"What kind of ads are people running in my industry?" "What are my competitors doing to advertise their brand and products?" "What are the things I can test to optimize my ads?", these are some questions you might have had when running your Meta Ads campaign. The good news is, that you no longer have to rely on guesswork to know what is up with your competitors! Now, you can view all the advertisements that are running on all of Meta Ads' platforms through the Meta Ads Library.
Meta Ads Library is a place where you can check what kind of advertisements are running on the Meta ecosystem, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Meta Audience Network. This includes all ads that your competitors are running, which you can use to supplement your competitive analysis and study the strategies they are using. It is the perfect tool for advertisers to enhance their ads! In this article, we will show you how to use the Meta Ads Library to see your competitor's ads, as well as how you can utilize this data for your campaigns!
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Looking for help or support on Meta Ads?
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Before we get started, in case you find yourself in need of some video guidance, here's a quick 4-minute tutorial from XYZ Lab's Youtube Channel!
Topics Covered:
How to use the Meta Ads Library:
How do I see competitors' ads on Facebook/Instagram?
Step 1️: Navigate to this link: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/
Step 2️: Select your Country and select "All Ads"
Step 3️: Type in a keyword or select an Advertiser
For example, we want to find ads for "hotels".
Here we can see different types of ads that are running in India that are relevant to hotels.
We can also search by advertiser. For example, we want to see if Emirates Airlines is running any ads in India.
Here, it shows that Emirates Airlines is not running any ads in India.
If you already know who your competitors are, you can also see their ads (if they are running some). For example, we know that Smoke House Deli is your competitor in India. You can search for them and find the ads that they are currently running.
Step 4️: You can click on "Filters" to choose the platform, media type, dates, and language
How can Meta Ads Library help you?
1. Get inspired
Are you running out of your ideas for your campaigns? Then, the Meta Ads Library is a great place to find some inspiration!
Look at all the active ads in your industry and pay attention to all the details. See the kinds of visuals and messaging they are using. Perhaps they're using memes, or they're using user-generated content, or they're handing out free quizzes, or whatever kind of content is out there. See if there are any unique and new ways that you can repurpose these ideas for your own campaign.
Aside from within your industry, you can also draw inspiration from companies outside your industry. The same idea applies here, try to look at what other brands are doing and whether some ideas can be applicable to your target market. Of course, you shouldn't just copy over the same ideas as that would be pointless, but you can definitely adapt them to be relevant to your business, product, or market.
2. Spy on your competitors
Take a close look at what your competitors are doing, and see which areas they are paying the most attention to or areas where they are not paying attention at all. Adopt their strong points, avoid their pitfalls, and find the opportunities between the gaps for your campaign.
Check against the following list and questions to ask when analyzing your competitor's ads:
Creative Assets: How are their visuals? What is their style?
Creative Formats: What type of creative formats are they using? Are they using images, carousels, videos, etc? Are they using user-generated content, product shots, feature videos, etc?
Key Messaging: What are their main headlines in the copy and the creative? What are they communicating? Are they talking about USPs, offers, brand values, etc?
Ad Copy: Are they using emojis? Is the text long or short? What is their tone of delivery?
Call to Action: What call to action are they using? How does the copy complement or lead up to the CTA?
Landing Page: Where are the ads directed to on competitors' websites? What is the customer journey like on their landing pages?
Platform: What are the platforms they are using? Where are they showing their ads? Are they advertising only on specific channels?
Target Market: Who is the ad talking to? Are they referring to specific audiences? (e.g. copies like "get code off 1st purchase" are likely to be targeted at prospective customers, whilst copies like "get extra discount on your next purchase" are likely retargeting existing customers)
A/B Testing: What are they testing in all their ad variations? What are the differences in each variation's images, copy, color, style, etc?
Partner Collaborations: Are your competitors collaborating with partners? Who are these people / influencers / brands?
Best Practices: Which of your competitors' ads have been running for a long time? This is an indicator that these ads are working well and you should adapt them into your strategy.
Remember that the goal is not to copy what your rivals are doing. You can take inspiration from their best ads, but ultimately the best strategy to beat your competitors is to differentiate yourself. Analyze all their ads and take notes of the good and the bad, and use this information to advise your marketing strategy.
3. Stay on top of the Meta Ads running in your industry
When you search by keywords, you will see a list of relevant or similar advertisements from other businesses in your industry. This is a useful option to explore your whole industry or relevant topics. You can check who else is advertising in your industry, aside from competitors that you already know of, and stay on top of these competitors.
Furthermore, you can also monitor and capitalize on trends. If there are certain hot topics currently being discussed in your industry, you should jump on them as soon as you can. Of course, beware of using this strategy, as if you're too late then it will be all for naught as the audience would no longer be interested.
The Meta Ads Library is a trove full of treasures; you just have to know how to utilize it! It is full of data you can access on active ads, including who created it, what it looks like, and when it started running. You can gain some inspiration for your own ads, but more than that, you can backtrack on the strategies that are being used by your competitors. Though it takes a little reading between the lines, obtaining this information allows you to learn your competitor's best practices, faults, and missing links. You may then use this information to determine the best plan for your marketing campaigns and make your ads more powerful!