[originally posted on SearchEngineWatch]

Spring cleaning is on everyone’s mind these days, so if you’re gonna go all Martha Stewart on your basement, give your Facebook ads a little attention too!

Speaking of cleaning, this Facebook ad is perfectly timed but less than perfectly designed. Here are three things you shouldn’t do with your Facebook ads:

1. Don’t Underutilize Images & Space The picture doesn’t make use of the full image size and really isn’t interesting to the target audience (most probably women). Yes, it does “go with” the headline, but the body copy doesn’t pick up on the curiosity factor and, frankly, who cares that this girl is “not your average maid”?
2. Don’t Make it About You The headline is totally missing the What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) factor. It’s wonderful that she’s not average, but how does that benefit me as a user or consumer?
3. Don’t Hide Your Real Value The body copy fails to make a compelling offer. Even worse, it commits the ultimate marketing faux pas (in my opinion) by offering you a“FREE Quote”, as if it’s a favor. I know a lot of us are guilty of doing this. Free webinars or whitepapers aren’t really free, are they? You’re offering valuable information in exchange for a person’s contact info and a chance to communicate with them. So the real value is not that your content is free, it’s the fact that it’s unique, educational and beneficial to your target audience. See the difference?

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