We’re living in a digital world. Nearly everything consumers do nowadays is influenced, in other or another, by the Internet. A huge portion of that impact comes from social media. In fact, 57% of consumers say that social media influences their shopping.
Facebook is far and away the most dominant social media platform, with 1.49 billion daily active users. Due to its overwhelming popularity, your Facebook content can easily get lost in user’s feeds. That’s why more and more businesses are turning to Facebook ads to ensure that their content is seen by those within their target audience.
A staggering 93% of social media advertisers use Facebook Ads, so if you’re not utilizing them, it’s likely that your competitors are. Facebook offers several different ad formats for its users, and they all aim to serve different purposes. To determine which format is right for your small business, you must first decide what your goals are and what you aim to achieve through advertising on Facebook. Then, you can select with ad type makes the most sense for your business.
To improve your understanding of the advertising options, and help you gain an edge on your competitors, below is a brief description of several of Facebook’s different ad formats.
Image Ads
According to Facebook, all ads on the platform should have an image in place. Photo ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website or draw attention to your products. They should focus on a single element with an image that’s directly correlated with whatever it is that you’re promoting or selling. You also want to be sure that the amount of text is limited, as too much can draw away from the focus of the ad. Image ads are easy to create and can be completed in mere minutes.
Video Ads
Videos are a great way to draw consumer’s attention and engage them in what you’re advertising. Facebook offers a number of different video ad formats, ranging from short bursts and GIFs to long in-stream videos. They also offer the following:
- Collection Video Ads: These ads feature a central video or image and have four smaller images below it. When a user clicks the ad, they are taken to a “visual post-click experience,” on the Facebook platform.
- Carousel Video: Carousel video ads feature up to 10 images or videos that each have their own unique link. The multi option allows the user to showcase any number of things, like various pieces of information about a product, or a story about the brand.
Slideshow Ads
This unique ad format combines images, videos, text and sound to capture the attention of your target audience. Slideshow ads are easy to create and come at a low cost to the advertiser. Facebook offers free stock images, video editing tools and different types of music that can be placed within the ads.
Instant Experience Ads
Instant experience ads provide a “full-screen experience” that opens after a user interacts with an ad via a mobile device. The ad loads instantly and can incorporate several different ad formats within it, including single image, video, carousel, slideshow and collection.
Lead Generation Ads
As stated in the name, these ads are designed to help you gather leads. When an ad is clicked, a form will appear on the user’s screen and auto-populate with the contact information from their Facebook page. This information is then sent directly to you, the business.
Offers Ads
Facebook’s offer ads allow businesses to create special, limited time promotions and offers. These ads are customizable and easy to create. Users can store the offer on their mobile, giving them easier access to it when they decide to redeem it.
To learn more about Facebook‘s many ad formats, visit https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide.
