How To Spy On Facebook Ads? (+FREE Tools)

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EComposer Team

Oct 3, 2024

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Want to spy on Facebook ads? Facebook ranks third in traffic behind Google and YouTube. Without question, the world of Facebook advertising is a battleground. But don't worry; this blog will provide four ways to analyze your rival's Facebook ads with ethics and practicality.

Keep reading to find out!

What Is Facebook Ads Spy?

Facebook Ads Spy.

Facebook Ads Spy ("Facebook ad intelligence" or "competitive analysis") uses publicly accessible data to provide insights into your rivals' advertising methods. They give a lot of information, including:

Compelling Ad Creatives: Study successful campaigns' images and language for ad design ideas.
Effective Targeting Strategies: Learn your rivals' demographics, and hobbies, and activities to narrow your audience better.
Landing Page Destinations: Discover where rivals' advertising sends clickers, revealing post-click experiences.

You can get a significant edge in the competitive world of Facebook advertising by using Facebook Ads Spy tools smartly and responsibly.

Read more:

4 Ways To Spy On Facebook Ads Using Free Tools

In this part, we will look at four efficient strategies, each with advantages and disadvantages.

For option 1, built-in Facebook features offer the most accessible access, allowing you to browse a competitor's active Facebook Ads. You may overlook past data and be unable to filter by ad type or campaign.
For option 2, Meta Ad Library, a free Facebook tool, lets you quickly see your rivals' advertising. It provides valuable ad style and wording information, but you can't measure user reactions like comments, shares, or dislikes.
Options 3 and 4 are free tools that are simple to sign and do not need credit. They provide a more extensive analysis.

To maximize your findings, combine these strategies for a more holistic picture.

Option 1: Use Facebook's built-in "Why Am I Seeing This?" Option

Facebook advertising provides many helpful information to the advertising companies themselves. This built-in free feature, disguised as a user feedback system, has the potential to improve your advertising efforts significantly.

By clicking the 3-dot symbol in the top right corner of most Facebook advertising, you click the "Why am I seeing this?" option.

Way to find the "Why am I seeing this?" option.

This may include crucial factors like

Interests: Discover the particular interests that your rivals use to focus their adverts. This could give you ideas for how to target your audience and help you find new types of customers.
Age: Learn what age range your rivals are targeting to improve your audience selection and reach more relevant customers.
Location: View the geographic area targeted by the ad. If your rival targets a local market you haven't explored, it may provide new customer acquisition opportunities.

The image below shows an example of information gathered from an advertisement for an English course.

You can get the information by assessing Facebook's ads.

You may combine this method with the tools below to thoroughly analyze Facebook ads and provide more critical information.

Option 2: Using Meta Ad Library

The Meta Ad Library (before the Facebook Ad Library) provides extensive information about Facebook and Instagram advertising. This free application allows users to search and browse a large live and historical advertising database from any Meta advertiser.

The Ad Library has a powerful filtering system:

Language: Target particular languages used in advertisements.
Platform: Concentrate on Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger advertisements.
Media: Choose from photos, memes, videos, or visual material.
Active Status: Displays only active or inactive campaigns.
Active Date: Set a period (up to seven years!) to investigate past advertising techniques.

Here's how to use its power:

Step 1: Search And Discover

First, start it easy by visiting the Meta Ad Library on Facebook and clicking on.

In the Search Ads section, choose the country where you want to view the adverts. For example, we will enter a country such as the United States.

Then, enter a term or the name of a competitor's company into the search field. For example, we will fill in Starbucks.

Way to search for ads using the Meta Ad library.

Step 2: Unveiling The Details

In minutes, you will get a comprehensive inventory of all the active and inactive ads relevant to your quest. Each ad card provides valuable information, including:

Active or Inactive Status: Check the lifecycle of campaigns and identify actively running advertisements.
Platform Usage: Determine if the advertisement appeared on Facebook, Instagram, or both.
Special Category Flags: Identify advertising on delicate themes such as credit, employment, or social problems.

Each card has a "See Ad Details" button. Clicking it exposes ad versions, including various media components, headlines, descriptions, and calls to action. This helps you fully assess your competitor's creative approach.

Way to view ad details using the Meta Ad library.

With the Facebook Ad Library at your disposal, you'll be well-prepared to navigate the competitive market and meet your advertising objectives.

However, examine the competition's Facebook ads, content strategy, and engagement rate for more information. You can examine how potential buyers come across their material via involvement. Was it shared, liked, or remarked upon?

You may achieve this using the Minea tool, which we explain in the instructions below.

Option 3: Using Minea Tool

Minea provides useful research tools for Facebook marketers looking to improve their campaigns. This tool goes beyond Facebook, enabling you to test ad tactics on other prominent social media networks such as TikTok and Pinterest.

Here's how to use Minea to analyze competitors' Facebook ads:

Step 1: Create a Minea account by clicking this link: https://app.minea.com/en

Step 2: In the navigation menu bar in the upper left corner, select "Ads."

Step 3: After that, to examine Facebook advertising, go to the Browse ads page and find the "Facebook" area.

Step 4: Enter the names of your rivals or the adverts for the products you wish to view. For example, we'll enter "Mother gift". Then, view and select the ad previews below.

Step 5: In the popup that appears on the right-hand side of the screen, you can see the following information:

Status: Status of the advertising post.
Shop: Platform as well as product website.
Language: The language the ad post is targeting.
Running for The amount of time the ad runs.
Created at: Date the ad was created.
First Seen: The day Minea's bot spotted this ad, it may have been produced but scheduled for later posting.
Last seen: The most straightforward way to tell whether the ad is running is when Minea's bot last saw it.

In the Engagement area, you can also see how people react to the ad.

Option 4: Use The BigSpy Tool

Similarly to Minea, BigSpy provides social media marketers with a complete set of study tools. But BigSpy excels at creating visual content, while Minea excels at general campaign research. It lets you target competition ad images and videos.

BigSpy collects data from Twitter, Instagram, and Shopify advertisements, as well as Facebook. This lets you explore more visual material and gain insights across social media platforms.

Here's a step-by-step to use BigSpy:

Step 1: Go to https://bigspy.com/en and establish an account (free and premium plans are available).

Step 2: The main dashboard offers many filters to help you restrict your search:

Ad Type: Select "Ads info," "Ads text," "Social page," "Ecom Info," or "Domain" to concentrate on certain visual types.
Keywords: Enter keywords relevant to your niche or competitive brands.
Platforms: Choose Facebook from the available options.
More Filters: Narrow your search by country, industry, call to action (CTA), and more.

Step 3: After step 2, select the preview ad result below.

Step 4: Here, you can analyze the following information:

Big Picture: BigSpy offers a selection of relevant Facebook ads that match your search parameters.
Visuals: Each ad has a picture or video thumbnail, enabling you to analyze visual content rapidly.
Engagement Metrics: Use essential metrics like likes, comments, and shares to measure audience involvement.
Landing Page: Click the ad to see the accompanying landing page and learn about the post-click approach.

You must upgrade BigSpy to the commercial version to "Download" additional particular analyses.

By following these steps and using BigSpy, you can find out how your competitors use Facebook Ads and make ads that do well.

What Data Points Are Most Important When Analyzing Facebook Ads?

Here's a summary of the essential data pieces to focus on when assessing your rivals' Facebook advertisements:

Visual Choice: Examine your rivals' photos, videos, and carousels.
Aesthetics and Trends: Find visual themes and design trends.
Emotional Response: Consider their visual impact. Are they meant to inspire, educate, or entertain?
Ad text: What terminology are they using to describe their product or service? What emotions or pain points are they addressing?
Targeted Parameters: While you won't see specific targeting specifics, you may look at the demographics and interests likely to be represented in their audience.
Calls to Action (CTA): Identify the CTAs included in their advertisements.
Landing Page Insights: If competing landing pages are publically available, examine their design and user experience. How are ad clicks turned into sales or leads?

By focusing on these critical data factors, you may get significant information from your rivals' Facebook ads.

But don't copy your competitors' ideas. Instead, use them as a starting point to make your own successful Facebook advertising plan for your business, as we explain in the next part.

Tips For Effectively Using Data Collected From Spy Facebook Ads Of Competitors

You've been known to spy on your rivals' intriguing Facebook Ads. Now comes the critical step: turning raw data into usable insights to further your advertising approach.

1. Create Buyer Persona

Target buyer personas may dramatically improve marketing outcomes, according to NetProspex studies. Companies using buyer personas quadruple page views per visit, improve site visit duration by 900%, and enhance marketing ROI by 171%.

So, what exactly is a buyer persona? A user, marketing, or audience persona is a fictitious profile of your ideal consumer. Based on market research and audience insights, this profile lets you target the most probable converts with your marketing, including:

Basic demographics: Age, location, income, etc.
Lifestyle: Hobbies, internet hobbies, favored material, and shopping.
Pain Points and Aspirations: Your ideal customer's struggles and ambitions. Understanding their frustrations and wants lets you craft powerful messages.

Imagine running a small organic kid moisturizer company. You keep seeing rival advertisements with cute, squeaky-clean infants playing. Inspired by their success, you can check their techniques using Facebook's "Why Am I Seeing This?" option.

Here's what you discover:

Demographics: They target females age 18 and older.
Interests and Behaviors: The advertising targets individuals interested in infant or parenting sites.
Pain Points and Aspirations: The competitor's ads emphasize dry, irritated infant skin and the need for natural, safe substances.

An example is learning about rivals' Facebook advertisements to create buyer personas.

Combine this information with your previous understanding of your target market to develop a comprehensive buyer persona.

From there, you can tailor your Facebook Ad targeting to attract comparable demographics while focusing on those who actively interact with your products.

2. Inspiration For Visual Appeal Selection

Making a buyer persona is just the beginning. The fact is that 91% of customers prefer visual and interactive content over textual content; nevertheless, you should also choose visual content that is appropriate for your content and target audience.

You can use competitor analysis tools like Meta Ad Library, Minea, or BigSpy can reveal what visuals resonate with your target audience.

For example, a brand of exercise clothing might do well with energetic action shots, while a brand of yoga clothing might do better with peaceful and calm pictures.

Refer to rival advertisement images using the BigSpy tool.

3. Create A Converting Landing Page

Even though it's unnecessary for all Facebook ads, a well-designed landing page can help your conversion rate by 9.7 percent. To make a landing page that converts well for your campaigns, look at competitor Facebook ads and their pages.

You may use the Minea tool discussed above to locate your competitor's landing page in the "Shop" area.

Use Minea to find the landing page of your competitors' Facebook ads.

Then, check for aspects that improve the user experience, such as straightforward navigation, easy-to-read fonts, and high-quality product photos.

For instance, if you see your competitor's landing page is confusing due to too much product information. Consider a clean, simple design concentrating on a single product or service, as 48% of marketers create new landing pages for each campaign.

Pro tip: If you have a Shopify store, EComposer Landing Page Builder is the best tool for you. Here's why:

Drag-and-Drop Ease: No coding knowledge is required!
Action-Oriented Copy: EComposer lets you change the wording of CTA buttons in the builder. This makes it simple to write a clear, short message that persuades visitors.
Seamless Integration: EComposer integrates smoothly with your Shopify shop, linking CTAs to product pages, forms, and other destinations for a great user experience.

EComposer drag-and-drop Landing Page Designer.

Try this #1 Shopify Landing Page Builder for free now!

Read more:

Guide and Tips for Impressive Facebook Ads Landing Pages.

FAQs

1. What Features Should I Look For In A Free App Spy Facebook Ads?

Find an app that searches for advertisements by keyword, rival page, or URL. It will show you advertisements that your target demographic may view and those of your rivals.

Also, search for a free app that lets you filter by ad format (picture, video, carousel), campaign aim (brand awareness, conversions), and landing page kind.

The ideal technique is determined by your specific requirements and budget. Begin with a free app to get a basic grasp of competitive Facebook Ads, then consider upgrading to a premium solution if you want a more in-depth study.

2. Are There Any Security Concerns With Free Apps To Spy Facebook Ads?

Yes, there are some possible security problems to consider while utilizing free programs to spy on Facebook advertisements:

Uncertain Data Practices: Free applications use user data to run and make money. So, check the app's privacy policy for mentions of gathering Facebook ad data or other data.
Leaks & Breaches: Free applications may have worse security. Your personal information or app login credentials might be compromised in a data breach.
Unknown Data Source: Free applications may not identify their Facebook ad data source. Lack of openness makes it hard to check data accuracy or age.
Deceptive Marketing: Avoid applications that offer to access private Facebook ad data. These scammers may take your information or fool you into undesired subscriptions.

If you value your data's privacy and security, consider using a premium app with an established track record.

3. Beyond Apps, Are There Other Free Ways To Spy On Facebook Ads?

Yes, they are! While apps might be a simple way to acquire information about rival Facebook ads, there are other excellent free techniques you can use:

Social Media Groups: Join Facebook groups about your sector. Members often share and criticize competition adverts they encounter. Also, you can consider joining the EComposer private group for entrepreneurs to share experiences, learn, and get unique news and promotions.
Check rival websites for integrated social media feeds or references to their Facebook ads.
Utilize Industry Publications and Blogs (Like EComposer's blog): They often examine and debate prominent Facebook ad campaigns, offering valuable competitive insights for your approach.

Gain significant insight into your competitors' Facebook Ads without depending on apps by integrating these free tactics with a fair dose of strategic thought.

Remember that the most important thing is to take what you find, figure out why it works, and then modify it for your brand and audience.

Related posts:

The Bottom Line

From built-in Facebook, Meta Ad Library, Minea, and BigSpy to industry social media groups' rival website detective work, this blog post has shown you ethical and free techniques to analyze competitive Facebook Ads to develop winning campaigns.

But data collection isn't enough. Use our tips to develop effective Facebook advertisements that reach your target audience utilizing this data. Knowing what works for your competitors enables you to build compelling ads that convert viewers.

EComposer Team

Hi friend, we're Shopify gurus from EComposer. A team of 10-year experienced and certified experts. Additionally, our expertise has been recognized and highlighted in esteemed publications such as TechCrunch, Shopify Expert, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. We want to share our experience and knowledge about Technology, AI, Shopify, Marketing and E-commerce.