Facebook offers a variety of format options for ads, but most companies end up using the same kinds of ads and layouts for just about everything.
You might not have even realized you could use video ads on the platform, but you actually can.
Video ads are particularly helpful if you've got a decently sizeable chunk of information you need to share with your audience.
Facebook has some pretty stringent limits on how much text you can place in an ad, but if you present the information in a video instead, you've suddenly got a lot more space to work with.
Carousel ads are another little-used option that lets you pack more information into each individual advertisement.
They get surprisingly high click through rates, and each slide lets you showcase a different product or a different selling point.
In a recent blog post, Hootsuite details how these two strangely underused Facebook ad formats can help you breathe some new life into a stale campaign.
1. Video Ads
Video ads can convey a large amount of information in a way that is quick, concise, and engaging.
Which would you rather do: watch a one-minute video, or read a minute’s worth of plain text?
If you’re like 59 percent of executives and 80 percent of consumers, you’d rather watch the video.
Video ads are great for building brand awareness.
An introduction video that’s designed to appeal to customers in the discovery stage of the digital sales funnel can be one of the best ways to grab attention.
There’s no pressure to convert the audience right away either. All you need them to do is watch the video.
Later on, you can run a retargeting ad from the audience that watched the video up to a certain point, and show them an offer ad or lead ad.
2. Carousel ads
Carousel ads can be useful at all stages of the digital sales funnel, with a number of different use cases.
They can be used on both Facebook and Instagram ads, containing both images and videos (though videos will be square instead of landscape or portrait views).
They have significantly higher CTRs, and often at much lower CPAs than most other ad formats.
When shown to audiences towards the beginning of the digital sales funnel, carousel ads should focus on showing off different products, or features that makes your products and services unique.
This allows you to get your message across to users quickly, showing them why your brand is superior and generating demand for your product.
[image source: Hootsuite]
When you’re using carousel ads to increase conversions among warmer audiences, you have several options.
You can still use the carousel ads to highlight features that make your product superior—this will still be effective.
[image source: Hootsuite]
You can also use retargeting to show a combination of products that will be most relevant to users based on their past purchase history.
Did they buy an iPhone?
Show them the iPhone otterbox case, the earbuds, the workout belt, and a screen protector.
By showing complementary products, you can both drive further purchases and increase the average purchase value.
[image source: Hootsuite]
While many focus on the extensive targeting features Facebook ad offers as the platform’s biggest asset—which in many ways it is—the diverse ad formats and placements should also be taken into account.
Brands and businesses can appeal to audience members in different stages of the digital sales funnel with the most effective messages and mediums possible, using ads types that are best suited for each individual goal.
By getting creative and using a combination of different ad types and placements, businesses will be able to grow their businesses more efficiently through Facebook Ads.
You can find more creative Facebook ad ideas at Hootsuite.
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