Ad Hacking 101: Steal Your Competition’s Automotive Facebook Ad Ideas With This Free Tool
Auto dealers have a secret weapon when it comes to viewing their competitors Facebook Ad strategy…
…and it’s completely free!
Technically called Facebook Page Transparency, this feature was created in an effort by Facebook to “make advertising more transparent and to give people more information about the ads they see.
NOTE: You may have seen something like this before under a Page’s “Info and Ads” tab in 2018. But as of March 2019, this was moved to the new Facebook Page Transparency section.
But as you’ll find out, the tool gives businesses a new competitive edge and the ability to study the Facebook ad landscape like never before.
Use it to gain more insights into:
- Your competitors’ live dealership Facebook and Instagram ads
- Your live ads
- Your manufacturer’s ads
- Anyone’s ads!!!
This process is so helpful to us here at Dealers United, we’ve created our own term for it: “Facebook Ad Hacking.”
Ad Hacking will help you get inspired, steal ideas, stay up-to-date with current ad strategies, and see how your ad strategy compares to other dealers like you!
Ready to learn how to run your own Automotive Facebook Ad Hack?
How To Run Your Own Automotive Ad Hack
To see how you can easily view any dealership’s live Facebook and Instagram Ads, watch this quick video!
Quick Guide:
- Visit any Facebook Business Page
- Click on “Facebook Page Transparency” on the right column of the page (you may have to scroll down a bit)
- Toward the bottom of the Pop Up screen, look for “Ads From This Page”
- Click the link at the bottom right, “Go To Ads Library”
- Use the top Filter Results bar to filter by platform, impressions, and keywords.
- Dive further into each ad by clicking “See Ad Details” and view if the ad has multiple variations
- Lift your jaw from the floor!!!!
What Your Automotive Facebook Ad Hacks WON’T Reveal
There are 2 big catches when you are going through your Ad Hacks:
First, you can’t see exactly what audiences the ads are targeting.
You won’t know precisely if your competitors are running ads to cold prospects, or if they are using 3rd party In-Market Shopper data, or if they are simply retargeting their website traffic.
However, you can still use copy and context clues to make assumptions on their targeting strategies.
Second, you also can’t see if the ads are actually effective.
Unfortunately, after the switch from Info & Ads to Page Transparency, you can no longer see how many engagements (Likes, reactions, views) each ad received.
Want our team of Facebook experts to Ad Hack your top 3 competitors, and compare their strategies with your own? Click here!
But you CAN still learn from and mimic great ads for your dealership! (Hint: Be sure to use this tool as inspiration, not to copy exact messaging or clone imagery.)
Our team of Facebook and Instagram experts has an ultra-thorough “internal analysis” we run through when we help auto dealers #AdHack.
By testing hundreds of dealership ads across the country over the last 5 years, we know which ads are likely to perform…
…and which will FAIL.
If you’re interested in having our team of experts help you Ad Hack, click here! Otherwise, Happy #AdHacking!
Written By Brooke Jensen
Brooke handles all of Dealers United’s digital marketing. In addition to her love for design and copy, Brooke also adores her two dog-like kittens, playing the electric violin, and walking barefoot around the office.