Digital marketers: Get a leg-up on your competition and push your Facebook Ads to the next level of profitability with 20 advanced Facebook advertising tools you may not be using.
The Facebook ad tools here will provide you with:
- Actionable performance insights
- Effective audience targeting abilities
- Innovative brand experiences
- Better cost per results
The 20 Best Facebook Advertising Tools
4 BILLION.
That’s how many active monthly users we’re looking at when you add up user activity across all of Facebook’s properties.
Facebook has designed its ad platform so advertisers can run ads to reach users on all of the Facebook properties at once — Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Marketplace, and the Facebook Audience Network.
You may already be familiar with Facebook’s suite of ad tools that advertisers use to create ads, run experiments, review performance and view competitor ads.
There are also third-party platforms that will enhance every stage of an ad funnel and analysis.
At Customers.ai we’ve tried a lot of Facebook tools since it launched its ad platform in 2007.
The tools here make up our actual stack of must-have software we use to break records in cost per acquisition and other key metrics.
Try these 20 Facebook advertising tools that will make your ad dollar reach further:
- Facebook Ads Manager and Ads Manager mobile app
- Facebook Pixel
- Customers.ai Cookieless Facebook Ad Pixel
- WordStream Facebook Ads Grader
- Unbounce landing page builder
- HubSpot Ad Management Software
- Facebook Insights audience tools
- Facebook Restore: Enhanced Retargeting
- AdEspresso management and reporting platform
- Agorapulse Facebook Ads report
- SEMrush social media ads
- Hootsuite Ads
- Canva Facebook ad creative tool
- Facebook Ads Manager media tools
- Boomerang and Instagram Story media creator
- Facebook Ad Library
- Facebook Insights
- AdRoll Facebook marketing platform
- Intent-based Consumer directory
- Buffer AI Assistant
Let’s dive into the performance-boosting power of each tool here.
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Facebook Advertising Tools #1. Facebook Ads Manager and Ads Manager mobile app
Ads Manager is Facebook’s advanced management platform for running paid media across the Facebook family of apps. You may already be using it to create audiences, run ad campaigns and experiments, and review performance.
But did you know that Facebook Ads Manager has a mobile app for iOS and Android with tons of bells and whistles?
Use the app to stay on the pulse of your Facebook ad performance and even create new ads and audiences on the go from your phone.
Facebook Advertising Tool #2. Facebook Pixel
The Facebook universal pixel is a foundational tool in any Facebook advertiser’s toolkit.
The pixel on you site or app will power the ability to create custom audiences based on user behavior on your website or app, and give you insights into conversions from your ads.
Be sure to install the Facebook Ad Pixel on your website, app and web properties so you can do advanced audience targeting and run event-based conversion campaigns.
Note: Facebook ad pixel match rates and audience sizes have drastically shrunk due to privacy changes and platform updates.
Facebook Advertising Tools #3. Customers.ai Cookieless Facebook Ad Pixel
Anyone who has run Facebook ads for some time knows how small audiences have become. iOS 14 drastically changed the Facebook landscape and now with the removal of third-party cookies across Chrome, it’s only going to shrink further.
It’s time for marketers to start collecting their own first-party data that can be synced with Facebook.
You can with the Customers.ai Cookieless Facebook Ad Pixel!
Capture your website visitors, create custom segments, and build remarketing audiences directly from the platform.
It’s super easy to set up and free to try!
To install the pixel, sign up (for FREE!), go to your dashboard, and navigate to My Automations.
Select + New Automation and get your pixel. We have easy install options for Google Tag Manager, WordPress, and Shopify, or you can install the pixel manually.
Facebook Advertising Tool #4. WordStream Facebook Ads Grader
Want a pointed review of your Facebook Ad account with a checklist of areas of improvement?
That’s exactly what you’ll get from the WordStream Facebook Ads Performance Grader.
Each recommendation includes you an action you can take that will increase your ads adherence to best practices, and a step closer to optimum ad setup, audience targeting and more.
Facebook Advertising Tool #5. Unbounce landing pages for social ads
When using Facebook traffic or conversion ads, you want to provide a high-converting experience on your website landing page.
Unbounce makes custom Facebook ad landing page creation possible by anyone, no coding skills required.
Facebook Advertising Tool #6. HubSpot Ad Management Software
HubSpot’s ad software allows you to create, manage, and report on your digital ads across Facebook, Instagram, and other various ad networks. This is an especially great option if you’re looking for an easy way to tie back your advertising to your entire marketing efforts, all in one place.
The free version is ideal if you’re getting started running Facebook ads and want to generate new leads. With a HubSpot free account, you’ll be able to:
- Build ads quickly and easily using the built-in editor
- Sync your leads to make sure all your contacts are in one place
- Access reports that will let you see exactly which ads your contacts clicked before converting
HubSpot’s free plan also includes additional tools to help you nurture your leads into customers:
- Form and popup builder
- Live chat and chatbots
- Landing page builder
- Email marketing
- And more
Once you begin to outgrow the free limits, HubSpot’s paid plans are designed to assist you on your journey and follow you through your growth as you scale your business.
Once you get more ad spend budget, you can upgrade to the premium features of HubSpot’s ad tool which will allow you to use retargeting to reach people based on their past interactions with you and what you know about them, as well as automate these processes, along with more detailed attribution reports.
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Facebook Advertising Tool #7. Facebook Insights tools
The Audience Insights tool from Facebook lets you explore the audience targeting capabilities from the Facebook network.
Starting with the total Facebook population, layer on filters including whether they’re connected to your Page or Place, any of Facebook’s interest, behavior, and demographic audience targeting, age, gender and location.
Get familiar with the rich interest-based audience targeting with the Audience Insights tools located within Facebook IQ.
Facebook Advertising Tool #8. Facebook Restore
Restore from Customers.ai gives you back the remarketing audiences you thought were lost.
Restore sends your segmented audiences directly to Facebook, superpowering your retargeting audiences and getting back the audience match rates of old.
To use Restore, connect your Customers.ai audiences to Facebook and let it work it’s magic!
Facebook Advertising Tool #9. AdEspresso
AdEspresso’s platform is an all-in-one digital advertising suite that lets you manage campaigns in Facebook Ads and other ad networks like Google.
This streamlines our team’s ad management by giving us a centralized place for collaboration, optimization, analysis and reporting.
There’s also a smart optimization engine that will automatically pause and run ads based on optimization rules for CPA, CPL and other metrics.
Facebook Advertising Tool #10. Agorapulse Ads Report
Let’s face it, Facebook’s native advertising reporting tools are lacking.
There’s data, but it can take a bit of work to get it in the form of insight-at-a-glance.
We like Agorapulse’s take on a visual centric report for Facebook Ads. The AdsReport is especially useful for agencies because it gleans insights and makes for a nice deliverable.
Facebook Advertising Tool #11. SEMrush social media ads
What SEMrush offers for digital advertisers is a simplified and streamlined process for creating ads.
Use the Social Media Ads tools in SEMrush’s Social Media Toolkit as part of a holistic system for gaining research and insights, competitor tracking, and developing ad creation.
Facebook Advertising Tools #12. Hootsuite Ads
Hootsuite is a proven platform for social media management teams with essential efficiencies like bulk post and scheduling.
The ads tools bring that collaboration and efficiency to social teams that work on the ads side, unifying the management across social and search platforms, and the organic and paid side of the house.
Facebook Advertising Tools #13. Canva ad creative
Innovative, eye-catching creative is a must in Facebook and Instagram advertising.
But that’s no small job. Each ad type has small differences in optimal image sizes. With all a nimble digital advertiser has to juggle, the ever-changing ad dimensions may send you over the edge.
Canva is one of the best options for DIY Facebook ad creative creation. The Pro tools make it possible to convert ad creative into different sizes automatically.
And there’s a big selection of animation stickers that will add scroll-stopping movement to your graphics.
Facebook Advertising Tool #14. Facebook Ads Manager Media Tools
Just in case you weren’t aware, you can use stock photos powered by Shutterstock directly from the ads creation process in Facebook Ads Manager.
Search stock photos when you create a single image ad.
Facebook also offers animated templates for creating a video or slideshow from your own images or graphics.
Facebook Advertising Tools #15: Facebook Ad Library
The best competitive intelligence tool for Facebook Ads out there is hands-down the Ad Library.
Search the Ad Library by advertiser name (i.e., your competitor) and you’ll see the ads they’re running or have run.
Precious data includes ad spend, sorting by impressions, and if the ad is active or inactive.
Facebook Advertising Tool #16: Boomerang and Instagram Stories
Users are spending a lot of time in Instagram Stories and you don’t need a big budget to create ad creative that blends naturally into the space.
Use the actual Story creator from your Instagram mobile app to add text and stickers to an image or video you upload to the editor. Use advanced camera features like lenses and Boomerang to create something that feels native to the format.
Then download your new creative and upload it into your Facebook ads management platform of choice.
Facebook Advertising Tools #17: Facebook Insights
What’s data-rich, integrated into every Facebook account, and totally free?
The Facebook analytics right insight Page Insights!
View the Facebook Page Insights within a Facebook Page to get data about people who interact with your Page, actions taken on your page, reach of your content, and more.
Many of the Facebook analytics reported right within Page Insights are broken down into paid and organic sources, giving you insights on reach, engagement, and more from advertising campaigns.
Facebook Advertising Tools #18: AdRoll
AdRoll is an advertising platform that provides tools for creating, managing, and optimizing digital advertising campaigns, including those on Facebook.
AdRoll’s Facebook retargeting capabilities give ecommerce businesses a powerful tool to re-engage and convert potential customers.
AdRoll directly integrates with Facebook and the platform’s advanced segmentation and dynamic ad creation lets advertisers tailor content based on users’ browsing history, preferences, and interactions.
Facebook Advertising Tools #19: Consumer Directory
We mentioned previously that Customers.ai can tell you exactly who is visiting your website and what pages they visit. These people make for the perfect retargeting audience and are the perfect way to grow our remarketing lists.
Additionally, our intent-based Consumer Directory can help you not only enrich leads data but also build your Facebook retargeting list with customers who fit your ICP.
Facebook audiences are shrinking and with privacy changes continuing to roll out, the only way to grow your retargeting lists will to manually do so.
Facebook Advertising Tools #19: Instachamp Automated Social Media Messaging
InstaChamp is the first Instagram-and-Facebook approved tool for business growth via messaging automation.
InstaChamp stands out for its comprehensive approach to social media engagement, particularly tailored to ecommerce businesses. What makes InstaChamp unique is its advanced automation features, including chatbots and personalized messaging, which facilitate instant and personalized interactions with customers.
Plus, by automating responses, customer queries, and order updates on social media platforms, InstaChamp helps ecommerce businesses enhance customer satisfaction, streamline communication, and improve conversions.
Facebook Advertising Tools #20: Buffer AI Assistant
Buffer has a fresh set of tools that incorporate AI to help you make the most of your Facebook advertising efforts.
From AI-driven post creation to UTM tags and scheduling tools, Buffer has a ton of tools to help advertisers of all types.
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You’ve seen a lot of Facebook advertising tools here today, I’d venture a few you’ve never heard of. Give them a try and let me know how it goes for you.
Important Next Steps
- Install Facebook customer chat on your website for free today with the Free Forever Customers.ai Stay Connected special edition.
- Talk and learn about chatbots with other enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, a Facebook group of over 35k marketers and entrepreneurs that are ready to support you.
- Advance your marketing performance with Chatbot University, a free chatbot tutorial and training area for chat marketers.
FAQs about Facebook Advertising Tools
Q: What are Facebook advertising tools?
A: Facebook advertising tools are software or platforms designed to help businesses create, manage, and optimize their Facebook advertising campaigns. These tools offer various features such as ad creation, audience targeting, performance tracking, and analytics to enhance the effectiveness of Facebook advertising efforts.
Q: What are some popular Facebook advertising tools?
Some popular Facebook advertising tools include:
- Facebook Ads Manager
- Facebook Business Manager
- AdEspresso
- Qwaya
- Driftrock
- AdStage
These tools offer a range of features to streamline ad creation, audience targeting, optimization, and reporting.
Q: How do Facebook advertising tools help businesses?
Facebook advertising tools provide businesses with powerful features and functionalities to:
- Create visually appealing and compelling ads
- Target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors
- Optimize ad campaigns to improve performance and maximize ROI
- Track and analyze ad performance through detailed reporting and analytics
These tools simplify the process of managing and optimizing Facebook advertising campaigns, helping businesses achieve better results and reach their marketing objectives.
Q: Are Facebook advertising tools suitable for small businesses?
Yes, Facebook advertising tools are suitable for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses. Many tools offer user-friendly interfaces, intuitive features, and budget-friendly options that cater specifically to the needs and resources of small businesses. These tools can help small businesses create effective Facebook ad campaigns, reach their target audiences, and achieve their marketing goals.
Q: What are Facebook advertising tools?
Facebook advertising tools are software and features provided by Facebook to create, manage, and optimize advertising campaigns on its platform, including Ads Manager, Business Manager, and Audience Insights.
Q: How do I access Facebook Ads Manager?
To access Facebook Ads Manager, log in to your Facebook account, go to your Facebook page, click on “Ad Center,” and then select “Ads Manager.”
Q: What is Facebook Business Manager?
Facebook Business Manager is a tool that allows you to manage your ad accounts, Pages, and the people who work on them—all in one place.
Q: Can I target specific audiences with Facebook ads?
Yes, Facebook ads allow you to target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more to ensure your ads are seen by the right people.
Q: What is the Facebook Pixel?
The Facebook Pixel is a code that you place on your website to collect data that helps you track conversions from Facebook ads, optimize ads, build targeted audiences, and remarket to people who have taken some kind of action on your website.
Q: How do I create a Lookalike Audience in Facebook Ads?
To create a Lookalike Audience, go to your Facebook Ads Manager, select “Audiences,” click on “Create Audience,” choose “Lookalike Audience,” and then follow the instructions to select your source audience and target location.
Q: What is the minimum budget for Facebook ads?
The minimum budget for Facebook ads depends on the ad type and billing method but generally starts at $1 per day for daily budgets and $5 total for lifetime budgets of an ad.
Q: Can I schedule Facebook ads in advance?
Yes, you can schedule Facebook ads in advance by selecting “Schedule” in the ad set level of your campaign setup and choosing your start and end dates.
Q: How can I measure the success of my Facebook ads?
Measure the success of your Facebook ads by using Facebook’s Ad Manager to track performance metrics such as reach, impressions, clicks, conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
Q: What is Facebook Audience Insights?
Facebook Audience Insights is a tool that provides detailed demographics, interests, and behaviors of your target audience and the people who like your Facebook Page.
Q: How do I use Custom Audiences in Facebook Ads?
To use Custom Audiences, go to your Facebook Ads Manager, select “Audiences,” click “Create Audience,” choose “Custom Audience,” and follow the prompts to create an audience based on your own data sources like a customer list, website traffic, or app activity.
Q: What are Dynamic Ads on Facebook?
Dynamic Ads automatically promote products to people who have expressed interest on your website, in your app or elsewhere on the Internet, by using your product catalog and setting up your campaign once.
Q: How do I optimize Facebook ads for mobile?
Optimize Facebook ads for mobile by using eye-catching images or videos, concise text, a clear call-to-action, and ensuring your landing page is mobile-friendly.
Q: What is Facebook’s Ad Library?
Facebook’s Ad Library is a public tool that allows anyone to search and view ads currently running across Facebook’s products, including the ad’s performance, spend, and audience demographics.
Q: Can I use video ads on Facebook?
Yes, Facebook supports video ads, and they can appear in News Feed, Stories, or as in-stream ads in longer Facebook videos.
Q: How do I stop my Facebook ad campaign?
To stop your Facebook ad campaign, go to Ads Manager, select the campaign, ad set, or ad you wish to stop, click on “Edit,” and then change the status to “Paused.”
Q: What is A/B testing in Facebook advertising?
A/B testing, or split testing, in Facebook advertising involves creating two or more versions of an ad to see which performs better by varying elements like the ad creative, target audience, or placement.
Q: How does Facebook’s bidding system work?
Facebook’s bidding system allows advertisers to bid for ad space based on the objectives they want to achieve, such as clicks, impressions, or conversions. The system then places ads based on the bid amount and the ad’s relevance and quality.
Q: Can I advertise on Instagram through Facebook Ads Manager?
Yes, you can advertise on Instagram through Facebook Ads Manager by selecting Instagram as a placement when you create your ad.
Q: How do I target my competitors’ audience with Facebook ads?
Target your competitors’ audience by using interests targeting in Facebook Ads Manager to include interests related to your competitors and exclude interests directly associated with your brand.
Q: What is the relevance score in Facebook ads?
The relevance score is a metric in Facebook ads that rates the quality and relevance of your ads to your target audience on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most relevant.
Q: Can I retarget visitors to my website with Facebook ads?
Yes, you can retarget visitors to your website with Facebook ads by creating a Custom Audience using the Facebook Pixel data from your website.
Q: How do I choose the right ad format for my Facebook campaign?
Choose the right ad format for your Facebook campaign by considering your campaign objective, the nature of your message, and your target audience’s preferences. Options include image, video, carousel, slideshow, and collection ads.
Q: What are Carousel Ads on Facebook?
Carousel Ads on Facebook allow you to showcase up to ten images or videos within a single ad, each with its own link, to highlight different products or tell a story.
Q: How can I increase engagement on my Facebook ads?
Increase engagement on your Facebook ads by using high-quality visuals, writing compelling ad copy, targeting the right audience, and including a clear call-to-action.
Q: What is the best time to run Facebook ads?
The best time to run Facebook ads varies depending on your target audience’s behavior, but you can use Facebook Insights to analyze when your audience is most active on the platform.
Q: Can I use Facebook ads for lead generation?
Yes, you can use Facebook ads for lead generation by creating lead ads that collect information from interested users without them needing to leave Facebook.
Q: How do I set up a Facebook ad campaign for local business promotion?
Set up a Facebook ad campaign for local business promotion by selecting “Reach” as your campaign objective and targeting your ads based on geographic location, age, gender, and interests relevant to your local community.
Q: What are Instant Experience ads on Facebook?
Instant Experience ads are full-screen ad experiences that load instantly on mobile devices, designed to capture the complete attention of your audience with interactive elements.
Q: How can I ensure my Facebook ads are GDPR compliant?
Ensure your Facebook ads are GDPR compliant by obtaining consent from individuals before collecting their data, being transparent about how you will use their data, and providing an option for users to opt-out or manage their data preferences.
Q: What is the primary function of Facebook’s Ads Manager tool?
The primary function of Facebook’s Ads Manager tool is to create, manage, and track the performance of advertising campaigns across Facebook’s platforms, offering detailed analytics and reporting features.
Q: How does the Facebook Pixel tool enhance ad targeting?
The Facebook Pixel enhances ad targeting by tracking user actions on your website, enabling you to create more targeted ads based on those actions, optimize campaigns for conversions, and retarget website visitors.
Q: Can Facebook’s Creative Hub tool help preview ads before they go live?
Yes, Facebook’s Creative Hub tool allows advertisers to mock up and preview ads in various formats before they go live, ensuring that the creative elements look as intended across different placements.
Q: What is the advantage of using Facebook’s Audience Insights tool for ad targeting?
The advantage of using Facebook’s Audience Insights tool is its ability to provide detailed information about your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors, helping you to refine your ad targeting for better performance.
Q: How does Facebook’s Automated Rules tool assist in managing ad campaigns?
Facebook’s Automated Rules tool assists in managing ad campaigns by allowing advertisers to set rules for automatic adjustments to their campaigns based on specific criteria, such as pausing underperforming ads or adjusting budgets, thereby optimizing campaign performance with minimal manual intervention.