Facebook Ads: The AI Tools That Bring Results with Jonny Hyams from Digital Gearbox (episode 156)

by Chloe Thomas

Jonny Hyams is the Head of Client Services at Digital Gearbox, the Pay Per Click agency that helps businesses generate more leads and sales with their PPC management services, across Facebook Ads and other channels.

Jonny Hyams Digital Gearbox Facebook Ads

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Using AI to Improve Your Facebook Ads Performance

Jonny says there are two main reasons for using AI.

  • One, it enhances your efficiency because it speeds things up for you.
  • Two, it stimulates creativity.

ChatGPT is a good tool to start with. It’s an AI-powered chatbot that allows you to engage in conversation, ask questions, and even get it to write copy for you, such as copy for your Facebook ads.

How to use ChatGPT to improve the text of your Facebook Ads

ChatGPT is a competent writer, but it can be very formal, so you have to train it. You have to help it understand why people would be interested in your product and what its features and benefits are. After you do that, you can have ChatGPT write ad copy for you, and then you can have ChatGPT rewrite it in a tone of voice that’s more suited for your brand.

Jonny highlights that ChatGPT is fast and can generate different iterations of your copy quickly, but don’t just accept what it gives you. It would be best if you still did some work to make the copy fit your brand.

One tip for using ChatGPT is to take somebody’s review of your product and ask ChatGPT to rewrite it as an ad. There are a lot of things you can try with the tool, so use it for whatever purpose it will serve you best.

How to use MidJourney to improve the images for your Facebook Ads

For image generation, Jonny uses MidJourney. You just write a description of the image you want, and it will create it for you.

Jonny’s tip for using MidJourney and other image creation tools is to keep your descriptions simple and broad. It will give you multiple options for each prompt you give it, but you may have to tweak your prompts to get the image you really want.

One thing to remember about MidJourney in particular is that you get a free trial with it. The images you produce are free, but you cannot use them for commercial purposes. You can only use images for commercial purposes if you have a paid account, which is not expensive.

Bear in mind, too, that with MidJourney, you do not own the copyright to the image. MidJourney does, and anybody else can use that image you create.

Can you use AI to create your Facebook Ad videos?

There are video creation tools, but Jonny says they aren’t yet suitable for ads. Facebook is working on a video creator very similar to MidJourney, where you type in a prompt and it creates a video.

In a year’s time, the tech may get to the point where there is video creation AI that is suitable for use in ads. In the meantime, there are tools that can speed up the video editing process.

Insider Tips

If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with Facebook ads – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?

Learn how to use Canva, especially if you’re a marketer but not a graphic designer. It’s a lifesaver.

Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve Facebook ads performance?

Test different creatives. For Jonny, testing different copies is key. Before users even click on your ad, it is important to convince them of the value of your product. You can achieve this by testing different ad copies, and various hooks, addressing different pain points, and highlighting different benefits.

If someone listening wants to learn more about Facebook ads is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?

Check out the PPC Burrito, Digital Gearbox’s own podcast for episodes on the whole of PPC and paid media. For AI-related content, listen to Jonny’s episode on using AI in your marketing.

Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in Facebook ads?

There will be more automation in Facebook ads, which means less control for marketers. Advantage+ is an indicator of the direction Facebook is moving, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to have a scenario where Facebook takes care of everything. In this case, the best way to optimise is to test different creative copy. If you haven’t started yet, do it now.

Interview Links

Jonny on Social media:

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