwear options from a specific colour palette or range.
• Get the look: showing a whole outfit on one image, then the other images in the carousel feature the products individually so people can easily click through to shop the look.

Video or gif ad content

Video can sometimes be a slightly less direct route to sale, but can be a vital cog in the wheel of conversions too.

• Showing a specific outfit or individual piece worn by a model in a short aspirational video clip e.g. beach scene, night out, on a date etc. is a great way to build a Facebook custom audience of people who would be interested in these products. You can use the ‘video views’ objective. You can then remarket to this audience with the same or similar products with a link click to a product page.
• Showing a gif animation of different garments (usually flat-lays) can be a fun and engaging way to display them in different contexts and is quick, easy and cheap creative to produce.
• How-to videos or gifs are a great option for fashion brands to offer creative that their audience can really connect with. Showing mix & match looks on a themed basis e.g. job interviews, workwear, summer essentials etc. is a great way to inspire your way to sales.

Using ad creative including influencers or celebrity brand ambassadors can really catch the attention of potential customers. Using someone to showcase a clothing line that your target audience can relate to can be a great sales trigger, and by targeting ads at those who have an affinity with that influencer, you can broaden your audience significantly.

UGC ad content

Using visual content that real customers post on social media, such as customers wearing particular pieces (with their full permission, of course) can be a great way of promoting your products online, in a way that resonates with your audience. Real people, wearing your brand in real locations and situations is highly relatable and offers social proof to Facebook users, which can drive significant sales.

Using lifestyle images for ad content

There is a balance to be found with lifestyle product imagery. The scene needs to tell a story about who that person is, where they are and what they are doing, but with too much going on in a snapshot, the attention can be taken away from the product entirely. Images that offer a glimpse of lifestyle elements but minimise distractions from the product itself are the perfect combination for sales-driving social media ads.

Collection ad format

Offering pretty much the best of all worlds, is Facebook’s Collection ad format. Essentially a mini-landing page within Facebook (powered by Facebook Canvas), users can view a combination of different types of content, including videos and images to find out more about the product before being driven to your website to buy.

As with any digital platform, Facebook can play a big role in your online sales and it’s important to attribute credit to any channels that play a part in a conversion, in order to understand the true value of your marketing activity. By ensuring that your site analytics attribution model is set up appropriately and using Facebook pixels and trackable links in every ad you display, you can get a much clearer picture of the role that Facebook is playing in your customers’ user journeys and the resulting transactions.

We can help! Give our fashion retail team a call today on, 0800 011 9715 or visit Fashion Digital Marketing.