More advertisers than ever rely on Facebook to promote their products and services to their customers. Over 10 million businesses advertise on Facebook and Instagram, and that number has nearly tripled over the past seven years.

Some veterans of Facebook advertising remember a time when costs on Facebook were cheap and ROI was unlimited. While Facebook advertising is still a really worthwhile investment for most businesses, the constant influx of new advertisers is pushing costs up and making the network more competitive. Last year, in 2022, Meta announced that CPMs on Facebook Ads increased by 18%!  

Advertising on Facebook and Instagram increasingly means having to outperform your competitors. Luckily, there’s an underused tool for advertisers to level the playing field and see exactly what ads your competitors are running in the Facebook Ad Library. But that’s not all the Facebook Ad Library can help you with…

In this post, I’ll share:

• What the Facebook Ad Library is
• How to find your competitors’ ads in the Facebook Ad Library
• 4 more ways to use the Facebook Ad Library

Let’s dive in.

What is the Facebook Ad Library? 

The Facebook Ad Library is officially named the Meta Ad Library. It’s a free tool where users can search and view active and past ads from any advertiser. It was originally launched in 2018 for ads related to political and social issues, but it has since expanded to include all advertisers on Meta’s platforms.

Facebook launched the Ad Library to increase transparency for its users. You can access the Facebook Ad Library directly at https://www.facebook.com/ads/library. 

How to use the Facebook Ad Library

The Facebook Ad Library is a free, completely exhaustive, and transparent look into any advertiser on Facebook or Instagram.

Here’s how to use the Facebook Ad Library.

Open Facebook Ad Library and search

The first step is simple: Navigate to Meta Ad Library at https://www.facebook.com/ads/library. 

Within the Facebook Ad Library, you’ll notice the search bar. Start out by selecting a country you want to see ads for and then select “All Ads” from the adjacent dropdown.  

Type in a business name (like a competitor) or a specific topic or keyword in the search bar.

From there, you’ll be able to see all the relevant results for your search.

Click on a result

Each card includes details for different ads, including information like: 

• Is the ad active or inactive?
• When did the ad start running? If inactive, when did it stop running?
• Which platforms (Facebook, Instagram) the ad ran on
• If the ad was flagged for any special categories (such as credit, employment, housing, or social issues)

Additionally, beneath each ad in the Meta Ad Library, you’ll notice a “See ad details” button. Clicking that button will let you explore any variations of that ad running with different media, headlines, descriptions, or calls to action. 

Add a filter

If you want to narrow down a specific element of the resulting ads, you can also add a filter from the Facebook Ad Library. With filters, you can review their specific ads by: 

• Språk
• 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 from the past seven years)

How to use the Facebook Ad Library to find your competitors’ ads

When it comes to doing research on your competition’s Facebook Ads, there’s no better place to start than using the Facebook Ad Library.

To see what ads a company is running on Facebook Ads (if any), you’ll navigate to the Ad Library, select the country your competitor is targeting with ads, and type in their business name.

Bear in mind that their ads will likely be linked to their Facebook page and will share the same name. 

From there, you’ll be able to see all the associated ads for that advertiser from the past seven years. For instance, Comcast Business’ ~130 ads are all publicly available här:

You can then click on each card to see details or use filters to find out even more information about your competitors’ ads.

Använder sig av de filters, you can view a competitor’s entire creative strategy from text, image, and video as well as see what ads they ran in past years during specific holidays or promotional periods!  

4 more reasons and ways to use the Facebook Ad Library

Beyond just the ability to view a specific competitor’s Facebook ads, you can use the Facebook Ad Library to help with other aspects of your marketing strategy.

Find new ideas

Because you can search by keyword or topic, you can use the Facebook Ad Library to inspire new ideas for your own Facebook advertising strategy.

From the search bar, instead of typing in a specific brand, type in a keyword that’s relevant to your business. From here, Facebook will load thousands of recently created ads from other relevant businesses.

For instance, type in “taqueria,” and you’ll be able to browse thousands of restaurants’ real Facebook ads to see how other local businesses are using Facebook to advertise their specials, promotions, new locations, and even hire from Facebook. 

If you’re just getting started with Facebook Ads or just need fresh ideas, this can be a great way to see what a ton of other local businesses are creating every day and brainstorm new ideas for your social ads on Facebook and beyond! 

Find opportunities to stand out

By searching for related ads within the Facebook Ad Library, you can find gaps that will help your ads stand out.

Search for ad keywords related to your business or for your competitors and analyze the results. You may find that many of the ads for businesses in your industry look similar, use the same type of language, or highlight the same value propositions.

Use this analysis to diversify your Facebook ads so you’re standing out. That might mean highlighting an out-of-the-box benefit, adopting a new ad style, or testing new words and phrases that can capture your audience’s attention.

Analyze your own ads

When was the last time you took a hard look at your own Facebook and Instagram ads? You can use the Facebook Ad Library to look at your business’s ad history.

Taking a peek at your results may highlight some opportunities to refresh and optimize your Facebook ads. Is it time to update your creative? Vary your ad copy? Test new calls to action? Feature a new product or service?

Just like you’re using the Facebook Ad Library to spy on your competitors, they may be using it to spy on you—so give them something exciting to look at!

Agency prospecting

Agencies can use the Facebook Ad Library when pitching prospective clients as well. Before even speaking to a prospect, you can use it to: 

Check if your prospect is currently running any Facebook Ads 

A highly technical pitch to a prospect brand new to social advertising may not be understood well. Even knowing if they’re running ads on Facebook or not lets you frame the conversation at their level. If they are running Facebook ads, you’ll be able to view their active ads and do research about 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 may discover several inactive ads in their account–understanding when or how recently they paused their campaigns may give you insight into their challenges or goals as well. If you see a lot of ads coinciding around important holidays (Christmas, summer, back to school, etc.), you know that’s a big opportunity for their business and can leverage that into your pitch or even plan to reach out in advance of their upcoming campaigns.

Check the size of your prospect’s marketing team–or current agency

Beyond just seeing what ads a page is running, the Meta Ad Library also shows you who is responsible for that page and where they’re located. Right below the page’s name, click the “About” button to the right to see details about how long the business has been on Facebook and how many people manage that page. For instance, this local orthodontist seems to be managed by one person–likely wearing many hats in the practice! 

Larger companies might have full teams or agencies around the world working on their social campaigns. For instance, according to the Facebook Ad Library, Netflix boasts over 200 people dedicated to managing their Facebook page and campaigns from all over the world!

That many people managing their Facebook page either ensures that you’ll need to manage multiple stakeholders from the onset or even that they’re currently already partnered with a large agency managing their account. Probably both in this case!  

Use the Facebook Ad Library to stand out from the competition

As more advertisers continue to flock to Facebook, competition is bound to rise. But the Meta Ad Library can be a great equalizer in that dynamic Facebook ads ecosystem. New ads are uploaded every day, and any smart advertiser–big or small–can use the Facebook Ad Library to keep an eye on the competition and find the best-performing ads anywhere on Facebook. 

As a co-author of the book “Becoming Artificial: A Philosophical Exploration Into Artificial Intelligence and What It Means to Be Human,” I have been pondering the topic of artificial intelligence for a significant amount of time, even before ChatGPT became a household term.

Our book delves into the evolution of AI, from being considered pure fantasy to becoming a serious topic of debate for policymakers and an increasingly displaced workforce. The past two decades have witnessed game-changing innovations that have elevated the discussion of AI beyond mere speculation.

The integration of AI has been a transformative force in the dynamic realm of digital marketing. However, despite the impressive potential of AI, human intuition, creativity, and empathy remain essential in marketing. Modern digital marketers face the challenge of not just harnessing the capabilities of AI, but also doing so in a way that preserves the critical human touch in their strategies.

This article will:

• Examine the role and impact of generative AI in digital marketing.
• Explore real-world applications of generative AI in marketing.
• Highlight the continued importance of the human touch for success.
• Provide best practices for effectively integrating AI and human expertise within a digital marketing framework.

Låt oss börja.

The role of generative AI in digital marketing

Generative AI refers to AI technologies that can generate new, original content, whether that be text, images, or even music. In digital marketing, generative AI is typically used for automating content creation, data analysis, personlig marknadsföring, and enhancing customer interactions.

The benefits of generative AI in digital marketing are multifold. They range from improved efficiency and cost savings to increased personalization and scalability.

Let’s delve deeper into these key use cases, as highlighted in a recent Forbes article:

1. Content generation

Generative AI can write blog posts, social media updates, product descriptions, and more. This automation leads to significant time savings, and because AI can work around the clock, content can be produced at scale.

We talk more about how to (and how not to) use AI for content marketing over on LocaliQ.

2. Personalization

With the ability to analyze vast amounts of data, generative AI can tailor content to individual users based on their behaviors, preferences, and previous interactions. This personalized approach enhances user engagement and can lead to improved conversion rates.

3. Data analysis

AI’s capabilities extend to interpreting complex data sets, drawing meaningful insights, and predicting consumer behavior. These insights can guide the creation of more effective marketing strategies.

4. Design generation

Generative AI isn’t limited to text. It can also create visual content, such as banner ads, social media graphics, and even website layouts, thereby speeding up the design process and enabling more extensive A/B testing.

Product Studio, announced at Google Marketing Live 2023, uses AI to generate product images.

5. Customer interactions

AI can handle customer inquiries via chatbots, social media, and even over the phone. It can provide instant, personalized responses, improving the customer experience and freeing up human staff for more complex tasks.

In each of these roles, generative AI not only automates repetitive tasks but also offers a degree of personalization and insight that was previously unattainable. These capabilities allow marketers to focus on higher-level strategy and creative work, making the most of both human and AI strengths.

Example of generative AI in digital marketing

Generative AI has already shown its prowess in several areas of digital marketing. For instance, AI can automate the creation of personalized email campaigns, draft engaging social media posts, or even write full blog articles. Additionally, it can analyze vast amounts of data to predict consumer behavior, helping marketers craft more effective marketing strategies.

One significant real-world application of generative AI in digital marketing is the partnership between Google and Wendy’s to use Bard, Google’s AI chat, to improve drive-thru operations. This system has been trained on thousands of hours of data, including order history and customer interactions, to generate responses that are both accurate and personable.

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Bard’s main function is to take customer orders at the drive-thru, allowing human employees to focus on food preparation and other critical tasks. Not only has this resulted in increased efficiency, but it also improved customer experience, thanks to Bard’s ability to offer personalized menu suggestions based on previous orders or popular items.

What makes Bard stand out is not just its technical capabilities, but also the human-like touch it brings to customer interactions. The AI has been designed and trained to understand and respond to a wide range of accents, dialects, and speech patterns, demonstrating a level of empathy and understanding often absent from AI interactions.

This example showcases the potential of generative AI in digital marketing–not just in automating tasks and personalizing experiences, but also in enhancing customer interactions with a human-like touch. Despite being an AI, Bard successfully creates a more personalized and engaging customer experience, embodying the perfect blend of AI capabilities and human empathy.

Relaterad: Learn more about how Google is using generative AI in search results här.

The importance of the human touch in AI-driven digital marketing

While generative AI provides a multitude of benefits, it’s important to remember that it is not a silver bullet. The human touch remains essential for digital marketing success. AI may generate content, but humans are needed to guide its direction, provide creative insight, and ensure the final output resonates with the target audience. After all, human emotions, creativity, and intuition cannot be entirely replicated by AI.

Enligt an article from the Marketing Insider Group, there are several key reasons why the human touch is critical in marketing:

1. Builds trust

Genuine human interactions create a sense of trust and reliability. While AI can provide facts and figures, it’s the human touch that can convey authenticity and passion, which are essential for building brand trust.

2. Creates an emotional connection

Humans are emotional beings, and it is this ability to feel and evoke emotions that adds an indispensable element to marketing. AI, as advanced as it might be, still lacks the ability to genuinely feel emotions and respond accordingly.

3. Helps to understand context

While AI is getting better at understanding context, it still struggles in complex situations or when dealing with subtle nuances. Human marketers can understand context better, enabling them to create content and messaging that truly resonates.

4. Ethical considerations

There are numerous ethical considerations in marketing, from data privacy to truthful advertising. Human oversight is necessary to ensure that AI-driven marketing adheres to ethical standards and regulations.

The key takeaway

While AI has a crucial role to play in digital marketing, it should be viewed as a tool to augment human creativity, intuition, and experience, not as a replacement for these uniquely human attributes. By combining the scalability and efficiency of AI with the creativity and empathy of human marketers, businesses can create powerful marketing strategies that resonate on a deeply human level.

Best practices for using generative AI in digital marketing (with a human touch)

To fully harness the power of generative AI while maintaining a human touch, marketers should adopt several key practices. These include training the AI on high-quality data, reviewing and refining AI-generated content, and regularly updating the AI model based on changing consumer behaviors and market trends. The ultimate goal should be a symbiotic relationship where AI and human expertise complement each other.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has recently published a report that provides insights into the best practices for effectively integrating AI and human expertise in digital marketing. In the report, they elaborate on the following key points:

1. Use high-quality data

Quality data is the backbone of effective AI. This means ensuring that the data used to train the AI is not only extensive but also accurate, relevant, and free from bias. It is the marketer’s responsibility to procure, manage, and maintain this data.

Zero and first-party data are your best bets for accurate customer data.

2. Continually review and refine

AI is not a set-it-and-forget-it tool. Marketers should be continuously reviewing and refining AI outputs. This includes checking the content for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness, and making adjustments as needed.

3. Update AI models regularly

The digital marketing landscape is dynamic, with consumer behavior and market trends changing regularly. Therefore, AI models should be updated frequently to reflect these changes and to ensure the AI remains effective.

4. Consider the ethical implications

Marketers should always consider the ethical implications of AI use, such as data privacy and transparency. This involves being clear with consumers about how their data is being used and ensuring that all AI-driven marketing practices comply with relevant laws and regulations.

Cookie banners can communicate how data is being used.

5. Collaborate

The ultimate goal should be to foster a collaborative relationship between AI and human marketers. This means recognizing the strengths and limitations of both and leveraging them in a way that maximizes the benefits. AI can handle data analysis and (some) content generation, while humans can provide creative insight, emotional intelligence, and ethical oversight.

By following these best practices, marketers can effectively integrate AI into their digital marketing strategies while still maintaining a crucial human touch. It’s not about choosing AI over humans or vice versa, but about finding the right balance to deliver the best results.

Generative AI + human expertise = potential for marketing greatness

The future of digital marketing is set to be significantly influenced by generative AI. With its unparalleled capacity to analyze vast amounts of data, craft engaging content, offer personalized user experiences, and streamline repetitive tasks, AI’s potential for scale and efficiency is undeniable.

Yet, as our reliance on AI grows, it does not render the human touch redundant. On the contrary, the human element becomes even more crucial. As we’ve seen, building trust, fostering emotional connections, understanding complex contexts, and ensuring ethical considerations–these are all deeply human aspects that AI, in its current state, cannot fully replicate.

AI might be the tool that generates content, but it’s the human marketer who guides its direction, provides the creative insight, and ensures the final output truly resonates with the target audience. This delicate balance between AI’s capabilities and human creativity and empathy is the key to unlocking new levels of success in digital marketing.

Here are the best practices for using generative AI in digital marketing responsibly:

1. Use high-quality data
2. Continually review and refine
3. Update AI models regularly
4. Consider the ethical implications
5. Collaborate

As we look to the future, the challenge for digital marketers will be not just to use AI as a tool, but to foster a symbiotic relationship where AI and human expertise complement each other. In this way, marketers can leverage the power of AI while ensuring their strategies and communications remain authentic, ethical, and deeply human. The promise of this future is one of unprecedented opportunities, unlocked by the harmonious blend of AI capabilities and the irreplaceable human touch.

Want more AI resources? We’ve got you covered:

With over 70 million dads in the world, over 50 ways to say dad, and one billion Instagram users, you can rest assured that ideas for Father’s Day Instagram captions are in high demand.

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But Father’s Day is different for every business audience—and on an individual level it can vary from joyful to painful. So here are over 40 Father’s Day Instagram captions that range from witty and playful to serious and factual, plus pre-made posts you can save and publicera in just a few taps!

Table of contents

Father’s Day Instagram posts

Throughout the post, you’ll find pre-made Father’s Day images sized just right for Instagram (1080 x 1080). You can save them right off this post, or you can customize them in Canva using this link.

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Inclusive Father’s Day Instagram captions

These captions will help you to celebrate while staying respectful, in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• To the fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, godfathers step-fathers, father figures, and fathers-to-be: we celebrate you today and thank you for the mentorship, love, and guidance you’ve provided.
• Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there—whether you’re a dad or like a dad. Your love is the greatest and most precious gift in the world 🎁
• While we wish all the dads out there a happy Father’s Day, we also extend our support to those without fathers or father figures and to dads who have lost a child.
• Happy Father’s Day to all the great fathers and father figures out there! And to those of you who are struggling to put on a smile today, we see you too. ❤
• To the fathers, dads, daddies, pops, papas, vaders, peders, pais, tads, abbas, babas, ates, vaters, pita-jis, pabbis, paks, babbos, otosans, padres, baathairs, buwas, tatas…we wish you a great day!
• Not all dads wear suits, watch football, or are obsessed with grilling or power tools (although there’s nothing wrong with those things!). Let’s keep our perspectives open today—comment on this post and tell us about your dad!
• Happy Father’s Day not only to all the dads on earth, but also all the dads in heaven. Sending lots of love on this day.
• On this Father’s Day, to dads, granddads, stepdads, foster dads, dads in heaven, future dads, bereaved dads, and dad figures: we’re thinking of you.

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Sweet Father’s Day Instagram captions

Use these captions in your marknadsföring i sociala medier to celebrate the dads in your life and/or in your audience.

• Happy Father’s Day, dads! Thank you for all the sacrifices you make for your families and the joy you bring to our lives.
• I’ve learned so much from you over the years Dad, thanks for being the role model you are and shaping me into the person I am today. Happy Father’s Day.
• We don’t say it enough, so say it extra today: Thank you for everything, dads.
• Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.
• A dad is someone who wants to catch you when you fall. Instead he picks you up, brushes you off and lets you try again.
• Life doesn’t come with a manual…it comes with a father.
• Wishing you a day that feels like [something they love].
• Because of your love and support, I’m a badass. Thank you Dad.
• We ❤ our dad customers!

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Funny Father’s Day Instagram captions

• Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You may not know everything but you sure had me fooled for quite a few years.
• I smile because you are my father…and I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.
• Forever grateful you still love me even after [all those times you did X]  in high school.
• I love this guy more than he loves his [favorite thing here]. And that’s a lot.
• I hope this Father’s Day is as good as your life was before kids.
• On Father’s Day, let’s review the most important lesson I learned from my dad: [something funny/witty]. What’s yours?
• Dads are the only ones who can____ // Happy Father’s Day to the only person who can _____.
• Happy Father’s Day To the first person I call when ____.
• D.A.D: Delay And Doze
• “There should be a children’s song: ‘If you’re happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your dad sleep.’” – Jim Gaffigan
• Cold one? Cracked. New balances? Fresh out of the box. Grill? Heating up🔥 Happy Father’s Day!
• Beer + white socks and sneakers + jorts + chair nap = the perfect Father’s Day
• Cheers and beers! Father’s Day is here🍻

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Factual Father’s Day Instagram captions

Use these Father’s Day facts, courtesy of Mental Floss och NPR to craft a little something different, whether that’s inspiring, nerdy, or eye-opening.

• The first statewide Father’s Day celebration was in 1910 in Washington. Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father who raised six children on his own after his wife died during childbirth. To the single fathers out there
• Roses used to be a tradition on Father’s day, red roses for the living and white for the deceased.
• Father’s Day wasn’t recognized as a national holiday until 1972.
• While the percentage of moms who are stay-at-home moms has remained stable, the percentage of stay-at-home dads has been rising slowly, from 4% in 1989 to 7% in 2016.
• 60% of men over the age of 15 in the United States are biological, step, or adopted fathers.
• Father’s Day is the fifth-largest card-sending occasion in America!
• Only 50% of all Father’s Day cards are purchased for dads! People get them for friends, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, and more.

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Father’s Day quotes for Instagram

• “A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” – Unknown
• “In the darkest days, when I feel inadequate, unloved and unworthy, I remember whose daughter I am, and I straighten my crown.” – Unknown
• “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me.” – Jim Valvano
• “The best fathers have the softest, sweetest hearts. In other words, great dads are real marshmallows.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
• “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.” – Anne Geddes
• “My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland
• “I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” – Umberto Eco
• “There will always be a few people who have the courage to love what is untamed inside us. One of those men is my father.” – Alison Lohman
• “A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.” – Unknown
• “I’ve said it before, but it’s absolutely true: My mother gave me my drive, but my father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.” – Liza Minelli
• “No man stands taller than when he stoops to help a child.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” – William Shakespeare

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Words to use in your Father’s Day Instagram captions

If you want to be fully authentic, build your own Instagram caption with these words to describe fathers:

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Want more captions?

For Instagram caption ideas for other holidays and occasions, we’ve got plenty:

And for even more ideas, hop on over to LocaliQ’s Happy Father’s Day social media ideas and templates.