How to Create Facebook Ads That Convert in 2025

Joshue Comments (0) November 24, 2025

Want your Facebook ads to drive results in 2025? Here’s what works now:

Set Clear Goals: Choose objectives that match your business stage – awareness for new brands, consideration for engagement, and conversion for sales.
Target Precisely: Use Facebook’s advanced tools to segment audiences by demographics, interests, and behaviours. For South African businesses, tailor campaigns to local contexts, like regional languages or cultural nuances.
Craft Engaging Content: Write ad copy that solves problems and resonates with your audience. Pair this with visuals that reflect South African settings. Videos, especially mobile-optimised ones, perform well.
Leverage Social Proof: Include testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content from local customers to build trust.
Build a Sales Funnel: Guide users from awareness (TOFU) to interest (MOFU) and finally to action (BOFU) with tailored messaging and retargeting.
Monitor and Optimise: Track key metrics (CTR, CPA, ROAS) and tweak underperforming ads. Scale successful campaigns gradually to maintain results.

Key takeaway: Focus on understanding your audience, creating relevant content, and refining campaigns based on data. These steps ensure your Facebook ads deliver measurable results in South Africa’s competitive market.

How to WIN with Facebook Ads in 2025 (From Setup to Scaling)

Set Your Campaign Goals and Target Audience

Before diving into your Facebook ad creation, it’s essential to define your goals and pinpoint your target audience. Facebook Ads in 2025 offers advanced tools that make this process more accurate than ever, especially for South African businesses aiming to connect with local markets.

Choose Your Campaign Objectives

Facebook groups campaign objectives into three categories: awareness, consideration, and conversion. Each serves a specific stage of the customer journey.

Awareness objectives are ideal for introducing your brand or launching a product. For instance, a Cape Town restaurant opening a new branch could focus on reach and impressions to build buzz.
Consideration objectives encourage people to engage with your business. This could mean driving traffic to your website, increasing post engagement, or boosting video views. A Johannesburg fitness studio might use this to promote its class schedules or training programmes.
Conversion objectives aim to drive specific actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or bookings. An online retailer in Durban selling locally crafted goods could use these campaigns to boost direct sales.

The trick is aligning your objective with your business needs. If your brand is new to the market, start with awareness. Once people recognise your brand, move to consideration, and finally, focus on conversions.

Research and Segment Your Audience

Facebook’s Audience Insights now provides even deeper demographic and behavioural data, especially valuable for understanding South African users. This tool helps uncover patterns about your potential customers that you might not have noticed before.

Start by analysing your current customer base. Upload your email list to create a Custom Audience. This will give you insights into your existing buyers, including their age, location within South Africa, interests, and online habits.

From there, dive into segmentation:

Demographic segmentation: South Africa’s diversity means your audience could vary by province, language, or cultural background. For example, a financial services company might find that its Gauteng audience responds differently to messaging than its Western Cape audience.
Interest-based segmentation: Understand what your audience is passionate about beyond your product. A local outdoor gear retailer, for example, might find their customers are interested in hiking trails and conservation efforts.
Behavioural segmentation: This focuses on how people interact with Facebook and other platforms. You can target users who frequently shop online, use mobile banking, or engage with small business content. Considering the variations in mobile usage across South Africa, this data can be incredibly helpful.

With Facebook’s improved Lookalike Audiences, you can expand your reach by targeting users who share similarities with your best customers, website visitors, or engaged followers. The platform’s AI identifies users with matching traits and behaviours, helping you connect with new, qualified prospects.

Use these insights to create detailed audience personas tailored to your local market.

Build Local Audience Personas

Developing audience personas allows you to tailor your messaging to your ideal customers. For South African businesses, these personas should reflect local contexts, cultural nuances, and economic realities.

Start with basic demographics and layer in local details. Think about language preferences, urban versus rural settings, and income levels. For example, a Pretoria-based accounting firm might target small business owners aged 35-50, primarily Afrikaans or English-speaking, who value personal relationships and prefer face-to-face interactions.

Consider these additional factors:

Lifestyle and values: South Africans’ attitudes towards technology, brand loyalty, and purchasing decisions vary widely. Some segments prefer trusted, established brands, while others are eager to try new, local businesses.
Digital behaviour patterns: While some people are heavy social media users who discover brands on Facebook and Instagram, others might prefer WhatsApp or rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Understanding these habits helps you choose the right ad formats and placements.
Pain points and motivations: Address real challenges your customers face. For instance, a solar energy company’s persona might focus on concerns about load shedding, rising electricity costs, and environmental impact. These insights shape your ad messaging and value propositions.

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, create three to five distinct personas. For example, a Cape Town tourism business might target local weekend explorers, domestic holiday travellers, and international visitors. Each persona will require tailored messaging, visuals, and strategies.

Test your personas with small campaigns, and allocate more budget to the ones that perform best. Facebook’s updated analytics tools make it easier to track results by audience segment and refine your approach as needed.

Create Ad Copy and Visuals

After defining your audience personas, the next step is to create compelling ad creatives that inspire action. Your ad copy and visuals should work together to highlight your value and motivate users to engage or make a purchase. In 2025, crafting high-quality creative content remains essential for successful Facebook ads.

Write Ad Copy That Solves Problems

Great ad copy speaks directly to your audience’s challenges and offers a clear solution. Begin with a headline that grabs attention by addressing a specific problem your South African customers face.

Your headline should be clear, benefit-driven, and action-oriented. For instance, instead of a generic phrase like "Quality Solar Panels Available", try something more engaging like "Slash Your Electricity Bill by 70% with Solar Power!" This immediately communicates the benefit and outcome your customers can expect.

The body copy should build on the headline, focusing on how your product or service can improve their lives. Use the PAS formula – Problem, Agitate, Solution – to structure your message. Start by identifying a problem your audience experiences. Then, emphasise the urgency or impact of that problem, and finally, present your solution.

For example, an accounting firm in Johannesburg might write: "Small business owners are struggling with the latest tax compliance changes. With SARS deadlines looming, even a small mistake could cost you thousands in penalties. Let our certified accountants handle your tax submissions, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and peace of mind."

Keep your tone conversational and relatable. South African audiences appreciate straightforward, authentic language, so avoid unnecessary jargon unless it’s expected by your target group. If you’re addressing diverse language communities, consider creating tailored ads that include local expressions or references.

End with a strong call-to-action (CTA) that makes the next step clear. Specific CTAs like "Book a Free Consultation", "Get Your Quote Now", or "Start Your Free Trial Today" often perform better than vague ones. Experimenting with different CTA options can help you discover what resonates most with your audience.

Once your copy is ready, pair it with visuals that enhance your message.

Choose Images and Video Formats

Visuals are the first thing users notice in their Facebook feed, so choosing the right images or videos is critical. Use visuals that complement your ad copy and resonate with your audience’s local context.

For static images, focus on those that reflect South African settings and experiences. If you’re targeting local customers, include recognisable scenes or elements. For instance, a Cape Town restaurant might showcase its dishes with Table Mountain in the background, or a Durban gym could feature locals enjoying a fitness class.

Skip generic stock photos whenever possible. Authentic images that reflect your audience’s environment and lifestyle are far more effective.

Videos often outperform images, especially when they’re authentic and engaging. Use formats like demonstrations or user-generated content to showcase your product in action. For example, a solar installation company could create a time-lapse video of a residential installation, while a food delivery service might highlight the journey from the kitchen to the customer’s door.

Optimise videos for mobile users. Since many South Africans access Facebook on their phones, ensure your videos are high-quality and mobile-friendly. Adding captions can also help your message reach users in different environments, whether they’re in a noisy taxi or scrolling quietly at home.

Social proof plays a big role in building trust, especially for South African consumers who value recommendations from their community. Incorporating testimonials, reviews, and case studies from local customers can significantly boost your ads’ credibility.

Highlight specific testimonials that address common challenges and showcase measurable benefits. For example, a Pretoria-based digital marketing agency might feature a client saying, "Aion Marketing helped us grow online sales by 150% in three months. Their campaigns resonated perfectly with our Gauteng audience."

Leverage user-generated content from your South African customers. Photos, videos, and written reviews from real users add authenticity to your ads – just make sure you have the necessary permissions to use them.

Real-time reviews and ratings integrated into your ads can further enhance trust. Features like current ratings or review counts offer potential customers immediate reassurance.

When possible, include testimonials that address uniquely South African challenges, such as load shedding or specific regional dynamics. Offering content in multiple local languages like isiZulu, isiXhosa, or Sesotho can also help you connect with different communities. This not only shows sensitivity to your audience but can also drive stronger engagement across diverse groups.

Don’t overlook past customers in your ad targeting. Their positive interactions – such as likes, comments, or shares – can amplify your ads’ credibility within their networks. When existing customers engage positively, it signals reliability to others.

Finally, use precise metrics to strengthen your social proof. Instead of vague claims like "We have many happy customers", say something like, "Over 500 five-star reviews from Cape Town businesses." Specific numbers lend credibility and make your message more persuasive.

Build Your Sales Funnel Across Ad Stages

Once you’ve identified your audience and set your campaign goals, it’s time to build a full-funnel strategy that turns awareness into sales. To run effective Facebook ads, you need a system that guides potential customers from discovering your brand to making a purchase. With customer acquisition costs climbing, South African businesses must make every rand count. The days of relying on a single campaign to deliver results are over. In fact, nearly 75% of performance marketers report diminishing returns due to audience saturation and higher costs. The answer? A full-funnel strategy that nurtures leads at every step of their journey. Did you know it takes about eight quality brand interactions for a prospect to make a purchase? Combining brand-building efforts with performance marketing can boost ROI by up to 90%.

Plan Your TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU Strategy

A well-structured sales funnel has three key stages: Top of Funnel (TOFU), Middle of Funnel (MOFU), and Bottom of Funnel (BOFU). Each stage requires tailored messaging, targeting, and ad formats to turn strangers into loyal customers.

At the Top of Funnel (TOFU), your goal is to build awareness. Use wide-reaching targeting and engaging formats like videos to introduce your brand. Over two-thirds of performance marketers say video content drives better engagement compared to static images in TOFU campaigns. For example, a fitness studio in Johannesburg might create short videos showcasing various workout styles to attract health-conscious audiences. The focus here is on educating and providing value, not selling. A Pretoria accounting firm, for instance, could run ads explaining recent tax compliance updates to position itself as an expert.

The Middle of Funnel (MOFU) is about nurturing interest. At this stage, you’re targeting people who’ve interacted with your brand – like visiting your website or engaging with your content – but aren’t ready to commit yet. Building trust is key. Use product demos, case studies, and user-generated content to show value and encourage conversions. For example, a Durban-based accounting firm could retarget website visitors with ads featuring testimonials from local business owners who’ve benefited from their services.

Finally, the Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) focuses on converting high-intent prospects. These are individuals who’ve shown strong interest, like adding items to their cart or attending a webinar. BOFU ads should drive action with clear calls-to-action, time-sensitive offers, or product demonstrations. Shoppers who watch videos are 1.81 times more likely to purchase. Limited-time discounts, customer success stories, and multi-product ads work particularly well at this stage.

By creating separate campaigns for each stage, you can fine-tune your budget, messaging, and targeting to match the specific needs of your audience as they move closer to making a purchase.

Use Retargeting to Re-Engage Prospects

Retargeting is a powerful way to convert casual browsers into paying customers. Retargeting ads outperform standard display banners, delivering click-through rates up to 10 times higher.

Tools like Meta Pixel and CAPI allow you to track user behaviour and optimise your retargeting efforts. Installing Meta Pixel on your website lets you monitor actions like page views, time spent, and cart activity, providing the data you need to customise your campaigns. For example, if someone views a product page but doesn’t buy, you could show them an ad featuring customer reviews and a small discount.

Repeat customers are especially valuable – they account for 41% of revenue and spend five times more per visit. Consider targeting past buyers with personalised offers or new product recommendations. For instance, an online retailer in Pretoria could promote seasonal items based on a customer’s previous purchases.

You can also expand your reach using Lookalike Audiences, which target people with similar traits to your best customers. Start with a narrow similarity (around 1%) and gradually expand as you see results. Dynamic ads take retargeting a step further by automatically showing relevant products based on browsing history. For example, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines boosted their conversion rate by 87% using dynamic ads. Multi-product ads, like carousels showcasing different items or various angles of the same product, can improve click-through rates by up to 300%, reduce cost-per-click by 35%, and increase cost-per-acquisition efficiency by over 250%.

Since 97% of Facebook users access the platform on mobile devices, ensure your retargeting ads are mobile-friendly. Use fast-loading images, concise text, and landing pages optimised for smaller screens. Additionally, set frequency caps to avoid ad fatigue. Rotate your creative content and adjust how often ads are shown to maintain a positive impression of your brand.

Set Budget and Bidding Strategy

Your budget and bidding strategy play a huge role in determining the success of your campaigns. In South Africa, advertising costs can vary significantly – from less than R1 per lead in Q4 2024 to as much as R238,04 in January 2025. To get the most out of your ad spend, it’s essential to plan your budget wisely and choose a bidding strategy that aligns with your campaign goals.

Allocate Your Budget

Facebook offers two main budget options: daily and lifetime. Given the dramatic cost fluctuations, it’s crucial to keep your budget flexible. This way, you can adjust your spending as costs rise or fall throughout the year.

Choose the Right Bidding Strategy

The next step is selecting a bidding method that matches your campaign objectives. Your bid amount, ad quality, and estimated action rates all influence how much you’ll pay for ads.

For campaigns aimed at generating traffic or leads, Cost Per Click (CPC) bidding can help you maintain predictable costs.
If your goal is conversions, conversion-based bidding allocates your budget toward users most likely to take the desired action, which can lead to a higher return on investment.

If you’re just starting out, begin with CPC bidding to gather performance data. Once you have enough insights, you can switch to conversion-based bidding to maximise results.

Plan for Seasonal Campaigns

Seasonal trends can have a big impact on ad costs, so it’s important to tailor your strategy accordingly. For example, ad costs tend to drop during high-demand periods like Black Friday and December holidays. On the other hand, January sees higher costs, making it essential to focus on audiences with the highest potential for engagement.

Public holidays also present an opportunity to connect with audiences affordably. Since over 71% of South Africans access the internet via mobile devices, ensure your campaigns are mobile-friendly. That means fast-loading creatives and landing pages that are easy to navigate on smaller screens.

Monitor Performance and Optimise

Once your campaigns are live, the work doesn’t stop there. Keeping an eye on performance and making data-backed tweaks is essential. Facebook’s analytics tools give you detailed insights into how your ads are doing, helping you make the right adjustments to boost conversions.

Track Key Performance Metrics

Focus on the numbers that matter most to your campaign goals. Instead of drowning in endless data, zero in on metrics that directly impact results.

Click-Through Rate (CTR): This tells you how engaging your ad is. A CTR above 1% is generally considered good for Facebook ads, though this can vary by industry. If your CTR is under 0.5%, it’s time to rework your creative or refine your audience targeting.
Conversion Rate: This metric shows whether your landing page and offer are compelling enough to turn visitors into customers. A low conversion rate might mean there’s a disconnect between your ad’s promise and the landing page experience.
Cost Per Click (CPC): This shows how much each click costs you. In South Africa, CPC tends to fluctuate throughout the year. If you notice a sudden spike, it could signal increased competition or that your ad is losing its appeal.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): This is a key indicator of success. Calculate it by dividing the revenue generated by the ad spend. Aiming for a ROAS of at least 3:1 is a good benchmark, though this depends on your industry and profit margins.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): This tells you how much it costs to gain a new customer. Make sure your CPA stays lower than your customer’s lifetime value to keep things profitable.

With these metrics in hand, you can quickly spot and fix any issues that might arise.

Fix Underperforming Ads

When your ads aren’t hitting the mark, don’t panic – use the data to make improvements. Underperformance often highlights areas where you can improve for future campaigns.

One common issue is ad fatigue. If your audience keeps seeing the same ad, engagement drops, and costs go up. Facebook’s frequency metric shows how many times a single person has seen your ad. If it’s over 3–4 times a week, it’s time for a refresh. Try swapping out images, testing new headlines, or tweaking the copy to re-engage your audience.

If your CTR is low despite strong creative, your targeting may be off. On the other hand, a high CTR but poor conversions usually points to landing page problems. Use Facebook’s audience insights to see who’s responding to your ads. Make sure your landing page loads quickly, matches the ad’s promise, and has a clear call-to-action. Adjust one element at a time to pinpoint what works.

Scale Successful Campaigns

When you’ve got a winning campaign, scaling it can take your results to the next level – but it needs to be done carefully. Simply doubling your budget overnight can throw off Facebook’s algorithm and hurt performance.

Gradual budget increases are the way to go. Raise your daily budget by 20–50% every few days to keep things stable. For instance, if you’re spending R100 a day with good results, increase it to R120 or R150 rather than jumping straight to R300.
Audience expansion lets you reach more people without starting from scratch. Use Facebook’s lookalike audiences based on your best customers or broaden your interest targeting. Keep a close eye on performance, as larger audiences might convert at a lower rate initially.
Creative scaling ensures your ads stay fresh. Even the best-performing ads can lose their appeal over time. Create multiple variations using different images, videos, headlines, and angles to maintain consistent results.
Horizontal scaling is another effective approach. Launch similar campaigns aimed at different audience segments or with different objectives. This helps you tap into more of your potential market without bombarding a single audience with too many ads.

Scaling takes patience and constant monitoring. Watch your performance closely during the first week after any changes, and be ready to make further tweaks to keep those conversions rolling in.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Creating Facebook ads that convert in 2025 means knowing your audience inside out, crafting content that grabs attention, and keeping a close eye on performance metrics. With AI-powered tools and advanced targeting options, businesses now have more precision than ever to reach the right people.

So, what should you focus on? Start by setting clear goals and targeting your audience with precision. South African businesses that take the time to build detailed audience personas and incorporate local insights tend to outperform those relying on generic strategies. These steps – defining objectives and using local knowledge – are the foundation of any successful campaign.

Engaging content is the next piece of the puzzle. As mentioned earlier, your ad copy should address real problems your audience faces, while visuals should be eye-catching enough to stop people mid-scroll. Video content continues to dominate when it comes to engagement, but don’t overlook static images with strong emotional appeal – they can still deliver excellent results. And don’t forget the power of local social proof. Testimonials from South African customers can be incredibly persuasive for your audience.

When it comes to managing your budget, start small. Test your ideas with a modest budget, then scale up gradually based on what works. This approach not only minimises risk but also ensures you’re spending money on strategies that deliver.

Finally, treat your campaigns as ongoing experiments. The best Facebook advertisers monitor their metrics daily, make adjustments based on the data, and aren’t afraid to pause ads that aren’t performing. When you find something that works, scale it carefully to maintain quality. Remember, your first campaign won’t be perfect, but consistent testing and thoughtful optimisation will drive better results over time.

The businesses that succeed with Facebook ads in 2025 have one thing in common: they never stop experimenting. Whether it’s testing new audience segments, trying fresh creative ideas, or tweaking bidding strategies, constant refinement leads to better outcomes. Stick to these fundamentals, stay patient through the learning process, and you’ll see reliable conversions for your business.

FAQs

How can South African businesses use Facebook’s audience segmentation tools to better connect with local customers?

Facebook offers advanced audience segmentation tools that help South African businesses create ads that truly connect with their audience. By tapping into AI-powered audience insights, you can pinpoint specific groups based on location, interests, behaviours, and demographics. This means your ads can be tailored to resonate deeply with your local market.

To make the most of these tools, consider using geo-targeting. Focus on specific regions, cities, or even neighbourhoods to ensure your message reaches the right people. Pair this with an understanding of language preferences and local cultural nuances to craft ads that feel personal and relevant. You can also utilise Custom Audiences to re-engage existing customers or build Lookalike Audiences to reach new prospects who share similar traits.

By fine-tuning your targeting and aligning your ad content with the preferences of your audience, you can get more value from your ad spend and achieve stronger engagement and conversions.

What are the best strategies for creating Facebook ads that connect with South African audiences and address their unique needs?

To craft Facebook ads that truly connect with South African audiences, focus on creating content that feels locally relevant. Use imagery, language, and themes that reflect the rich diversity of South Africa’s cultures and languages. Your messaging should speak directly to the audience’s specific needs or aspirations, such as affordability, community growth, or shared values.

Take advantage of Facebook’s targeting tools to refine your audience. You can tailor ads based on location, language, or interests. For instance, creating separate campaigns for isiZulu, Afrikaans, and English speakers can help your message resonate on a more personal level. Also, include locally meaningful details, like prices in Rands (R) or references to South African holidays and traditions. These small touches can make your ads feel more relatable and impactful.

How can South African businesses optimise their Facebook ads for mobile users in 2025?

To make your Facebook ads resonate with South Africa’s mobile-first audience, focus on crafting content tailored for mobile devices. Think vertical videos, striking visuals, and hooks that grab attention within the first few seconds. Adding native text overlays and showcasing social proof can also help build trust with your audience.

Take advantage of Meta’s AI-driven tools, like Advantage+ Creative and Audience, to streamline and personalise your campaigns. Since a large number of South Africans access Facebook on their phones, ensure your ads load quickly and are optimised for smaller screens. And don’t forget to regularly test and tweak your ads to improve performance and boost conversions.

How to WIN with Facebook Ads in 2025 (From Setup to Scaling)