Brian Meert's Blog, page 136

7 Principles That Guide Facebook’s Advertising Decisions

November 30, 2017
Anna Hubbel

With so many different platforms and formats for advertising these days, managing it all can be a tricky business, especially if you’re a major social network as big as Facebook. That’s why Facebook created these seven principles that foster good connections and experiences for both businesses and users.

@Facebook has 7 principles it uses to help decide which ads are useful & relevant to show.…
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1. Users Come First

Facebook says its primary goal is to distribute ads that are relevant and useful to each user. This makes both the Facebook experience enjoyable for users and, on the business side, increases the likelihood that users will respond to ads.

2. Personal Information Is Protected

Facebook does not sell personal information to advertisers for profit. Although advertisers can get performance data on their ads, they do not have access to private information from users’ profiles, such as email addresses and phone numbers. Facebook designed its ad system to put users’ privacy first.

3. Users Have Control

Users can decide which ads they don’t want to see by going to Ad Preferences. This makes it easier for users to control which relevant ads appear in their feed.

4. Transparency Is Key

Facebook believes users should know who is showing an ad and what other ads a brand is distributing. The network is currently working on an ads transparency feature that contains all ads a brand is running on its Facebook page. That way, there are no secrets, and advertisers are held accountable for ad content.

5. Safety and Civility at the Forefront

As online bullying and discrimination become more of a concern recently, Facebook strives to make its platforms safe and civil. In light of recent events, such as the discovery of ads targeting “Jew haters,” Facebook has tightened its ad policies even more so. The network has even opted to manually review sensitive ads to make sure no ads containing hateful or inappropriate content gets through its system.

6. Both Large and Small Businesses Deserve to Thrive

Facebook advertising offers tools for businesses of any size so that every business can grow and succeed. Community organizations have the same opportunities as well, making advertising something that can help both small businesses and communities thrive.

7. Facebook Advertising Is Always Developing

Across all of its platforms, Facebook continues to roll out product updates and new features to make the advertising experience better. The company responds to feedback and demands, constantly testing new tools, formats, and capabilities.

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Facebook Messenger’s Streak a Likely Antecedent to New Messenger Ads

November 30, 2017
Anne Felicitas

Facebook once again copies Snapchat in a new test. This time, Facebook is copying Snapchat’s streak feature.

A Twitter user, Case Sandberg, reported this new Messenger feature to The Verge. The feature mimics Snapchat’s streak feature, which encourages users to send messages back and forth for consecutive days. Like Snapchat, Facebook Messenger’s feature includes an emoji status for anyone maintaining a streak. To encourage users to continue the streak, Messenger sends an alert. If rolled out, the streaks feature may increase time spent on the standalone app.

Facebook Messenger sends an alert to continue the steak. Photo courtesy of The Verge.

Some speculate Facebook copies Snapchat to steal its users. Although this is likely the result if the feature rolled out, it’s also possible that Facebook is creating the perfect environment for Messenger ads to thrive in, an environment with plenty of users spending more time on the app.

Earlier this year, Facebook tested ads in Messenger. The ads, according to users who discovered the test, appeared as carousel cards users could swipe through under the favorites bar. At that time, Facebook was only testing the ad in Australia and Thailand with no intention of expanding to other countries.

Facebook tests Messenger ads in January 2017. The ads appeared as carousel cards users could swipe through. Photo courtesy of Recode.

(Messenger carousel ads should not be confused with Direct-to-Messenger ads that Facebook rolled out in November 2016.)

Since the first sighting in early January, there has been no word on whether or not Facebook continued or canceled the test. It is worth noting that Facebook’s Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for Messenger, said in an interview with Recode that the test would go on for several months and won’t be expanded for “a long time.”

If Facebook Messenger’s streak feature rolls out, it will likely increase users and time spent on the app, two ingredients that create the perfect environment for Messenger ads to thrive in. It won’t be surprising that the social media giant is testing Messenger streaks for this reason, considering Facebook is running out of spaces to serve ads.

 

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4 Ways to Turn Your Product into Someone’s Perfect Gift

November 29, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Doesn’t it just warm your heart to think that something someone purchases from your business may be given as a thoughtful gift this holiday season? Make it happen while also getting the most out of your ad campaign with these four Facebook tips.

Make your products someone else's gift by using @Facebook's 4 ad tips. #holidayadvertising
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1. Show Off Your Products (AKA, Potential Gifts)

Window shopping is primarily done on mobile devices these days. Just as you would perfect your store display, so should you make a stellar digital showcase.

Facebook offers multiple ad types for showcasing your products, such as Canvas, Collection Ads, and Carousel Ads.

With Canvas, you can create a full-screen, immersive experience through videos and images.
Collection ads allow you to include multiple related ads directly below your video, image, or slideshow, with a Lifestyle Layout that can bring ads to life.
Finally, with Carousel ads, you can play with highlights and storytelling elements that develop in subsequent Carousel cards.

2. Use Online Discovery to Drive In-Store Traffic

Facebook Business suggests using the Store Visits objective to drive in-store traffic. This objective helps you reach customers located near your brick-and-mortar store whose online activity suggests they would be interested in your business.

Additionally, you can easily share store hours and contact information with nearby customers.

3. Always Be Aware of Your End Goal

This means deciding what it is that you want to measure (e.g., website visits, conversions, etc.) and using that measurement to guide you through the duration of your campaign. Measurements allow you to determine what is working, who it’s working with, and how you can make your campaign better so that you can reach customers most likely to respond to your ads. Keep your ad objectives in mind throughout your entire campaign so that you can gather insights and refine your ad decisions.

Facebook Pixel is an effective measurement tool that can help you track consumer activity on your website.

4. Maximize Your Return on Ad Spend

Facebook Business says you should only make bids that cater to your desired result. Additionally, you should make your daily average budget five times greater than your bid. Facebook explains that doing so gives you wiggle room for assembling more conversion data for each individual ad. As a result, you get better conversion predictions and, subsequently, you will be able to achieve your end goal. Facebook says budgets that fall short typically result in under-delivered ads, and therefore make it more challenging to garner conversions.

Another important bidding note by Facebook Business is bidding at the right value. In other words, do not underbid. Facebook advises that you bid the amount you are willing to pay per conversion. By bidding at the right price with your measurement or ad objective in mind, you make it easier for Facebook to deliver ads to customers most likely to buy your product.

May your business be merry and bright this holiday season as you encourage people to make your product a part of their gift-giving festivities.

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Plagiarism Helps Facebook Survive in a Time of Declining Teen Users

November 29, 2017
Anne Felicitas

Plagiarism helps @facebook survive in a time of declining #teen users. #socialmedia #millennials
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When headlines announced Facebook-owned Instagram copied Snapchat Stories in August 2016, critics quickly condemned the blatant theft. Responding to Facebook’s many acts of plagiarism, The Guardian writer, Alex Stern, criticized the media giant for its lack of originality in his derisive piece “How Many Snapchat Clones Does It Take for Facebook to Lose Its Self-Respect?”.

“Facebook plays dirty to stay on top and doesn’t care whether or not you like it,” wrote Stern.

Although severe, Stern’s statement is true. To stay relevant and alive, Facebook steals from its competitors. When Snapchat emerged, its popularity growing among teen users, Facebook, in an effort to compete, copied Snapchat and launched Instagram Stories. This desperate act, which occurred after Facebook failed to buy Snapchat for $3 billion, was a way to steal Snapchat’s younger users, users who Facebook needs to grow and remain relevant, users who will replace Facebook’s older users when they drop out of the platform to attend to their busy adult lives, users who, according to an eMarketer report, are abandoning Facebook.

“The social network’s monthly user base among the marketer-coveted 12 to 17 age group will fall 3.4 percent,” the report states.

Although Facebook is the biggest social network in the US, teen users are decreasing.

When eMarketer reduced its usage estimates for US monthly Facebook users aged 12 to 17 and 18 to 24, its estimates for Snapchat and Instagram users either increased or plateaued. With these results, eMarketer concluded that younger users are leaving Facebook for photo-sharing apps such as Snapchat.

“We see teens and tweens migrating to Snapchat and Instagram. Both platforms have found success with this demographic since they are more aligned with how they communicate—that is, using visual content,” said eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Oscar Orozco in the report.

While Facebook’s remaining teen users are engaging less and abandoning their accounts, a new wave of users, which Orozco calls Facebook nevers, children aging into teens who ignore Facebook, are emerging.

Facebook’s teen users are declining, and plagiarism, with the help of an ally, is keeping the social media giant competitive. If Facebook hadn’t bought former competitor Instagram for $1 billion in 2014, it likely wouldn’t so easily compete against Snapchat now. Shortly after the launch of Instagram Stories, Instagram became more popular than Snapchat, boasting 500 million daily active users to Snapchat’s 173 million users. People, particularly influencers, prefer Instagram over Snapchat for its duplicity, featuring both the ephemeral Stories feature and the permanent curation feed.

TBH is another app Facebook acquired in addition to WhatsApp and Instagram.

“Ever since Instagram integrated their own version of ephemeral with superior engagement features, such as account tagging and hashtagging, users have gotten the best of both worlds in a single, unified app,” said Instagram influencer Vanessa Koo when asked why she prefers Instagram over Snapchat.

Because of Instagram’s rapid growth since the launch of Stories, eMarketer predicts an increase in Instagram US users under 12 years old by 19 percent and ages 12 to 17 by 8.8 percent. More active users in Instagram means more money for Facebook. Since Facebook owns Instagram and, consequently, Instagram advertising, the parent company can attract advertisers with Instagram’s marketer-coveted teen users, profiting off ad revenue. Facebook can then use the ad profits to buy off competitors as it has done with Instagram, WhatsApp, and recently, TBH.

Facebook’s move to copy Snapchat may have been a low blow, but it’s a low blow that’s now helping the social media giant stay at the top despite declining teen users.

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Facebook Messenger Copies Snapchat’s Streak Idea

November 28, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Another Snapchat copycat comes in the form of message streaks in Facebook Messenger. According to The Verge, Facebook is testing the streaks feature on select accounts.

@Facebook #Messenger copies @Snapchat 's streak idea. #facebook #messenger #snapchat
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Originated by Snapchat, the streak feature displays an emoji identifying the friends that have continuous back-and-forth Snaps. The streak emoji encourages friends to continue the streak for as long as possible.

As several users observed, Messenger, too, has an emoji status that indicates which friends have a message streak. The emoji status playfully provokes users to keep the streak alive for as many consecutive days as possible.

Photo Courtesy of The Verge

The Verge expects that the streak feature, should it generate successful results during testing, will also likely appear on Instagram and WhatsApp.

Facebook Keeps Copying Snapchat

Facebook has a history of generating products and features that mimic its rival, Snapchat. For instance, the company produced similar face filters and video features across its platforms, as well as the idea of Stories in the very successful Instagram Stories platform, a direct copy of Snapchat Stories.

However, as Facebook continues to copy Snapchat’s playful features, Snapchat, in turn, has been copying Facebook’s advertising offerings. For example, the Self-Serve Ad Manager is Snapchat’s copy of Facebook’s Business Manager.

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Facebook’s Dynamic and Lead Ads Help Customers Find Your Dealership

November 28, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Encouraging customers to visit your dealership can be challenging. You can encourage them to visit by making the car buying experience as easy and as seamless as possible.

Facebook recently announced enhancements for two ad products, Dynamic Ads for Auto and Lead Ads for Auto, to make it easier for customers to find and learn more about your dealership.

Use @Facebook 's Dynamic Ads and Lead Ads for #auto to help customers find you. #digitaladvertising
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Dynamic Ads for Auto

Facebook’s dynamic ads make the ad viewing experience more engaging and personalized. Not only do the ads make your vehicle inventory shine, but they also feature each of your vehicles to customers most likely to buy. Below is a list of Dynamic Ads for Auto’s enhanced capabilities.

Dynamic Ads for Auto automatically generates distinctive ads for each vehicle.
Dynamic Ads for Auto uses interest targeting with information taken from customers’ websites, apps, or Internet activities.
Dynamic Ads for Auto is always on, increasing the chances of customers seeing your offer.
Dynamic ads for auto is viewable on all devices, reaching more people at any given time.

Lead Ads for Auto

Lead ads remove the slow and difficult process of communicating with dealerships. Using a visual hook to reel them in, lead ads make the process of collecting information from and giving information to customers as easy as possible. Below is a list of Lead Ads for Auto’s enhanced capabilities.

Lead Ads for Auto uses the locator feature to help customers find your dealership.
Lead Ads for Auto uses the Canvas format to captivate and allow customers to see the ease of doing business with your dealership.
Lead Ads for Auto make it easy for customers to schedule appointments with you.

With Facebook’s two new capabilities, you can easily turn interested customers to buying customers.

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