I was asked to give a presentation at the 2015 Sellers Summit conference in Miami Florida. The conference was geared towards Amazon FBA and e-commerce sellers. The presentation focused on Facebook Advertising and tips I learned from working at a digital agency.

1. Lessons from $5M in
Facebook Ad Spend
Ben Turcotte

2. Who am I and why am I here?
• Michigan Native
• Business Analysis & Product Marketing @ Bullhorn
• Account Management & Business Development @ Social Fulcrum
• Executive Broker @ FE International

3. Who is FE International?
• Est. 2010
• 400 deals
• $45M+ in sales
• 120% year-on-year growth
• Team of 15 champions
• 100% self-funded to date

4. What should you expect to learn today?
• Test, Test, Test
• Assume you know nothing.
• You already have the tools to succeed
• Use what you have to optimize and grow (email lists, buyer info, etc…)
• Less is more
• And when it comes to landing pages, brevity is key.

5. Let’s start with the basics…
Image Source: Wordstream
6 Pillars of a
Facebook Ad:

6. Facebook Optimization
 There are 3 areas to focus on:
 Visual Optimization
 Picture
 Copy Optimization
 Text in the Ad
 Audience Optimization
 Location, Demographics, Interests, Behaviors

7. Test, Test, Test
 Run the gamut– sometimes the simple ideas are the best
 Use A/B Testing (GetDataDriven)
 Optimize after clear winners start to emerge and results are proven to be statistically significant

8. Optimize from the top down.
e-Commerce Sales Funnel
Hit Lander
Hit Site
Add to
Cart
Checkout
See Advertisement
Less Expensive
to Optimize
Expensive
to Optimize
Visual Optimization
Lowers CPC & CTR when optimized
Copy Optimization
Lowers CPC & CTR when optimized
Audience Optimization
Lowers Add to Cart / Customer Acquisition
Costs
Visual
Copy
Audience

9. Testing Top Tip
Always test individual variants in separate ad sets.

10. Image Testing
• Image testing should always be the first variable tested as it is most determinate of CTR and CPC.

11. Image Testing Game
Which image do you think would have a better CTR?
CTR: 3.13% CTR: 3.52%

12. Image Testing Tip #1
Test a wide variety of images.

13. Image Testing Tip #2
Optimize Quickly
As soon as an image has been proven statistically ineffective,
eliminate it from the test and reallocate your budget. This
technique will ensure that you are not wasting money on poor
performing ads.

14. Pop Quiz Question: What do you do with each ad variable when testing?

15. Copy Testing

16. Copy Testing Tip #1
Make sure that the unique variables in your copy
relate directly to what you are trying to test.
“Cameras so good you can hardly “bear” it!”
“I want an action camera that isn’t shock or
waterproof…said no one ever!”
“Never miss a second of the action”
“The #1 selling Action Camera that is ready
for whatever you throw at it…literally”
“Shop the latest GoPro models. Every one
still takes better video than your cell phone.”
“No more cases or plastic bags, grab a
GoPro”

17. Audience Testing: You already have the tools
Interests
BehaviorDemographic

18. Audience Testing Tip #1
Make a List and Validate
Product Audience Idea List
Interests/Behaviors Audience Size on Facebook
1. Skateboarding 15M
2. Action Camera 290 (not thousand, total)
3. Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar Energy Drinks 25M Total (TOO BIG)
4. Video Editing, Film Making Video Editing: 440K, Film Making: 8.8M
5. Wakeboarding 2M
6. Autocross 400K

19. Audience Testing Tip #2
Custom Audiences
Image Source: Etienne Search & Social Advertising

21. Facebook Hack #1
Test Ads in the following order:
Image
Copy
Audience

22. Facebook Hack #2
Reallocate budget based on statistical
significance.
Source: VWO.com

23. Facebook Hack #3
Take advantage of Facebook’s
Custom/Lookalike Audiences
Source: www.shoutdigital.com

24. Facebook Hack #4
• Measure cross-device conversions
• Ensure ads are being seen by the people most likely to buy
• Use the data to build custom audiences
Place Facebook’s Pixel on your
website to gather more accurate
data about your customers.

25. Facebook Hack #5
Use a landing page to capture customer data.
Image: Unbounce.com

26. Landing Page 101
Types of Landing Pages:
• Click Through
• Lead Generation
Example Lead Generation Landing Page Styles:
Contest Entry
Free Trial

27. Landing Page 101
Designed by Ben Turcotte for Social Fulcrum

28. Landing Page Tips
• Brevity is Key
• Don’t be afraid of white space
• Make your call to action (CTA) button large and noticeable
• Avoid using bright colors for bodies of text.
SUBMIT

29. The Most Bizarre Landing Page Tip…
A testimonial with a friendly face goes a long way.

30. Wrap Up
• Test!
• It is the best way to learn and optimize
• Use the tools you already have to succeed
• Focus on optimization and scalability
• Less is more
• Make sure your message doesn’t get lost in extraneous text or design elements.

31. Test, Test, Testimonials
“Fantastic experience. FE International has put
together a top notch team and knows how to
make deals happen.”
Rob Walling
Co-Founder of Drip
“I’m absolutely thrilled about the sale I just completed
with FEI. They found a buyer who shares my values
and who will be an excellent new owner to the
business.”
Patrick McKenzie
Kalzumeus Software LLC
Ben.Turcotte@FEInternational.com
www.FEInternational.com/about-us/