A growing number of advertisers are turning to Facebook to connect with their target audience and promote their offerings. Over 10 million businesses are already leveraging the power of advertising on Facebook and Instagram, a figure that has almost tripled in the last seven years. Those who have been using Facebook advertising for a while might recall a time when costs were significantly lower and the return on investment was seemingly limitless. Although Facebook advertising remains a valuable strategy for many businesses, the continuous arrival of new advertisers has led to increased costs and heightened competition. In 2022, Meta made a significant announcement: CPMs on Facebook Ads increased by 18%! To succeed in this evolving landscape, advertisers need to find ways to outperform their rivals. Fortunately, there’s an often-overlooked resource that can help level the playing field: the Facebook Ad Library. This tool provides valuable insights into the advertising strategies of competitors. But its capabilities extend far beyond that…
This article will delve into:
- The Facebook Ad Library and its purpose
- How to utilize the Facebook Ad Library to uncover your competitors’ ads
- Four additional applications of the Facebook Ad Library Let’s explore further.
What is the Facebook Ad Library?
Officially known as the Meta Ad Library, this free tool allows users to explore both active and past ads from any advertiser. Launched in 2018, it initially focused on ads related to political and social issues but has since expanded to encompass all advertisers on Meta’s platforms.
The Ad Library was created to provide users with greater transparency. You can access it directly at https://www.facebook.com/ads/library.
How to use the Facebook Ad Library
The Facebook Ad Library offers a free, comprehensive, and transparent view into the advertising activities of any business on Facebook or Instagram. Here’s a guide on how to use it effectively.
Open Facebook Ad Library and search
Begin by going to the Meta Ad Library at https://www.facebook.com/ads/library. You’ll see a search bar. Start by choosing the country where you want to view ads, then select “All Ads” from the dropdown menu next to it.
Enter a business name (such as a competitor), a specific topic, or a keyword into the search bar.
The platform will then display all relevant results for your search.
Click on a result
Each card provides information about different ads, including:
- Whether the ad is active or inactive
- The ad’s start date and, if inactive, its end date
- The platforms where the ad ran (Facebook, Instagram)
- Any special categories the ad was flagged for (like credit, employment, housing, or social issues)
You’ll also find a “See ad details” button under each ad in the Meta Ad Library. Clicking this button reveals any variations of the ad running with different media, headlines, descriptions, or calls to action.
Add a filter
To refine the results and focus on specific ad elements, you can apply filters within the Facebook Ad Library. Filters allow you to review ads based on:
- Language
- Platform (Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, or Messenger)
- Media (Images, memes, images and memes, videos, and no image or video)
- Active status (Active or inactive)
- Active date (Any timeframe within the past seven years)
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How to use the Facebook Ad Library to find your competitors’ ads
The Facebook Ad Library is an excellent starting point for researching your competition’s Facebook ad strategies. To discover if and what a company is advertising on Facebook, go to the Ad Library, select the country your competitor is targeting, and enter their business name. Keep in mind that their ads are likely linked to their Facebook page and will share the same name. You’ll then have access to all of the advertiser’s associated ads from the previous seven years. For example, Comcast Business’ ~130 ads are all publicly viewable here:
You can then click on each card for more information or use filters to learn even more about your competitors’ ads.
The filters allow you to see a competitor’s entire creative strategy, including text, images, and videos, as well as what ads they ran in previous years during specific holidays or promotional periods!
4 more reasons and ways to use the Facebook Ad Library
Beyond examining your competitors’ Facebook ads, the Facebook Ad Library can be a valuable resource for other aspects of your marketing strategy.
Find new ideas
The Facebook Ad Library can be a source of inspiration for your own Facebook advertising strategy by allowing you to search by keyword or topic. Instead of typing in a specific brand in the search bar, try a keyword related to your industry. Facebook will then display thousands of recent ads from other related businesses. For example, if you type in “taqueria,” you’ll be able to browse through thousands of real Facebook ads from restaurants, seeing how other local businesses are promoting their specials, promotions, new locations, and even job openings.
This is an excellent way to see what other local businesses are doing on a daily basis and generate new ideas for your social ads on Facebook and beyond, especially if you’re new to Facebook Ads or simply need some fresh inspiration!
Find opportunities to stand out
Searching for related ads in the Facebook Ad Library can help you identify opportunities to differentiate your ads and capture attention. Look for ad keywords that are relevant to your business or your competitors and examine the results. You might notice that many businesses in your industry use similar ad formats, language, or value propositions. Use this information to diversify your Facebook ads and stand out. This could entail emphasizing a unique benefit, experimenting with new ad styles, or testing new wording and phrases to pique your audience’s interest.
Analyze your own ads
When was the last time you took a close look at your own Facebook and Instagram ads? The Facebook Ad Library allows you to review your company’s advertising history. Reviewing your results can reveal areas where you can improve and optimize your Facebook ads. Is it time to refresh your creatives? Experiment with new ad copy? Test different calls to action? Showcase a new product or service?
Keep in mind that just as you’re using the Facebook Ad Library to learn from your competitors, they might be doing the same to you—so make sure you’re presenting them with something compelling!
Agency prospecting
Agencies can also use the Facebook Ad Library to their advantage when pitching potential clients. Before you even talk to a prospect, you can use it to:
Check if your prospect is currently running any Facebook Ads
Delivering a highly technical pitch to a prospect who is unfamiliar with social advertising may not resonate well. Understanding whether or not they are already running Facebook ads allows you to tailor your conversation to their level of experience. If they are running ads, you’ll be able to see what they’re currently doing and conduct research on their main goals, calls to action, and even provide concrete examples of how to improve their Facebook Ads.
See when your prospect last ran Facebook Ads
You might come across a number of inactive ads in their account. Understanding when or how recently they paused their campaigns can provide insights into their challenges and goals. If you notice a significant number of ads running around major holidays (Christmas, summer, back to school, etc.), you’ll recognize this as a crucial period for their business and can use this knowledge to tailor your pitch or even plan outreach in advance of their upcoming campaigns.
Check the size of your prospect’s marketing team–or current agency
The Meta Ad Library not only reveals a page’s active ads but also provides information about who is in charge of it and their location. To find out how long the business has been on Facebook and how many people manage the page, click the “About” button to the right of the page’s name. For example, this local orthodontist appears to be managed by a single person—most likely someone with multiple responsibilities within the practice!
Larger corporations may have entire teams or agencies located all over the world working on their social media campaigns. According to the Facebook Ad Library, Netflix employs over 200 people worldwide to manage their Facebook page and campaigns!
With so many people involved in managing their Facebook presence, it’s safe to assume that you’ll need to engage with multiple stakeholders from the start or that they already have a large agency handling their account. In this case, it’s probably both!
Use the Facebook Ad Library to stand out from the competition
Competition on Facebook is only going to increase as more advertisers join the platform. The Meta Ad Library, on the other hand, can help to level the playing field in this ever-changing Facebook advertising environment. New ads are uploaded on a daily basis, and savvy advertisers of all sizes can use the Facebook Ad Library to stay ahead of the competition and find the best-performing ads available. Need more help with your Facebook ads? Learn about using Facebook automated rules.