Facebook was created as a way for college students to connect with those around them, share photos and update statuses. So how did it get to be such a powerful force in the marketing world? And how can you effectively create a message that will be memorable enough to cut through the social clutter in a world where ads aren’t really welcomed?

When it comes to Facebook, a push strategy is most effective because it focuses on breaking the attention of the user on their original task and pushing them towards a message. This means ads need to be louder to grab the attention of the user. There are a few main ways to do this.

First, it’s important that your ad is relevant. For example, an ad about a vacation rental is great for Facebook since friends are often sharing photos of trips and adventures. Next you want to provide some sort of value to the visitor. What can you provide them if they click on your ad? This is all incorporated into the messaging but you’ll want to be sure to provide some sort of incentive. Lastly, the message should include some call-to-action. For instance, use the phrase “Enter Now” for visitors to enter a contest.

Images are also incredibly important. Tailor the image used to the type of target audience you want to reach. If you want to reach a marketer, an image with a graph would be appropriate or if you want to instill brand recognition in your ad, incorporating your logo may be most effective. Use bright colors, capitalization and catchy titles to captivate your audience.

As with any marketing tactic, it all starts with a strategy. Facebook Ads are no different. Simply define who you want to reach and what sort of incentives that audience might be looking for. Your goal is to entice Facebook users to either click on the ad right away or gain enough recognition of your brand to come back to it after they are done perusing the latest gossip.